Ashley DeDecker of Rocky Point, N.C., was honored with the Award for Excellence in Innovation for her body of research that has spanned feed manufacturing, nutrition, welfare, reproduction, management, performance and productivity, animal health and meat quality.
“I come to work every single day trying to be innovative, which makes it really fun,” DeDecker said. “And I get to see all new technologies and innovations that are being developed. It’s always interesting to see where we could be in the next five years.”
Mallory Strickland, manager of animal welfare programs at Smithfield Foods, points to Dr. Decker’s role on animal welfare issues such as sow housing.
“What people don’t realize is that Dr. DeDecker does a lot of work that the industry has already implemented,” said Strickland. “A big component of what she did when she first came to Smithfield was evaluating our housing systems. She was a major contributor to Smithfield moving to group housing. She has had a huge impact on our animal care committee.”
