The Canadian Feed Research Centre is a small entity with big dreams of becoming a world leader in the animal feed industry.
March 4, their big dreams were matched with big dollars, as the federal government announced a contribution of over half a million dollars to the CFRC.
"This federal investment will help bring new, western Canadian feed technologies to the marketplace, while improving the health of livestock and providing new opportunities for crop producers," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who made the announcement on behalf of the minister for Western Economic Diversification.
The Canadian Feed Research Centre is an initiative of the University of Saskatchewan, located in North Battleford. When completed, it will consist of a pilot-sized feed mill, which will allow researchers to study the effects of various processing methods on different feed crops.
Some of the research goals include maximizing the nutritional value of animal feed, customizing feed to the nutritional requirements of different livestock and potentially finding effective ways of immunizing animals via feed, all while keeping production costs in mind.
Tom Scott, research chair in feed processing technology, explained some of the areas the CFRC hopes to explore, including aquaculture, which, with the increasing global percentage of farmed fish, is becoming a major industry. He also discussed manufacturing natural antibodies or vaccines that could be added to the feed.
"There's very many variables that we need to understand how best to apply to each grain," said Scott.
The funding of $583,469 will be used towards a steam flaker and extrusion mill.
Scott explained a steam flaker applies heat and moisture to whole grains before they pass through rollers or grinders.
"The steam and heat cause starch to gelatinize," said Scott, explaining the process makes the food easier to digest and increases the amount of available protein in the feed.
An extruder, Scott explains, pre-conditions the feed ingredients before they pass into a double-screw system. The heat, moisture and pressure applied to the feed, as well as the speed at which the feed moves through the system, have an effect on the nutrient availability and texture of the finished product. Also, the process can sterilize the feed to reduce food borne pathogens such as Salmonella.
"This process enables the animals to grow fast, be more efficient and produce safer animal protein with less impact on the environment," said Scott. "Our goal is to understand how to adapt the temperature, moisture, pressure and time to match the diet being extruded so that we always optimize feed value and safety."
Graham Scoles, associate dean of research and graduate studies, said government funding is important to furthering their goals, adding the CFRC was made possible through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, a government program which typically covers 40 per cent of infrastructure costs for research projects. He also said the CFRC has received financial support from the provincial government and Cargill Canada.
"It's very important to us," said Scoles.
"The Canadian Feed Research Centre will greatly enhance livestock feed," he said, reminding the audience it was the University of Saskatchewan that first discovered the value of canola meal, a formerly useless by-product of biofuel production, in livestock feed.
Scoles also said the centre will attract partnerships and create "new and better high-value feeds from low-value crops."
North Battleford Mayor Ian Hamilton, who attended the announcement, said, "We, as a community, are very excited about the enhancement of our position as the hub of agriculture in Saskatchewan."
