Saskatchewan Gets Modern Dairy Facility
University of Saskatchewan, Department of Animal and Poultry Science

 

 

Thanks to adaptation funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to determine the feasibility of a new dairy barn at the University of Saskatchewan, a state of the art facility will be completed in 2012, just south of the new East Road on campus.

 

“Without that funding, the project likely would not have happened,” says Dr. Bernard Laarveld, Professor, Department of Animal and Poultry Science in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. The adaptation funding was delivered in Saskatchewan by the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan.

 

The new barn will house 100 lactating cows, up from 60 at the old barn, with room to handle the larger animals of today, and is fully modern in all aspects. It also incorporates the use of environmentally friendly technology, and has an expanded public gallery.

 

“It will greatly enhance education and research at the University,” says Dr. Graham Scoles, Professor and Associate Dean at the College. It also greatly benefits producers, adds Laarveld. “It’s a major metabolic challenge for a 600-700 kg animal to produce 12,000-15,000 kg of milk per year. That’s why you need a modern dairy research facility nearby.”

 

The existing dairy barn, used since 1973, will undergo minor renovations and will be used as an auxiliary barn, just as the old stone barn is now, which of course was the original home of the dairy herd at the University.

 

The new dairy barn, to be called the Rayner Dairy Research and Teaching Facility, will have an advisory board in place. “The Board is crucial to ensuring close ties between industry and research for the future development of the industry,” Dr. Laarveld says. It will include representatives from the provincial and federal governments, the University, Sask Canola, and the dairy industry itself.

 

The benefits of the facility are many. Any increase in production will provide economic benefits to all stakeholders as value added dairy processing is done at the Saskatoon plant, keeping much of the value in the province.

 

There are various benefits to producers in addition to the improved partnerships. Jack Ford, a Board member and Chair of the Research Committee of the Saskatchewan Milk Marketing Board, notes the importance of education for the general public. While at least 5000 students per year can have a bird’s eye view from the public gallery, up from the current 2000 per year, a major benefit of the new facility is how the public views agriculture. “If we can show how to have a 100 cow facility in the middle of a city of 250,000 people,” says Ford, “it really helps agriculture across the province.”

 

Dr. Laarveld sees the real value of the adaptation funding, “(ACS and Agriculture Canada) should be commended for providing the seed money that has led to a modern building worth $10.5 million, but the real value is that we have established long-term relationships with industry, including dairy and canola, that will be benefiting the university and the industry itself for many years to come.”

 

 

 

 

 

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