August 14, 2017

Canada's Ontario government supports new beef cattle research facility

The government of Ontario, Canada, is investing $12.4 million in a new beef cattle research facility which will be operated by the University of Guelph through its partnership with  the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Called the Livestock Research and Innovation Centre - Beef Facility, the Elora-based site will expand research into cow nutrition, genetics, forage use, feedlot systems and livestock health and welfare.

Construction of the facility started in early July this year, with the first phase to be completed by December 2017, according to Ira Mandell, associate professor in animal biosciences with the University of Guelph. The site's feedlot is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

The joint project saw the participation of several other organisations including  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the Agriculture Research Institute of Ontario. One of the organisations, the Beef Farmers of Ontario, backed the facility with a $3.1 million contribution.

Mandell pointed out that the facility will enable flexibility for personnel to conduct various research projects "focused on all aspects of animal management, nutrition, genetics, animal health and behavior". The ability to record individual animal measurements will also be improved.

One key features of the facility is a laboratory that allows researchers to collect and process samples at a barn, a development which boosts research accuracy as well as "the quality of tissue and data collection", Mandell explained.

The primary mission of the Elora site is to support Canada's beef industry, with research efforts meant to address all industry stakeholders.

Benefits from works done at the facility could help cut production cost, create management systems for beef producers, improve sustainability of production and increasing use of genomics, Manell added.