[Brookings, S.D.] – More than 150 area residents joined global animal health company Alltech as it officially opened its new state-of-the-art office and research laboratory in Brookings on Thursday, September 20.

Alltech, along with members of the Brookings Economic Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, Mills Construction and South Dakota State University, hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 27-acre office site located on the northeast edge of Brookings.

"Alltech is proud to be part of the Midwestern community of Brookings," said Alltech President Dr. Pearse Lyons. "Brookings is a forward-minded, technology-friendly community that welcomes growth in the business sector.  Now Alltech will be able to better service the Midwest in a research, production, distribution and sales capacities."

Attendees received a tour of the South Dakota Ruminant Physiology Laboratory. This lab will be dedicated to developing and testing nutritional strategies that will improve the performance of livestock production systems, improving animal and human health and decreasing the impact of animal waste on the environment.

"This initiative will allow us to extend our Bioscience research concept even further, linking our laboratory capabilities in the Midwest to our collaborative ruminant research efforts worldwide," said Dr. Juan M. Tricarico, Alltech’s Research Manager for ruminant nutrition.

This is the first laboratory in North America to be located outside of Alltech’s corporate headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and is part of Alltech’s overall plan to research locally across the United States.

"Research is the cornerstone of Alltech’s commitment to the agriculture industry," said Dr. Lyons. "Our goal is to have a research lab at every facility so that we can give local producers access to local research."

The campus also includes state-of-the-art offices and a local distribution warehouse and manufacturing facility. Alltech South Dakota will also produce its signature product Yea-Sacc® Farm Pak 2X, a live yeast culture, at the facility.

As one of 19 offices in North America, Alltech South Dakota supports the agriculture industry in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas.

Since 1980, Alltech’s presence has grown with offices and distributors in 85 countries and 1,800 employees around the world.  For more information about Alltech, please visit www.alltech.com.

Alltech is the proud sponsor of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010™ to be held in Kentucky, USA.

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(l-r) Dr. Pearse Lyons, President and Founder, Alltech; Deirdre Lyons, Director of Corporate Image and Design, Alltech; Dr. Peggy Gordon Miller, former President, South Dakota State University; Bob Vandermeer, Project Manager, Alltech