New poultry research chair, scholarship gifted to University of Guelph

A $3.5 million gift from the William and Lynne Gray Foundation and L.H. Gray & Son Limited aims to advance poultry and egg research and training at the University of Guelph.

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The gift will create the new Bill and Lynne Gray Chair in Advanced Poultry Technology Management position in the department of Animal Biosciences within the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC).

The University of Guelph said in a release the gift will help advance technologies and systems that are key to sustainable and profitable production.

“We are incredibly grateful to Bill and Lynne Gray’s commitment to fund this chair, which will help OAC advance its mission of improving the Canadian and global food system,” OAC acting dean Dr. John Cranfield, said in the release.  

The university said the chair will also work closely with faculty in the School of Engineering on environmental control issues such as lighting, ventilation, sanitation and biosecurity, using new and emerging technologies to help control the spread of avian diseases.

The chair will also contribute significantly to the planning and operations of the Ontario Poultry Research Centre in Elora, Ont., which will provide essential space for innovative research, the university said.

Founded in 1934, L.H. Gray & Son is a family-owned egg business with locations across Canada serving retail, foodservice and industrial sectors.

“We consider it a privilege to make this investment in the University of Guelph’s research and teaching expertise, which is second to none,” L.H. Gray & Son CEO Bill Gray said in the release. “This investment will not only benefit the poultry and egg sector but the general public as well.”

The Ontario Poultry Research Centre is owned by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario and managed by University of Guelph through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Government of Ontario and University of Guelph.

The gift will also support an annual scholarship to help the U of G attract global talent to pursue a career in the Canadian poultry and egg industry. 

The L.H. Gray & Son Poultry Science Graduate Scholarship will be awarded to students in OAC’s master’s and Ph.D. programs who have an interest in egg production, processing and marketing research.

Graduate students will work closely with the Bill and Lynne Gray Chair and other OAC faculty in their research programs related to poultry and eggs.