PEC: Promoting poultry welfare through global outreach

Black and white logo of the Poultry Extension Collaborative (PEC) featuring silhouettes of various poultry species within a circle, with the letters ‘PEC’ at the bottom.
Logo courtesy of Marisa Erasmus.

The Poultry Extension Collaborative (PEC) was founded in 2020 by Purdue Associate Professor Marisa Erasmus and colleagues Leonie Jacobs at Virginia Tech University, Shawna Weimer at the University of Arkansas and Prafulla Regmi at the University of Georgia.

PEC applies poultry science in real-world settings, delivering the latest evidence-based care and welfare practices to stakeholders across the U.S. and around the world.

“PEC is designed to bring evidence-based information to poultry stakeholders so that they can make informed decisions and to facilitate discussion, collaboration and engagement,” Erasmus said. “It reaches people from across the globe, ensuring that information is freely available to all who have a poultry interest.”

Since its founding in 2020, PEC has led impactful outreach efforts, including publishing educational articles and hosting free live symposia with global experts and industry leaders in animal behavior and welfare.

Erasmus explains that community engagement is essential to PEC’s mission.

“Community engagement is the cornerstone of animal welfare science—without community engagement, we cannot understand the most pressing animal welfare needs of the agriculture industry, and the information we generate cannot reach those who use it to advance animal production and welfare,” Erasmus said.

To learn more about the Poultry Extension Collaborative and access its free educational resources, click here.

Featured Stories

Purdue University's bell tower at the West Lafayette campus with greenery in the foreground.
Purdue welcomes two faculty members for Spring 2026 semester

Camila Nicolli, research assistant professor of mycotoxin fungal biology in the Department of...

Read More
Mohit Verma in lab with grad student
Portable device detects pathogens’ diverse settings

Purdue University researchers have developed a device for more conveniently detecting pathogens...

Read More
A dark tornado funnel is shown near a farm.
2025 Top Midwestern weather events

From floods to fall drought to 20-foot icicles, the Midwest experienced some record-breaking...

Read More
A landscape view of Pfendler Hall, one of the three buildings that houses faculty and staff from Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources.
FNR Honors Four Individuals for Department Service in 2025

The Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources has honored four individuals for their...

Read More
the Szymanski and Siegmund labs stand together in front of photos and models of leaf epidermis on a screen between them.
Sticking together under stress: NSF grant brings plant biologists and engineers together to discover how tissues stay connected

Daniel Szymanski, professor of Purdue’s Departments of Botany and Plant Pathology and...

Read More
Ag Barometer
Farmer sentiment drifts lower as trade uncertainty hangs over agriculture

Farmer sentiment dipped slightly in December, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy...

Read More