The University of Nebraska at Lincoln received a gift of $700,000 from a major meat packing company to go towards the construction of the Feedlot Innovation Center near Mead.  J-B-S USA made the donation.  The Feedlot Innovation Center is expected to cost $5 million dollars and will be located at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center.  UNL Animal Science Department Head, Clint Krehbiel (Kray-bell) says the university feedlot will provide new capacity to develop and evaluate emerging technology used in managing animals in feedlot settings.

Krehbiel says the idea for the research feed lot came about two years ago.  He says construction will begin this summer.  The UNL Animal Science professor says the new feed lot facility will be able to handle commercial size herds.

Krehbiel says the feedlot will be used in teaching, research, and extension efforts by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.