PRECISION FARMING PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE EGG PRODUCTIONS

The overall goal for this project is to promote the cage-free (CF) egg production by providing solutions for issues related to air quality and egg safety related to egg production. To achieve this goal, we have put together a multi-disciplinary team that is well versed in the areas of agricultural engineering, poultry and animal science, and food safety, and product quality, dedicated to developing a research and Extension program for the poultry and egg industry. Specific objectives are as follows:Integrate advanced methods for enhancing air and litter quality in CF layer houses.Test the effect of litter/bedding management and electrostatic air space charging (EASC) system on reduction efficiency of particulate matter, ammonia, and airborne bacteria (AB) in four research CF houses;Identify the best combination of bedding management and use of EASC on different air pollutants;Verify the research findings in commercial CF houses.Explore precision farming strategies for improving egg quality and safety in CF houses.Test the effect of air quality management on egg shell quality and safety in the CF houses;Test the effect of bedding management on the daily generation of floor eggs in the research CF houses;Innovate machine vision systems for detecting floor eggs and hens' behaviors for reducing mislaid eggs;Conduct socioeconomic analysis on aforementioned farming strategies.Develop Extension programs for training egg producers to improve air quality and egg safety on commercial CF farms.Translate research findings into applied knowledge for CF farms;Prepare training materials for egg producers and growers;Provide trainings through UGA Extension programs that PDs are coordinating (e.g., Georgia Layer Conference, the Layer Session of Georgia International Poultry Trainings, Georgia Precision Poultry Farming Conference, and Deep South Poultry Conference);Evaluate the newly developed Extension/education programs by surveying training attendees on willingness in investment or adaptation of different farming practices.Analyze the feedbacks from growers for assessing the project impact on CF production.