National Centre for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE)

National Centre for Livestock and the Environment

Crop and livestock production facilities/equipment and laboratory infrastructure

Enables investigations of whole integrated agricultural systems, including interactions within/across system components

Swine Research Facility (130 sow farrow-to-finish unit)

Electronic feeders for individual sow feed-intake, slatted concrete floors, mix of group and pen housing; viewing windows via attached Public Outreach Centre

Designed for commercial scale investigations on animal housing/environment and behaviour, productivity and wellbeing 

Cattle/Forage Research Facilities

Small-scale drylot pens equipped with electronic individual feed-intake monitoring feeding stations

For detailed individual animal monitoring and measurements; comparisons with extensive (pasture-based) management systems

Manure and Agricultural By-Products Storage, Handling and Processing Facility

Centrifugal separator, composting equipment, portable automated greenhouse-gas sampling equipment

For bio by-products processing and treatment to add value and create innovative new products from these waste streams

Manure Storage and Handling Facilities

Solid- and liquid-manure storage, handling and field application equipment; large-capacity weigh scale

For whole systems investigations that include role of manure in mitigation of nutrients, greenhouse gases, pathogens, etc

Feed Processing Research Facility

Mixing based on one-tonne vertical mixer, hammer and roller mills, with space for pilot-scale processing technologies

Capacity for small-batch diet formulation

Trace Gas Manitoba (TGAS MAN) Greenhouse Gas Field Emission Site

Western Canada’s only continuous field-scale greenhouse gases measurement site. Includes weather environment monitoring equipment.

Continuous N2O, CH4, CO2 flux, air temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar flux, wind speed, soil temperature to 100 cm, soil moisture

Long-Term Manure and Crop Management Field Laboratory

17 hectare long-term field laboratory site established in 2007 consists of 2 crop rotations, 6 manure treatments, with select treatment plots split in 2015 to accommodate additional fertility treatments

Designed for drop-in studies within the existing study design. Includes access to soil, manure and plant sample archive.

NCLE Long-Term Sample and Data Archive

>10,000 catalogued and archived samples (2008-2017): plant tissue and soil (dried and ground), manure (fresh frozen -80˚C, freeze dried), DNA (fresh frozen -80˚C)

Database of >50,000 sample analysis values (2007-2017): seed and biomass yield; plant tissue, soil and manure nutrients, select soil physical and chemical properties

Long-term data bank allows for collaboration and data-sharing opportunities. Includes analyses data and stored samples.

Olfactometry Laboratory

A multi-station olfactometer

For use by trained human assessors as well as for training of new assessors.

Gut Microbiome and Large Animal Biosecure Laboratories

Advanced microbiome research facility includes Level II containment infrastructures and large animal rooms

For microbiome research on farm animals. Can also run preclinical trials using animals as a model for human diseases.