The Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB) on Wednesday, March 23, presented the St Elizabeth-based Sydney Pagon STEM Academy with its first mobile milking machine.
The milking machine, which was officially handed over by Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Franklin Witter, is expected to assist with the swift extraction of milk and improve on the quality and safety of the milk extracted.
“It is essential that Jamaica reaches a level where it is able to once again efficiently capitalize on and satisfy local demand for this product. If we are to do so purposefully and effectively, then it will require the involvement and support of our youth,” stated Witter.
Minister Witter, said the school’s current dairy operation, its impact, its challenges and potential for growth were some of the key factors leading to its selection.
“The Academy has a promising dairy operation with elements such as five milking animals, significant land availability for development in the form of 150 acres, a newly renovated milking parlour fitted with stanchions, a large holding area with concretized floors and a milk room,” said Witter.
The donation forms part of the JDDB’s greater push to make impactful contributions to youth in agriculture, specifically through the targeting of agricultural education institutions.
The use of outmoded resources and practices within the agricultural educational environment has been identified as one of the factors contributing to lack in the skillset of graduates and so support through modern equipment is one of the key areas of assistance led by the JDDB.
The JDDB will also be offering continued assistance to the Academy through the provision of technical and capacity-building support as well as provide services regarding land clearing, land preparation, pasture establishment, forage harvesting, and fodder conservation.
The Sydney Pagon STEM Academy, formerly known as the Elim Agricultural School, is the only agricultural educational institution in St Elizabeth. The academy has a student population of over 800. In addition to its dairy unit, the academy has a piggery, apiary, small ruminants and poultry units.
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