The 2023 Distinguished Poultry Industry Career Award sponsored by USPOULTRY was awarded to Dr. Steven Ricke, Director of the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Program at the University of Wisconsin.  The award recognizes “distinctive, outstanding contributions by an industry leader.”

John Starkey, President of USPOULTRY stated, “We are pleased to honor industry leaders exemplified by Dr. Steven Ricke.  He has dedicated many years of his career to conducting applied research to help find solutions to poultry and egg industry issues.”

Dr. Ricke received his Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois and his Doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He has served as a faculty member at North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Arkansas before returning to the University of Wisconsin.  His previous awards include the PSA National Research Award in 1999, American Egg Board Award in 2006 and the National Chicken Council Broiler Research Award in 2020.

He has been instrumental in both training and his research has encompassed pre-harvest prevention strategies against Salmonella and Campylobacter. 

His programs have generated more than 400 peer-reviewed research publications and he is a prominent and frequent speaker at scientific and industry meetings.