West Virginia University (WVU) recently held a ceremony celebrating the completion of upgrades to its Davis College’s poultry research feed mill.

The newly refurbished feed mill is at the university’s animal science farm in Morgantown, W.Va. In total, the university has seven farms in its system, but the WVU Davis farm is the most active.

The biggest benefit is the continued prominence of and value of the research that WVU continues to do and put forth. It benefits the entire poultry as well as the feed industry and helps West Virginia remain competitive, said Joel Newman, chief executive officer of the American Feed Industry Assn.

Poultry represents the largest volume of animal protein consumed in the U.S. In West Virginia, the industry also makes a significant impact, adding $200 million to the state’s economy and providing jobs for more than 5,000 people.

The university said the mill is vital to its ongoing poultry research efforts, which are largely focused on helping poultry producers tackle some of the industry's greatest challenges, including poultry litter management and increasing pellet quality.