Chapter 4

Animal Environment Systems:

Goal:  Enhance focus, depth, and integration in undergraduate education, graduate education, research, and outreach in environmentally sound systems for animal production units and be recognized as the leading university program in the West and among the top five university programs nationally in cattle and equine environmental systems.  This will include experiential learning in courses contributing to the BS in Animal Sciences, Equine Sciences, and Soil and Crop Sciences designed to add practical experience in the science and applications of environmental management systems for air and water quality protection related to animal production systems.  Graduate education, research, and outreach will consist of masters and doctoral degree programs related to livestock nutrition and management, soil science, engineering, and economics of waste management systems and the evaluation of production systems and regulatory protocols for effective environmental protection.

Strategic Initiatives:

• Establish an active Center for Animal Agriculture and Community Enhancement with a governance structure to regularly promote professional development, communication, joint project and grant proposal development, and teaching and outreach program development; the Center will organize continuous relationships with livestock production organizations and regulatory agencies to create the position of knowledge leader in the topic area; potential subunits include water quality, air quality, improved production systems, and policies and regulations.

• Develop new approaches for animal environmental system research management to be more cohesive and more responsive to industry and regulatory issues.

• Develop new approaches with which to transfer technology from research to industry and governmental partners.

• Develop Colorado industry funding mechanisms, like market order (check-off) systems, to provide sustainable sources of revenue for research and educational work in animal environmental systems.

• Develop an active graduate program in animal environmental systems.

Critical Resource Growth:

• Add one animal scientist and one environmental engineer devoted to animal environmental systems.

• Add a producer-based check-off fund of $500,000 annually to support animal environmental research and education, and rise grant funding.