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Dr. Karin Wittenberg
- University of Manitoba |
| Farmscape for April 9, 2002 (Episode 933)
The University of Manitoba hopes to have its planned Center for Agroecological Livestock Production Systems in operation in 2004.
The 8.8 million dollar facility is being developed to help deal with the environmental issues facing intensive animal agriculture in Manitoba.
The majority of the center's activities will take place at the University's Glenlea Research Farm south of Winnipeg.
Animal Science Department Head Dr. Karin Wittenberg says the only way to come up with a long term sustainable intensive livestock system is to look at it from a whole farm approach.
Clip-Dr. Karin Wittenberg-University of Manitoba
The focus here is to allow comparison of several different livestock land management production systems and one of the systems will follow what is conventional within the sector today.
For example intensive swine production is usually slurry or liquid manure based.
The majority of that manure is going onto annual crop lands and the majority of the crop coming from those lands is being sold into the human or the animal food chain.
We will be comparing that system with several alternatives.
For example solid manure systems or reduced antibiotic use systems and the purpose here is to look at how we can modify our intensive animal production practices to ensure long term environmental health, to ensure that we have human health and to ensure that we have an economically viable operation.
Dr. Wittenberg says the goal is to develop the site and building plans and conduct the necessary environmental assessments during the spring, summer and winter of this year to allow construction to begin in the spring of 2003.
She says it's hoped the majority of construction will be complete and the facility operational in 2004.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council |
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| Keywords: environment |
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© Wonderworks Canada
2002 |
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