Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart committed $10 million in funding under Growing Forward 2 for a new Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence at the University of Saskatchewan. The University of Saskatchewan has committed an additional $7 million for construction costs in addition to providing land. The Saskatchewan Cattlemen鈥檚 Association (SCA) is also contributing $1 million to the project.
The new centre will serve as a unique research, teaching, outreach and industry training hub that unites agriculture and veterinary researchers, producers, industry, governments and academia. The Centre of Excellence will integrate and expand on the many existing strengths in University of Saskatchewan veterinary and agricultural sciences, the Western Beef Development Centre, government and industry.
It will be based in two locations: a new Beef Cattle Research and Teaching Unit near Clavet, and the Forage and Cow-calf Research and Teaching Unit at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 existing research farm near Floral, east of Saskatoon.
鈥淥ur government knows the important role the livestock industry plays in driving jobs and growth here in Saskatchewan and across Canada,鈥� Ritz said. 鈥淭his new centre will ensure that producers have the 21st century tools they need to grow their bottom lines and our overall economy.鈥�
鈥淪askatchewan is home to world-class livestock and forage research work, and the creation of a Centre of Excellence will support the continued profitability and sustainability of an industry that is a major economic driver for our province and for Canada,鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淭he work of this centre will help Saskatchewan鈥檚 farmers and ranchers remain competitive in the global marketplace.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the greatest challenges we face is how to produce food for a growing world population, humanely, efficiently, and sustainably,鈥� University of Saskatchewan Vice President, Research Karen Chad said. 鈥淭hrough this strong collaboration with government and industry, the University of Saskatchewan is helping livestock producers meet these challenges with new knowledge and highly-trained graduates to aid their constant improvement and competitiveness on the world stage.鈥�
鈥淭his centre will facilitate research needed to keep improving our industry competitiveness, profitability and resilience,鈥� Saskatchewan Cattlemen鈥檚 Association Chair Bill Jameson said. 鈥淭he valuable knowledge generated here will impact livestock and forage producers throughout the province and across the country.鈥�
The Centre of Excellence will incorporate and build on the collaborative work of University of Saskatchewan and government researchers in areas such as herd health, animal welfare, disease prevention, nutrition, management, public health, environmental stewardship, food safety and security, forage utilization, breeding and development. The Centre of Excellence will integrate resources and undertake relevant livestock and forage research, provide hands-on training opportunities for agriculture and veterinary students and transfer knowledge from researchers to farmers, ranchers, processors and exporters. This will benefit both consumers and the Canadian economy.
Growing Forward 2 is a cost-shared partnership between federal, provincial and territorial governments designed to support an innovative, competitive and profitable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.
