EGG-NEWS is indebted to Corey Earle for a review of the Cornell Poultry Science Program recently published in an alumni newsletter.
Professor James Rice, who graduated in 1890, submitting a thesis on poultry production, was appointed to the faculty of the Land Grant University. He established a teaching program in poultry production in 1892. Rice was a giant among the early promoters of poultry, organizing a judging school, establishing teaching and extension programs culminating in the establishment of the first poultry-dedicated department in the U.S. His activism and the importance of the emerging poultry industry in the Northeast led to the erection of a poultry science building in 1912, subsequently dedicated in his honor as Rice Hall.
During the early 1940s, Cornell established a turkey farm with Professor Earl Smith as the Director. He established a breeding program to develop a meat turkey. His hybrid was based on a cross between the White-Holland breed and the Broad-Breasted Bronze to create the Empire White, the first of the turkeys with a broad breast. Smith also developed artificial insemination due to the dimorphism of toms and hens. The Empire White debuted in 1953 and was used extensively by the industry. Additional refinement resulted from scientific breeding programs incorporating index selection and biomarkers for desirable traits.
Food scientists, including Dr. Bob Baker, were instrumental in developing further processed products both for eggs and turkeys that contributed to the early success of the U.S. poultry industry.