Animal Sciences

PEC: Promoting poultry welfare through global outreach

Story by Katy Kinker
Photo by Tom Campbell
June 2, 2025

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

A woman stands in a greenhouse, surrounded by greenery and natural light.

Catalyzing metabolite research for agriculture, ecosystems and industry

Concealed within the molecular machinery of petunia flowers are metabolic, genetic and cellular...

A spotted eagle ray; Morgan Hamilton snorkeling during a biodiversity survey in Turks and Caicos; Hamilton with a group of students from her study abroad cohort.

FNR Field Report: Morgan Hamilton

Senior aquatic sciences major Morgan Hamilton took her skills and interests on the road for a...

Presence of multiple ear rots and premature kernel sprouting (e.g., vivipary) on ears which were completely submerged in flood water in East-Central Indiana (right three ears) in comparison to ears in the same field that were not submerged (left three ears)

Risk & Mycotoxin Management in Indiana Corn

Two men, one wearing a lab coat, examine a scientific device in a laboratory setting.

New molecular diagnostics instruments provide improved accuracy

Purdue University researchers have developed prototypes of three new molecular diagnostics...

Coming full circle: Purdue alumni mentor Boilermaker interns at Miller Poultry

At Miller Poultry, a broiler production company located in Northern Indiana, Purdue Agriculture...

Kline Wetland after five inches of rain; Katie Schouten walking through the Kline Wetland with her employer taking notes on what plant species were present.

FNR Field Report: Katie Schouten

Sophomore forestry major Katie Schouten spent the summer as an intern with the Lake Maxinkuckee...