By Madelyn Ostendorf
Elycia (Ahl) VanVacter (‘17 animal science) didn’t envision herself working in the poultry industry, but after being recommended for a hatchery position at Hy-Line International, she was hooked. Today, VanVacter works as the director of health and education at the North Central Poultry Association, helping Iowa State students find their way into the poultry industry.
“In addition to outreaching to farmers and industry members, I handle all of our youth engagement efforts and student involvement,” VanVacter says. “I work with Iowa State poultry faculty at both the undergraduate and veterinary school levels to provide opportunities to students.”
VanVacter does not come from an agricultural background. To reach others like her, she created the Poultry and Egg Experience Award, offering students the opportunity to meet with mentors in the industry and discover career paths related to poultry. These students have no prior experience with the poultry industry and must complete certain milestones, such as visiting a poultry company and speaking with poultry faculty.
“The goal is to connect with students during their junior or sophomore year who think they don't have a direction post-graduation or have realized the animal they’ve been specializing in is not for them,” VanVacter says. “We find the issue is that few people think about poultry as a career path, and Iowa is the number one egg-producing state in the nation. We definitely have room for people to come into this industry.”
VanVacter also interacts with students throughout the year, speaking to members of the Poultry Interest Group about opportunities the North Central Poultry Association has, such as free student memberships and attendance at trade shows, and educating them on topics important to the current poultry industry.
This year, VanVacter helped create a grant for the Poultry Interest Group, which funded most of their three-day trip to PEAK 2025, the largest poultry trade show in the Midwest. Thanks to this grant and increased interest, the group took 12 students, an increase from the three students the previous year.
“She took the time to set up dinners with members of the industry, and encouraged students to engage with them and learn,” says Dawn Koltes, the group's advisor and professor of animal science. “Our students came back saying how much they loved the opportunity to immerse themselves, meet these folks and see what was out there for them.”