POUL 3100 First Reflective Writing Assignment
As my last semester in college was slowly approaching there was not many classes left that I needed to complete my degree. Actually, I only had to take one class which put me in a bind because I needed to be a full-time student with 12 hours. I was very excited when the department decided they were going to offer new poultry classes this spring. Therefore, one of the reasons I am taking Basics of Animal Feed Manufacturing, POUL 3100, is to fulfill my full-time hour requirement.
The main reason I decided to take POUL 3100 was because I do not have a very good background in feed manufacturing. Growing up I was exposed to the live side daily through working on our family broiler farm. This experience gave me a knowledge of what it took to raise a certain pound bird and how important good management skills are. The only experience I have with feed manufacturing is the exposure Auburn University has given me. This includes Poultry Feeding and the Research Farm Unit. Poultry Feeding, a course that teaches you the steps of producing feed and how feed in formulated. I have had limited experience at the research feed mill, a part of the Poultry Research Farm Unit, due to being a student worker for two years.
Another reason I am taking this course is to further my knowledge of feed manufacturing I might encounter with in the poultry industry. Once I graduate I will start working for Wayne Farms as a Management Trainee. This position will allow me to be in a program for 18 months that will expose me to each part of the integrated company. I do not have that much experience with feed milling or processing plant and this class would be the perfect start to one of those areas.
Throughout this course, I hope to gain a better insight of feed milling and why the industry might do things a certain way. Each part of the business relies on each other and it is imperative that each part is at 100% for the business to produce good quality product. With this better insight, I hope it will allow me to make a better decision when I finally decide which side, process or live, I would like to work in.