Extension and Research Interests
Poultry processing with an emphasis in environmental management including water (use, quality, conservation), wastewater (generation, assessment, treatment), waste minimization and by-product recovery.

Teaching

POUL 2020 – 2020L: Introductory Poultry Science
POUL 3790: Poultry Seminar
POUL (FDST) 4860/6860 – 4860L/6860L: Poultry Processing
POUL 4990:  Undergraduate Teaching Assistance Experience in Poultry Science               

Education
Ph.D. - Poultry Science, The University of Georgia 
M.S. - Food Science, The University of Georgia
B.S.A. - Animal Science, Tennessee Technological University

Responsibilities
62% Extension, 25% Teaching, 13% Research
Adjunct faculty appointment within the College of Engineering

Academic Program

Extension education responsibilities focus on providing environmental technical assistance to Georgia’s poultry processors covering all aspects of water/wastewater management, and coordinating industry specific seminars and workshops. Other activities include contributing to programs that assist county extension personnel and participating in 4H and FFA poultry education activities and judging contests. 

Research programs focus on sustainable environmental management of water in poultry processing facilities both inside (water - use, quality, conservation/reuse; wastewater – generation, assessment, treatment) and outside (stormwater management) poultry slaughter and further processing plants. These programs include developing new technologies to improve by-product recovery from traditional poultry processing waste streams to develop value-added products while minimizing waste.  

Selected Publications

Book Chapter 

Kiepper, B.H., 2013. Water Conservation in Processing Facilities. In Encyclopedia of Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering, 2nd Ed. D.R. Heldman and C.I. Moraru, Eds. DOI:10.1081/E-EAFE2-120048383. Taylor and Francis: New York, NY.

Refereed Journal Articles (*Graduate student under Dr. Kiepper’s direction)

Dunkley, C.S., B.D. Fairchild, C.W. Ritz, B.H. Kiepper and M.P. Lacy, 2015. Carbon footprint of poultry production farms in South Georgia: A case study. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 24(1): 73-79.  

Collins, K.E., B.H. Kiepper, C.W. Ritz, B.L. McLendon and J.L. Wilson. 2014. Growth, livability, feed consumption, and carcass composition of the Athens Canadian Random Bred 1955 meat-type chicken versus the 2012 high-yielding Cobb 500 broiler. Poultry Science 93(12): 2953-2962.

Oakley, B.B., R.J. Buhr, C.W. Ritz, B.H. Kiepper, M.E. Berrang, B.S. Seal and N.A. Cox. 2014. Successional changes in the chicken cecal microbiome during 42 days of growth independent of organic acid feed additives. BMC Veterinary Research 10: 282 - 289.

Buhr, R.J., J.M. Walker, D.V. Bourassa, A.B. Caudill, B.H. Kiepper and H. Zhuang, 2014. Impact of broiler processing and scalding profiles on carcass and breast meat yield. Poultry Science 93(6): 1534-1541.

Kiepper, B.H., H.S. Plumber* and C.W. Ritz, 2013. Environmental impact of flume transport of broiler processing offal: I. feathers. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 22(4): 715-721. 

Kiepper, B.H., H.S. Plumber* and C.W. Ritz, 2013. Environmental impact of flume transport of broiler processing offal: II. viscera. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 22(4): 722-729.

Rothrock, M.J., K.L. Hiett, B.H. Kiepper, K.D. Ingram and A. Hinton, Jr., 2013. Quantification of zoonotic bacterial pathogens within commercial poultry processing water samples using droplet digital PCR: a comparison to the cultural and molecular quantification “gold standards”.  Advances in Microbiology 3(5): 403-411.           

Zhuang, H., B.C. Bowker, R.J. Buhr, D.V. Bourassa, and B.H. Kiepper, 2013. Effects of broiler carcass scalding and chilling methods on quality of early-deboned breast fillets. Poultry Science 92(5): 1393-1399.

*Abboah-Afari, E. and B.H. Kiepper, 2012. Membrane filtration of poultry processing wastewater: I. Pre-DAF (dissolved air flotation). Applied Engineering in Agriculture 28(2): 231-236.

*Plumber, H.S., B.H. Kiepper and C.W. Ritz, 2012. Effects of broiler carcass bleed time and scald temperature on poultry processing wastewater. Journal of Applied   Poultry Research 21(2): 375-383.