Lakeland College’s neonatal calf research receives federal funding boost

Lakeland College’s research team is receiving a $641,800 grant from the Government of Canada.

The Applied Research and Technology Partnership grant (ARTP) is part of the federal government’s 2021 budget, which provided $46.9 million over two years to the College and Community Innovation program (CCI). The CCI is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

“The extra funds provided by the ARTP grant will go a long way to supporting our research teams,” says Tanya McDonald, Lakeland’s interim vice president of academic and research. “We are so appreciative that the federal government recognizes the importance of our research division, both in researching efficient and sustainable agricultural practices to enhance the industry, and providing students with real-world opportunities to develop the skills they will need to graduate job-ready.”

At Lakeland, the funds will support a research project examining the effectiveness of a calf supplement in improving neonatal health, immunity and hopefully reducing the need for antibiotics later in life. Vitaferst will provide calves with iron, selenium, and vitamins A, D3, E and B12 at one to three days of age. Milk is a poor source of iron, and the levels of vitamins A, E and selenium supplied in colostrum may be very low so Vitaferst looks to increase these levels in calves. This project is being conducted collaboratively with industry partners: Alberta Veterinary Laboratories/Solvet, Chinook Contract Research and Vermilion area cow-calf producers.

“We are investigating whether an oral neonatal supplement will address the deficiencies proactively and lessen the need for antibiotics,” says Dr. Brenda Ralston, livestock research scientist at Lakeland and recent recipient of the Alberta Farm Animal Care 2022 Award of Distinction.

“Depending on the results of our trials, we are hoping to offer producers information on the best management practices to increase profitability, animal health and welfare by increasing the neonatal health of their calves. Members of our research team and students studying agricultural sciences at Lakeland are involved in the research project.”

Lakeland has received previous grants from NSERC, including $1.8 million over three years in support of commercial agricultural research, which began in 2020 and runs until March 31, 2023. In 2019, funds provided by NSERC supported the purchase of new SmartFeed-Pro systems.

Lakeland supports applied research to enhance the agriculture industry’s productivity, profitability and competitiveness, support student learning outcomes, and enhance social, environmental and economic outcomes in Alberta and beyond. Areas of focus include key commercial crop and livestock species, as well as agriculture technology. There are currently 39 active projects and 78 unique research partnerships at Lakeland.

Photo: A calf involved in the research project receives a dose of oral supplement from a Lakeland student.