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 Instead of an in-person grand opening, a behind-the-scenes video
series and fact sheet share the facility with students, alumni,
donors, and potential users, regardless of location. A
first-look video, featuring leaders from the College of
Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois,
as well as facility sponsors, is now available on the Feed
Technology Center’s web page. Additional videos, highlighting
the center’s capabilities and research impacts, will be posted
in the coming months.
“The Feed Technology Center is a game-changing asset that
elevates our ability to live into our land-grant mission,” says
Kim Kidwell, dean of the College of ACES. “This facility not
only expands our ability to conduct innovative research and
train the next generation of leaders in animal nutrition, it
gives us a new avenue to reach out to industry stakeholders and
provide continuing education opportunities.”
The $20-million facility on South Race Street in Urbana replaces
the 1920s-era feed mill on St. Mary’s Road, originally built to
process university-grown grain and feed university-owned
livestock. The new Feed Technology Center’s capabilities go far
beyond that intent, with state-of-the-art processing and sensor
technologies delivering standard and specialized small-batch
research diets, as well as unparalleled hands-on educational
opportunities for students across the College of ACES.
More than 20 companies, commodity groups, and private
individuals donated funds or equipment to the project as part of
a unique public-private funding model, fast-tracking the build
after decades of planning. The project invites additional
donations.
“The companies, organizations, and individuals supporting the
project partnered with us to continue the university’s
preeminence in animal nutrition and feed manufacturing. This
facility and ongoing partnerships will move the entire industry
forward,” says Kimberly Meenen, assistant dean for advancement
in the College of ACES. “We continue to seek financial support
of the Feed Technology Center and welcome other stakeholders to
join us in this investment.”
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The 12,000-square-foot facility is optimized with
leading-edge equipment, including smart sensors to monitor feed
ingredient quality in real time; digital automation tools to ensure
precise diet formulations; a standalone extrusion line to create
high-quality pet and livestock feeds; current safety and sanitation
features; and more.
“We have incredible opportunities here at the Feed Technology
Center, for students, researchers, and industry partners alike,”
says facility manager Michaela Braun. “The equipment not only makes
it possible for students to gain exposure to the complete modern
feed-production process, from whole grain storage to pelleting and
extrusion, but also makes real-time data available to researchers at
multiple points in the process. It’s all here to advance the animal
agriculture industry.”
In addition to developing and testing novel feeds and pet foods, the
facility will allow students to safely gain first-hand experience
with the latest feed technologies, positioning them as future
leaders in the industry. Real-time sensor data will be uniquely
leveraged in new courses in precision agriculture, digital
agriculture, bioinformatics, and courses within the new Computer
Science + Animal Sciences degree.
“Working with our generous donors to turn the Feed Technology Center
from a dream into reality has been a career highlight for me,” says
Rodney Johnson, head of the Department of Animal Sciences at U of I.
“I am so excited to have finished on time and on budget. Our faculty
and students are excited to utilize the facility to work on the
industry-relevant research our partners count on us for.”
To catch the entire video series, check the website often or follow
us on social media. And, for more details on the facility’s
capabilities, see our fact sheet.
[Source: Rod Johnson,
News writer: Lauren Quinn] |
