{"id":8558,"date":"2021-02-03T11:35:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T17:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=8558"},"modified":"2021-02-03T11:37:53","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T17:37:53","slug":"with-eye-to-the-future-sau-cuts-ribbon-on-poultry-education-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2021\/with-eye-to-the-future-sau-cuts-ribbon-on-poultry-education-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"With eye to the future, SAU cuts ribbon on Poultry Education Facility"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Trey Berry, president of Southern Arkansas University, led a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the First Financial Bank Poultry Education Facility on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. The dedication concluded with an \u201cegg cracking\u201d by donors, Board of Trustee members, and administrators followed by tours of the facility.<\/p><\/div>\n

Stressing the importance of partnerships that benefit students as well as South Arkansas, Dr. Trey Berry, president of Southern Arkansas University, led a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the First Financial Bank Poultry Education Facility on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.<\/p>\n

Berry welcomed representatives of First Financial Bank of El Dorado and Farm Bureau Insurance, as well as SAU alumni, faculty, and staff, to the ceremony on the north side of the Agriculture Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis day is not only about a building, but also our students and our future,\u201d said Berry. \u201cThis building represents many things to SAU, including the dedication and vision of several great education partners. It also represents our commitment to agriculture education. That dedication will not slow down. You see it right now all around you. The future of agriculture education is bright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thanked SAU\u2019s many partners in enhancing its poultry studies curriculum. \u201cFirst Financial has been our partner since Day One. They have been a longtime leader in the poultry industry, and we thank them for their support,\u201d Berry said.<\/p>\n

Chris Hegi, CEO of First Financial, congratulated SAU on its program and facility. \u201cWe have been making poultry loans for 30 plus years, and I can tell you, there is nothing else like this facility. Hats off to all for a job well done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hegi said the new building represents the University\u2019s agricultural roots. \u201cWe hope to find additional partnerships moving forward. I am convinced that this investment will pay dividends for years to come for the poultry industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Caleb Plyler, SAU alumnus and member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau board, said poultry is vital to South Arkansas. \u201cFarm Bureau is happy to help SAU provide these educational opportunities. I am grateful to see all the wonderful new things happening in SAU\u2019s agriculture program,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

He thanked Dr. Berry and Dr. Jeffry Miller, chair of the Agriculture Department, for continuing to expand and improve the educational experience for students.<\/p>\n

Dr. David Lanoue, SAU\u2019s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said the University is uniquely positioned to create a trained workforce that will serve the poultry industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur poultry science degree option expands our offerings while meeting the needs of the industry,\u201d he said. \u201cOur students will have the kind of individualized training they won\u2019t be able to get in a larger program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lanoue thanked all the partners for their support of agriculture at SAU. \u201cThey have shown strong commitment to the people and communities of this region,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to produce great leaders, and we are going to do great things for economic development right here in south Arkansas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larry Daniel, an SAU alumnus and recently retired from Pilgrim\u2019s Pride, addressed the importance of training students for work in the poultry industry. \u201cWe often have to train new employees on the technical side,\u201d he said, \u201cbut this program will allow us to hire graduates who can hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n

The curriculum will \u201cgive students a leg up\u201d with a good understanding of industry principles,\u00a0Daniel\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Berry thanked such partners as Chore-Time, a provider of cutting-edge poultry and egg production systems;\u00a0Reliable Poultry Supply, a leader in poultry farm construction, and Farm Bureau for serving as a longtime SAU partner.<\/p>\n

He expressed his\u00a0appreciation to\u00a0Dr. Jeff Miller, who envisioned SAU becoming a poultry education leader. \u201cWe are now on that path,\u201d Berry told Miller.<\/p>\n

The dedication concluded with an \u201cegg cracking\u201d by donors, Board of Trustee members, and administrators followed by tours of the facility.<\/p>\n

The project was funded through private support. Fundraising for this facility was a part of the University\u2019s Love and Loyalty Campaign, an effort which is in its fifth and final year seeking to raise $22.275 million. Providing cutting-edge technology and equipment in classrooms and laboratories are primary campaign focuses. For more information on the Love and Loyalty Campaign, please visit www.sauloveandloyalty.com<\/a> or contact the Division of Advancement at 870-235-4078.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stressing the importance of partnerships that benefit students as well as South Arkansas, Dr. Trey Berry, president of Southern Arkansas University, led a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the First Financial Bank Poultry Education Facility on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. Berry welcomed representatives of First Financial Bank of El Dorado and Farm Bureau Insurance, as well as… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":8559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[65,308,7753],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-agriculture","8":"category-college-of-science-and-technology","9":"category-homepage","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}