Grade A swine learning facility built in Ridgetown

The University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus will soon be home to one of the most advanced swine learning centres in Canada.

When it opens this fall, the stateof-the-art Swine Education Centre will offer training and education for agriculture diploma and veterinary technology students as well as for members of the industry.

Funding for the $500,000 facility was announced recently by the province through its Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Ontario Pork is contributing 20 per cent of the project budget.

Ken McEwan, director of the Ridgetown Campus, said the swine industry is an incredibly competitive sector and it operates on a global scale. Canada accounts for just 1.7 per cent of global production.

“There’s a constant need to having access to the latest technology,” he said. “It’s a broad spectrum of people who’ll have an opportunity to experience firsthand modern pig production in North America.”

The 6,600-square-foot centre will be able to accommodate 150 animals. It’s anticipated as many as 300 students will be using the teaching and research facility for courses such as livestock systems, animal science, pork production and animal health.

The technology found in the centre is impressive, McEwan said. It includes an electronic feeding system, data recording, the latest in flooring technology, as well as the newest of ventilation systems.

Of particular interest are wands students will use to scan radio frequency identification tags attached to each animal. The information produced from the tags will include each animal’s specific nutritional and health requirements.

The facility will also include a bio-secured viewing area that can accommodate 30 people at a time.

Dave Baute, chair of the AgriFood Foundation for Ridgetown, which helped solicit funding for the project, said the project has been five years in the making.

“We applaud the industry and their level of support and it was a long time coming to upgrade the facilities,” he said.

Baute added the facility has been built to standards established by both the National Farm Animal Care Council and the University of Guelph’s Animal Care Committee.

“Because it’s a smaller facility, it allows access,” McEwan said. “Getting into modern pig production is very difficult because of bio-security concerns,” but the building’s entry system allows for more efficient traffic.

Most of Canada’s swine industry is located in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, making the Ridgetown learning centre a valuable facility, said Stacey Ash, manager of communications for Ontario Pork.

“Being able to educate a new generation in swine technology and hands-on experience that you can’t get anywhere else is very valuable,” Ash said.

“So that’s why we saw it as an important project to invest in.”