After nearly four months, UF students had their voices heard.
In January, students asked the Florida Legislature to fund the rebuilding of the UF/IFAS Beef Teaching Unit, according to Alligator archives.
This year, the Legislature gave $2.6 million, in addition to the $1 million given to the Department of Animal Sciences last year, for the unit’s expansion, said Geoffrey Dahl, the chair of the Department of Animal Sciences.
The Beef Teaching Unit is a 65-acre farm that hosts a herd of 35 cows and a variety of UF classes. It has two units: its North Unit, located at 3301 SW 23rd Terrace, and its South Unit, located at 3721 SW 23rd Terrace. The South Unit has been under construction.
The expansion is expected to be complete by 2017. Dahl said the expansion will not only improve animal management but will also be able to house four students in apartments.
“Housing will add to their experience on campus and enrich their time here,” he said.
Kate Shuffitt, a UF animal science alumna, said she looks forward to the unit’s development because she feels the department doesn’t get enough funding.
“A lot of our facilities are old and broken down,” she said. “We work well with what we have, but it’s nice to know someone saw we needed the money for improvements and put in the effort.”
In her time as an undergraduate student, the 22-year-old wasn’t able to use the South Unit because of the construction, but she said she’s glad other students will be able to in the future.
“The kids that are going to come through here will get to have such a better experience and be more prepared,” she said. “So I think that’s awesome in itself.”
Email Monica at: mandrade@alligator.org
Cows graze at the UF Beef Teaching Unit on October 27, 2014. UF created two new grass varieties that will bring better nutritional value and a longer lifespan to cows.
