At a media conference on January 29, the results of a six-month long study were delivered to the community that concluded Trent University and several other partners should establish a Centre of Excellence in Dairy Goat and Small Ruminant Research.

The report stated that this Centre is both timely and feasible and should build upon the synergies that exist between Trent and the University of Guelph, a fellow partner in this initiative. Other collaborators include Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Program through the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s CanAdvance Program, the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster and the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation (GPA EDC).

“Trent University is well positioned to meet the vision of a Centre of Excellence and we look forward to working with our partners to ensure the vision is turned into a reality,” said Dr. Gyles Iannone, Trent’s associate vice-president of research.

The report stated that the dairy goat sector in Ontario is a small but growing sector. There are an estimated 270 dairy herds in Ontario with farm gate sales of $25 million annually. Central Ontario accounts for approximately 25% of the milk produced. Opportunities to develop the industry are growing as Ontario’s population expands with recent immigrants who are predisposed to consuming goat products, such as milk and meat.

Trent’s expertise will factor strongly in the development of DNA techniques to make genetic advances in goat and sheep herds. The report also examined approaches to help ensure a Centre of Excellence would be well positioned to deliver on a mandate of technology transfer activities, demonstration of production practices and basic and applied research.

For more information about Trent’s research strengths, please visit the Office of Research.