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The six pregnant heifers handed over to the College of Agriculture, Science and Education by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Robert Montague on Tuesday. Montague, along with students and staff, are in the background. - Contributed
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Robert Montague presented the College of Agriculture, Science and Education with six pregnant heifers at a small ceremony with senior management, students and staff at the college on Tuesday.
The delivery of the animals is in keeping with the minister's promise, when he visited the college in September, to assist in boosting milk production, student training and nutritional needs.
Chairman of the board of management, Barrington Wahrmann, president of the College, Rev Dr Mary A. Nichols, agricultural staff and students expressed gratitude for the support from the minister.
"It is with a great sense of pride and satisfaction that CASE, this 100-year-old institution, is able to welcome home these Jamaica Hope heifers, the product of the research and development of one of our esteemed alumnus, Dr T.P. Lecky," Wahrmann commented.
"The college pledges to the nation to carry on this noble tradition established by this great geneticist and to improve upon it."
"Sustainable development is the agenda that I've been pushing at this institution and it is indeed a blessing that, with this boost from the minister, we can possibly supply all our fresh-milk needs to our internal and external customers," Dr Nichols expressed.
Kishana Murray, a second-year veterinary science major, who was delighted by the proceedings added, "we can do practical with them".
The heifers are all six months pregnant. Five are of the Jamaica Hope breed and one a Holstein. They are estimated to be valued at more than $900,000 dollars and are a significant boost to the existing 78 cows already at the college.
Four more pregnant heifers, and an additional two, will be delivered to the college from the graduating class of 1961 and the minister himself, who is also an alumnus of the institution, in coming weeks.
