South Dakota vet lab to get needed upgrades

BROOKINGS, S.D. - The Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory is a key facility for both animal and human health, and it will get needed upgrades in the next year.

The facility was built in 1967 and was remodeled and upgraded in 1993. Located on the South Dakota State University campus, the laboratory currently is outdated and in need of an expansion and upgrade to keep up with increasing requirements and demands.

These expansions and upgrades will include adding more space for new technology, include a higher biosecurity level, updated air, water and electrical systems and increased security.

Nathan Sanderson, Gov. Dennis Daugaard's director of policy and operations, says the improvements will benefit the state, region and country.

"This will impact the state in multiple, multiple ways," he says. "Disease outbreaks are devastating to the livestock industry. This laboratory can lead research, diagnosis and develop treatments."

Animal agriculture is long recognized as an important factor to the state economy.

"The Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory is a very important service to the state and to the South Dakota economy," says state veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven. "This will be a state-of-the-art facility here in South Dakota. We're really excited about it."

The entire project will cost approximately $60 million. Daugaard signed Senate Bill 172 into law, providing funds for the facility to be built. One-time funds were made available for the facility initially, leaving $50.1 million to bond issuance.

"This project has been several years in the making," Sanderson says. "The agriculture industry was very involved, and state agricultural organizations were involved in the process from the very beginning. Agriculture absolutely stepped up to be a primary funding source. They saw a need and rose up to meet it."

Groundbreaking for the expansion will take place in fall 2017, with a date to be announced at a later time.

The laboratory is important not only to agriculture, but also to aspects of wildlife, food safety, small animal and pet food. Testing and research cover the entire state's needs for research and diagnostics.

The South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostics Laboratory is accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network and is a regional laboratory for the Food Emergency Response Network.

1/2: South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed Senate Bill 172 into law, providing funds for needed upgrades to the state's Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Brookings, S.D. (Photo courtesy of Lora Berg, SDSU)

2/2: The Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory will get needed updates beginning later this year. (Photo courtesy of Lora Berg, SDSU)