FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Steven C. Ricke will receive National Chicken Council Broiler Research Award at the annual Poultry Science Association meeting, which will be held virtually July 20-22.

Ricke is the Donald "Buddy" Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. He is also a faculty member of the food science department for the division and the University of Arkansas and of the U of A System's Cellular and Molecular Biology program.

The National Chicken Council Broiler Research Award recognizes distinctive research work that has a substantial economic impact on the broiler industry. This year's award recognizes Ricke's emphasis on foodborne Salmonella and Campylobacter ecology from the broiler farm to the processing plant, including the mechanisms the pathogens employ to survive these highly variable environments.

Ricke uses next-generation sequencing approaches to better understand the interaction of the microbiome with pathogens in the avian gastrointestinal tract and to evaluate feed additives such as prebiotics.

The overall outcomes of these research efforts contribute to a better understanding of the broiler gastrointestinal tract response to feed additives that may help improve bird performance and food safety.

He also uses these sequencing techniques to develop more comprehensive microbial characterization at the poultry processing plant and introduce microbiome mapping for broiler processing.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.