Research Stations

Edmonton Research Station (ERS)

Located on two quarters of land just south of main campus in the heart of Edmonton, the ERS includes:

  • Agri-Food Discovery Place: Opened in 2008, AFDP is a $25 Million laboratory and pilot-plant facility including a level 2 biocontainment and solvent processing facility, enabling research in meat safety, crop use for food and crop use for industrial products.
  • Crops and Land Resource Unit: Supports teaching, agronomic and breeding research to improve the sustainable production and quality of forage, cereal, oilseed and horticulture crops.
  • Dairy Research Technology Centre: The DRTC is a 350-foot long dairy barn including 146 tie stalls and a pipeline milking system housing a herd of about 140 Holstein cows. The unit supports research in production efficiency and sustainability, reproductive efficiency and nutritional quality of milk.
  • Poultry Research Centre: The PRC supports research programs in reproductive efficiency in poultry, controlled environment research, nutrition, production efficiency and economics, value-added product development, and packaging and food safety research. Facilities include the Alberta Chicken Producers Poultry Technology Centre, Alberta Hatching Egg Producers Hatchery, Alberta Egg Producers Environmental Chambers, Broiler Breeder Research Facility, Battery Housing Broiler / Turkey / Layer Rearing Facility, Broiler / Turkey / Layer Broiler Breeder Floor Pens, Carcass / Egg Quality Laboratory, and Laying Hen Housing.
  • Swine Research and Technology Centre: Including animal facilities, laboratories, a surgery and interpretative centre, the SRTC provides facilities to support research and teaching in nutrition and metabolism, feeds and feedstuff utilization, and reproduction and breeding herd management.
  • Laird W. McElroy Metabolism and Environment Research Unit: The “Met Unit” includes large animal metabolic rooms, controlled environmental chambers, a calorimetry system and isotope and surgical facilities.
  • Enclosed Composting Facility
  • Feedmill
  • Ministik Field Station

See a complete list of research stations available through the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.

Other Research Stations

  • Mattheis Research Ranch
    Located within the dry mixed grass natural subregion of Alberta, the Mattheis Research Ranch is part of a large contiguous tract of rangeland with diverse topography, vegetation, and wildlife. The ranch is adjacent to the Red Deer River in the north and encompasses a creek, wetlands, vegetated sand hills, and shrublands. The Mattheis Ranch was donated to the University of Alberta in 2010 by Edwin and Ruth Mattheis.
  • Roy Berg Kinsella Research Ranch
    Located within the central parkland natural subregion of Alberta, the Roy Berg Kinsella Research Ranch is embedded in a rolling landscape dominated by agricultural lands and punctuated by aspen groves, wetlands and patches of native prairie vegetation. In 2014, the Kinsella Ranch was renamed in honour of Dr. Roy Berg, who revolutionized the Alberta cattle industry with his ground-breaking research on cattle breeding and livestock genetics, conducted at the ranch from 1960 to 1988.
  • St. Albert Research Station 
    Located just north of St. Albert, the St. Albert Research Station is an 800-acre farm given to the University in 2008 as a gift from the Bocock family. The farm is primarily used for agronomic and environmental research. Funding from the Alberta Government is enabling the construction of new infrastructure on the site, including a field research centre complete with meeting space, machine shop and equipment storage.