A Recipe for Success: The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture provides the state with essential research and educational services vital to the state’s agriculture industry.  From the need for Biosecurity to disease prevention, the Extension has a direct influence on both Arkansas consumers and producers.   We have had the honor to interview Dr. Fred Dustan Clark, Extension Poultry Health Veterinarian, about his work for the extension and the difference between light and dark poultry meat.

1. What inspired you to become a poultry specialist?

Technically, I am a veterinarian who has an avian specialty interest (primarily poultry).   When I was a child I wanted to be an “Animal Doctor” or so my Mother used to tell me.  According to her, that was my wish since I was age 4.

As a child I had many types of pets, including chickens, pigeons, and ducks. My parents and I had bantam chickens which we raised and showed in the county fairs and State fair of Texas. I became very interested in the care, diseases, and genetics of chickens and tried to learn all I could about them. 

I went to veterinary school at Texas A&M University. There I was able to work with avian veterinarians and realized that was what I was really interested in (specifically diagnostic medicine).  I did practice in Texas, but then went back to school and went through an Avian Medicine residency program at the University of California at Davis, CA.

I went back to Texas A&M University and got a MS and PhD and worked as a faculty member. Then I went to Utah State University to direct their branch veterinary diagnostic laboratory for 6 years. I came to the University of Arkansas in 1994 as the Extension Poultry Health Veterinarian.  So one could say I have been interested in working with birds and have worked with them almost all of my life.

2. What are your responsibilities at the Poultry Science Extension at the University of Arkansas?

I function as the Extension Poultry Health Veterinarian and currently also work as the Interim Associate Center Director for Poultry Extension.
I teach a course in Avian Anatomy, work with commercial poultry producers, backyard hobby flock owners, disease regulatory officials, etc. I also team teach a course in Companion Birds.

My other duties include overseeing the Poultry farm as the vet, working with poultry science faculty regarding poultry health issues in their research projects. I serve on numerous committees. I am also a Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician, which means I have been trained to diagnose the diseases we consider foreign to the USA such as Foot and Mouth disease, Exotic Newcastle, Hog Choler, etc.

I help poultry growers and ranchers understand the need for Biosecurity and Disease prevention and also how to recognize disease. I get to work with county agents, 4H and FFA youth, USDA veterinarians, state animal disease officials, state veterinarians, health department personnel, individuals, private veterinarians, etc.

My responsibilities as the Interim Associate Director are primarily to serve as the administrator and primary contact for our poultry extension group, I also give program guidance and assistance to our extension poultry specialists. Often this is a role of helping with short courses or other programs the other faculty have going.

The University of Arkansas also has a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. When the director of that lab has to be gone, I usually function in his place.

There are two types of meat light and dark also called white and red respectively. The dark meat has a higher concentration of myoglobin. There are a few other differences in the muscles, such as dark muscle is the muscle of sustained contracting ability, the slow muscle.
Light or white muscle is the muscle of quick action, the fast muscle.

Birds such as ducks and geese which fly long distances have dark meat. Fast flying birds such as quail have light colored meat. A duck is a long distance flyer, a quail flies in a short quick burst of speed. Both of the meat colors are low in fat compared to other types, such as red meat from cattle. However, the white meat is lower fat than the dark poultry meat. If the skin is removed then white meat is very low fat.

4. Is light poultry meat healthier than dark meat? 

The question of healthier sort of depends. White meat is a little lower in fat content than dark. But white meat is lower in myoglobin than dark meat. If you needed the fat, then you might consider it more healthy from a need standpoint or vice versa. The same would hold true for the myoglobin, if you needed less in your diet then white meat would be better than dark.

5. Are there conflicting theories to whether one meat is healthier than the other?

This question is really answered above and is sort of a “it depends” type of question. If you need less fat, white meat is a little lower than dark. If you need more myoglobin then dark has more than white. You can see how the question could be answered either way depending on your need and/or perspective.

6. What further research needs to be done in this area, if any?

There is always a need for research. Muscle contains many things other than fat and myoglobin. For example, minerals and vitamins.