Contact for reporters:
Mary Guiden
(970) 491-6892
mary.guiden@colostate.edu
In a move to address the dramatic global demand for safe, high-quality protein-based food sources, Colorado State University has announced the creation of a first-of-its-kind collaborative to support profitable, sustainable and healthy livestock production.
The Sustainable Livestock Systems Collaborative is designed for CSU livestock and animal health experts to work alongside industry, government and other stakeholders in addressing 21st-century challenges as well as training current and future livestock industry professionals.
Spearheaded by the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the collaborative will look at enhancing sustainable and healthy livestock systems through the examination of new technologies and disease treatments as well as soil, plant, animal and atmospheric microbiomes, among other areas.
CSU has tapped into expertise from across the university as well as industry in the design of the Sustainable Livestock Systems Collaborative. This includes the Colorado Beef Council, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau and the Colorado Livestock Association as well as the Warner College of Natural Resources, the School of Global Environmental Sustainability, and CSU Extension.
As part of the initiative, CSU has launched a national search for a director who will lead a cadre of new faculty members in areas such as epidemiology, meat science, infectious disease, diagnostics, nutrition and livestock production. The new director, who will oversee the collaborative, is expected to be on board this summer, with as many as a dozen faculty members to be hired over the next four years.
“This new university center of excellence represents a unique collaboration between multiple areas within the university, government and industry partners to help support advances in livestock health and sustainability,” said CVMBS Dean Mark Stetter. “We recognize that agriculture is a key economic driver in Colorado and that, as the state’s land-grant university, we need to be a national leader in discovering new ways to help feed the nation and the world.”
James Pritchett, interim dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, added that the Sustainable Livestock Systems Collaborative works hand-in-hand with the 21st-century land-grant mission.
“The collaborative is an intentional and impactful collection of scientists, educators and industry professionals all aligned to meet society’s greatest challenges,” he said. “We are using innovation and creativity to pose important questions, co-create science with diverse partners at the table, and then ensure that all have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of our shared endeavors. It’s knowledge creation at its best. Success is not only answering the questions of today but is also building a nimble and adaptive collection of talent to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”