‘Energetic Participation' at Cobb World Technical School
The two-week event based at the Cobb global headquarters at Siloam Springs, Arkansas, provided the opportunity to learn about the latest developments of chicken breeding from grandparent stock production to processing optimization along with current aspects of animal welfare, research, health and nutrition.Eight outside visits, hands-on training sessions and 30 speakers featured in the Cobb World Technical School for 50 participants from 24 countries.
“I appreciate that our distributors around the world greatly value places in the technical school for their employees, and we aim to develop a program that combines the more basic skills and knowledge with topical issues facing the chicken industry,” said Joel Sappenfield, president of Cobb. “I was greatly impressed by the enthusiasm of the participants and by the feedback on how much they had enjoyed and learned from the event.”
Dr Steve Bolden, director of the Cobb World Technical Support Team, commented: “This year’s class was a particularly eager group, as demonstrated by their array of great questions and energetic participation in every topic.
“The students benefited from seeing and hearing the very latest in all disciplines including antibiotic free production and a strong briefing on muscle myopathies. Aside from the academic excellence of the school, lasting friendships were established among the attendees outside of the presentations.”
The visits took in the Cobb feed mill at Siloam Springs, parent stock and broiler farms, a hatchery, processing plant, ventilation demonstration, transportation display and the Tyson Foods Discovery Centre where new food products are researched and developed.
Cobb-Vantress, Inc. is a poultry research and development company engaged in the production improvement and sale of broiler breeding stock. Cobb is the world’s oldest pedigree broiler breeding company. Founded in 1916, Cobb has grown into one of the world’s leading suppliers of broiler breeding stock with distribution into over 120 countries. Cobb has contributed to the dynamic efficiency and growth of an industry that has transformed chicken into an economically affordable healthy protein source for many of the over seven billion people in the world.