“We wanted to find the best way to satisfy the nutrition research and development needs of our customers,” said Dave Cook, research & development director for Cargill’s animal nutrition business. “So, we designed a facility we believe will promote collaboration among our experts as well as those from local universities to accelerate innovation and allow us to more quickly deliver new products and services to our customers.”
According to Cargill, the Animal Nutrition Innovation Center was designed to serve dairy, poultry and swine customers. The $3.7 million renovation includes new poultry nutrition research facilities, new guest viewing corridors and the collective knowhow of its Netherlands-based animal nutrition experts.
In addition there is a new broiler grow-out facility and new broiler breeder facility. Both were designed to meet or exceed all European regulations and to provide additional capabilities, Cook said.
“As one example, the new broiler breeder facility allows our scientists to investigate the impact of the hen’s nutrition on the performance of its offspring,” he explained. “We can collect the fertile eggs, incubate them and not only look at fertility and hatchability but also subsequent performance.”
The Velddriel location is one of Cargill’s two global animal nutrition innovation centers – the other is in Elk River, Minn.
