WPC 2025 returned to the Red Deer Resort and Casino location in February for its final presentation with the PIP team as hosts. The morning agenda featured keynote speakers Lowy Gunneweik, Gigi Lin and Carla Prado and research presentations from U of C PhD students Muhammad Farooq and Awais Ghaffar. The morning sessions were masterfully hosted by MC Dianne Finstad. After the award presentation (see feature below) the afternoon session launched the inaugural and commodity specific Breakout Rooms for Turkey, Hatching Egg, Table Egg and Broilers. Each room had designated speakers who addressed current and relevant issues for those particular producers, followed by Q&A, lively discussion, input from other experts in the field and peer-to-peer sharing of experiences. The breakout room experience was highly rated by participants and WPC 2025 celebrated as a great success.
Student presentations
Broiler Breakout
Hatching Egg Breakout
Turkey Breakout
Table Egg Breakout
Organizing team
Cutting Edge Feather Award for Innovation
The inaugural Cutting Edge Feather Award for Innovation is presented to producer Mike Stahl. This award goes to a poultry producer who is nominated by his peers for his forward thinking and innovative approach to farming, his leadership on farm and in community and his contributions through mentorship, advocacy and service. Congratulations to Mike for this most deserving win!
Dawn has an MMUS from Northwestern University and worked from 2017 - 2021 as the U of A Heritage Chicken Program Coordinator. With extensive experience as a newspaper and magazine writer and editor, Dawn is the scribe for the PIP team. Duties include transcribing minutes, creating action lists, organizing team ideas and projects, editing, writing articles, and interviewing subjects for the People of Poultry series in the PIP newsletter. Dawn also assists in PIP tech transfer initiatives.
