A grand opening ceremony on Friday, October 24, 2014, marked the inauguration of what is already touted as one of the world\'s leading feed research facilities.
First conceptualized in 2009, Canadian Feed Research Center (CFRC) in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, came to fruition through a cooperative effort that included the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Western Diversification, which made contributions to build the $13.85 million Center. Cargill’s animal nutrition business in Western Canada was recognized during the ceremony for its $2.46 million contribution.
The CFRC will research, develop and commercialize new and better high-value feeds from low-value crops and co-products from bioprocessing and biofuels industries.
“The University of Saskatchewan’s new CFRC provides an important resource that offers a broad range of research scale capabilities – from laboratory, to pilot plant, to industry-scale research – which is a major advantage in attracting commercialization and enhancing the competitiveness of our customers,” said Jennifer Henderson, Managing Director of Cargill Animal Nutrition’s compound feed business in Western Canada.
The 15,650-square-feet of renovated Innovation Center space will employ four to eight research and development professionals that have more than 100-years of experience combined.
Both graduate and undergraduate students will participate in research and gain advanced training for careers in the feed and livestock sectors.
Equipment
The CFRC has stand alone equipment and two scales of operating lines. The Pilot Scale Line (PSL) is 2 tonne/hr and the Industrial Scale Line (ISL) operates at ~ 20 tonne/hr. The mill is fitted with:
Hammermill: G.J. Vis
Roller Grinder: G.J. Vis
Flaking Mill: A.T. Ferrell
Mixer: UAS-Muyang
Pellet Conditioner: UAS-Muyang
Pellet Mill: UAS-Muyang 2-6.5 t/hr
Extruder & Conditioner: UAS-Muyang 70-550 lbs/hr
Counter Flow Cooler: UAS-Muyang
Fluid Bed DryerFluid Bed Dryer: UAS-Muyang
Crumbler: UAS-Muyang
Roto-shaker Screener: UAS-Muyang
Horizontal Vacuum Coater: UAS-Muyang
Near Infrared Seed Sorter: 3t/hr BoMill Model: TriQ30
Near Infrared Analyzer: Unity Scientific SpectraStar 2400
The Center is the first of its kind in North America to install new seed-sorting technology that promises to maximize value, quality and safety. Research at the CFRC is expected to increase processing of crops for animal feed. The innovation center will also work closely with several other industry partners such as premix, additive and equipment suppliers, commodity groups, feed mills and livestock organizations. Funding sources are primarily a mixture of industry and government support.
“The Center will use processing and feed additives to improve conversion of low-quality and highly variable ingredients, such as feed grain or co-products of bioprocessing, ultimately resulting in safe, high-quality human food consistently and sustainably,” said Tom Scott, University of Saskatchewan research chair in feed processing technology.
Visit the CFRC website for more information on the centre\'s capabilities.
