Pilgrim’s Pride adds to MSU feed mill’s construction nest egg

Contact: Meg Henderson

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Pilgrim’s Pride, a global leader in poultry production, has donated a major gift toward constructing a new poultry feed mill facility at Mississippi State. The company’s $100,000 gift marks another chapter in demonstrating its longstanding relationship with the university’s poultry science department.

Pilgrim’s—which also partners with MSU for internship and mentoring programs—produces fresh, frozen and value-added products from its operations across 14 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K. and Europe. The company likewise supports MSU through involvement in courses, advisory boards and primary sponsorship of the poultry science department’s annual crawfish boil and tailgate. 

“Pilgrim’s is proud of our role in the development of the new Mississippi State University Feed Mill,” said Fabio Sandri, Pilgrim’s CEO. “We have a strong, longstanding partnership with the MSU poultry science department, and we look forward to continued support of the next generation of poultry professionals and the advancement of our industry overall.”

The university’s existing feed mill has served the department since 1979. Plans for the new mill, located on its current site at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station’s H.H. Leveck Animal Research Center, or South Farm, includes an updated exterior, increased facility footprint and addition of a pelleting line. The project is slated to begin next year.

“Feed and feed manufacturing accounts for roughly 60 to 70% of total operational costs for poultry producers. Proper nutrition is critical to overall health, growth and production,” said Kelley Wamsley, associate professor of poultry science. “The pellet mill will enhance our research capacity while also providing hands-on experience for our students and complementing our other commercially relevant facilities, allowing students to truly learn about the industry from farm to fork.”

The feed mill also will help support the department’s recent growth in faculty, along with a newly approved curriculum to provide further education in feed manufacturing. This curriculum represents the department’s continued support of the industry, with a 2024 MSU survey demonstrating 96% of poultry industry respondents indicated a need for feed mill curriculum for college students and a desire for a facility to assist with training new employees. 

“By equipping students with practical knowledge and real-world experience in feed manufacturing, we’re training the next generation of industry professionals—many of whom will likely become valued members of the Pilgrim’s Pride team,” said Will Staggers, director of development for MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“This is not just an investment in the brick and mortar for another building—it is much more than that,” Wamsley added. “This is investing in the future of poultry science, the future of the industry and feeding the world.”

Since 1948, MSU’s poultry science graduates, including many employed by Pilgrim’s today, have seen a 100% job placement rate. This feed mill will ensure that MSU’s poultry science department—one of only six stand-alone departments in the U.S.—will continue to offer future graduates the education and training to lead the industry for generations to come.

For more information about MSU’s Department of Poultry Science, visit www.poultry.msstate.edu. Learn more about the poultry feed mill at https://www.poultry.msstate.edu/mill/index.php.

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