Truro's Animal Centre silos removed

An iconic landmark on the Agricultural Campus is no longer.

Ten feed silos lining the Ruminant Animal Centre building were removed Monday (September 18) after sustaining damage during an early evening fire in August of 2015.

The silos were constructed in early 1993 as part of farmstead renovations and the construction of the Ruminant Animal Centre, which replaced the original Dairy Barn and Beef Unit.

The ten silos provided capacity and flexibility to store and evaluate different types of feed such as legumes, grasses, corn silage and high moisture corn. They have not been in use for the past two years.

“We are glad the silos are finally coming down to make way for construction of our new Feed Centre, projected to begin in the spring of 2018,” says Farm Operations Manager Jean Lynds. “The removal of the silos will certainly change the landscape of the farm but we look forward to a new and innovative feed centre.”

Feed for farm animals has been stored in silage bags for the past two years since the fire.

Watch: Time-lapse video (credit: Mike Pauley)

The Ruminant Animal Centre or RAC, encompasses a large-scale, fully operational farm where students and researchers have a wide range of hands-on opportunities for learning and study. A variety of animal species are housed on-site in facilities that enable researchers to investigate everything from the impact of various feed supplements on body weight to milking and harvesting technologies.

The removal of the silos will enable the construction of a new fully-automated, state-of-the-art Feed Centre, to begin as part of a larger project involving several phases. The Feed Centre will ultimately connect to a larger vision for a new, modern automated dairy facility.

The RAC will also have a new public entry and central interpretation space added as part of Phase I. To be known as the Atlantic Agricultural Interpretive Centre, this new space will tell the agricultural story of Atlantic Canada and its role in global food production. Exhibits, public programs and events will explore modern farming and food production and the science and technology that provides healthy, sustainable food for Atlantic Canada and the world.

The centre will ultimately deepen a broad community understanding of where our food comes from.  

“Continued renewal and investment in our campus facilities will help us provide the best educational environment for our students,” explains David Gray, dean and campus principal. “State-of-the-art facilities will also ensure our students are well-placed within a continually advancing agricultural industry.”

Phase II and III will include the expansion of the existing classroom with an upgraded 25-seat instructional and meeting space, teaching space and a new animal care wing to improve accommodation of both animal care and teaching.