Turkeys showcased at ROC open house
By Heather Thorstensen
hthorstensen@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 09/02/2010 9:23 AM
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ROSEMOUNT, Minn.— Two female turkeys made appearances Aug. 19 at the University of Minnesota's Rosemount Research and Outreach Center's Open House.
They were on display near a tent about the university's turkey research.
The center is the only turkey research facility in Minnesota. It has five barns and each can hold 1,000 birds, according to Sally Noll, a University of Minnesota professor of poultry science and Extension poultry specialist. Depending on the time of year, the center can be at capacity.
Turkey research here is important because Minnesota is the nation's leader for turkey production. This year, the state's turkey producers are expected to produce some 45 million turkeys.
Minnesota is home to the largest turkey hatchery in the country, Willmar Poultry Company in Willmar, as well as three processing companies: the Jennie-O Turkey Store based in Willmar, Turkey Valley Farms in Marshall and Northern Pride, a cooperative in Thief River Falls.
"We're trying to do research that will benefit the producers and processors in the state," said Noll.
Their research addresses two main areas: improving egg production of hens and enhancing nutrition of turkeys bound for the meat market.
Their research into egg production involves seeing how LED lights affect egg production efficiency.
The main emphasis of the nutrition research is on dried distillers grain, a byproduct of ethanol production. The center is working to determine its nutritional value so its known how much can be substituted for corn or soybean meal in the birds' diets.
DDGs can reduce the feeding costs for producers, Noll said.
The center also recently completed a study in cooperation with other institutions in which they measured ammonia emissions from turkey manure. Knowing the level of emissions will help turkey producers eventually make reductions.
As people made their way to see the turkeys at the open house, they picked up turkey-shaped erasers plus recipe cards, a listing of nutritional information for turkey meat and saw different turkey feeds.