OAKWOOD, GA. — Wayne-Sanderson Farms doubled its initial donation toward construction of Mississippi State University’s new poultry feed mill, bringing the company’s total contribution to $1 million.

“We’re proud to continue our support as Mississippi State gets that much closer to reaching their goal,” said Clint Rivers, Wayne-Sanderson Farms president and chief executive officer. “Every aspect of the poultry business, from educational leadership to scientific research, is positively impacted by the MSU program, and we’re glad to do our part.”

Reaching nearly 5,000 square feet, the new feed mill will feature grinding, batching, pelletizing and bagging systems as well as space for ingredient and finish feed storage and outside grain storage. The mill is part of a department-wide facility expansion campaign. As part of the department’s upgrades, the university has modernized its poultry research unit to include renovated poultry houses, research labs and an automated processing plant.

“We are appreciative to Wayne-Sanderson Farms for their continued support of poultry teaching, research and service at Mississippi State,” said Scott Willard, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. “This additional gift places us one step closer to building a state-of-the-art mill to improve nutrition and feed manufacturing research and, most importantly, train the next generation of poultry leaders.”

Kelley Wamsley, Mississippi State associate professor of poultry nutrition and feed manufacture, has led the fundraising efforts for the new mill.

“This additional support coming from a company that has had such a large presence in the state of Mississippi is so meaningful,” she said. “The intent for this project is to take our department’s current research, teaching and service to the next level to produce top-notch research and students, as well as be relevant for feeding our world’s growing population.”