Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced $7.7 million in funding for 30 crop-related research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF).
In addition, the governments are committing $6.25 million in operating funds through the ADF to the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan over five years.
“Investments in agricultural research are critical to ensuring continued progress and increased efficiency for farmers,” said Goodale. “That’s why the Government of Canada strongly supports crop research, like these cost-shared projects in Saskatchewan that will help support the continued growth and innovation of Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector.”
“Investing in innovative, crop-related projects and supporting research organizations like the CDC not only provides Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers with the very latest in research and development, but also allows our province to be competitive on the world stage and helps attract some of the best researchers in the industry,” Stewart said. “We’re very proud of our investments through ADF. They create future growth opportunities and help improve the bottom line for producers and food processors.”
This year’s projects are diverse and focus on issues important to Saskatchewan agriculture. Some examples include: research to develop more clubroot resistant canola varieties; improve fusarium head blight resistance in durum wheat; better control of root rot in pea and lentils crops; and increasing the use of faba beans in pet food and fish feed to create another value-added use for a Saskatchewan pulse crop.
Today’s ADF announcement into the 30 research projects leverages significant additional funding from industry partners, in addition to government funding. More than $3.1 million has been committed from the following partners: the Western Grains Research Foundation; the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission; the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission; the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers; the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission and the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission.
“Working together is a fundamental value of the agriculture industry so we appreciate the opportunity to contribute and collaborate on these worthwhile projects,” Western Grains Research Foundation Chair Dave Sefton said.
“We are grateful for funding that supports our operations, and for continued investment into research and innovation from the Government of Saskatchewan,” CDC Managing Director at the University of Saskatchewan Dr. Kofi Agblor said. “Continued investment from the province affirms its commitment to our clearly demonstrated mission of improving economic returns for farmers and the agriculture industry of western Canada, as well as our new vision of being a world-class crop improvement organization that delivers advanced crop genetics for society.”
Funding for ADF is part of the $26.8 million the Government of Saskatchewan committed to agriculture research in the 2017-18 provincial budget. Funding is provided under the federal-provincial-territorial initiative, Growing Forward 2.
In July 2017, federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture reached agreement in principle on the key elements of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five year, $3 billion investment that will set a solid foundation for the future of Canada’s farmers and food processors, and continue to help them grow, innovate and prosper. The partnership is set to launch on April 1, 2018.
For more information, including a complete list of funded projects, please visit www.saskatchewan.ca and search “Agriculture Development Fund.”
