The Agriculture Funding Consortium (AFC) has awarded $11.49 million in funding to 39 research projects, a March 29 news release said. Of the $11.49 million, $7 million comes from RDAR, and will support targeted research projects promoting sustainable agriculture and enhancing productivity, profitability, and competitiveness across Alberta’s agriculture industry.
“While RDAR directs funding to support research across all agricultural commodity areas, the AFC supports research funding to target specific areas of primary agriculture and foster sustainability, diversification, and long-term growth of agriculture and the food industry in Western Canada,” Clinton Dobson, executive director of research with RDAR, said in the release.
Projects funded include:
- Developing a non-antibiotic treatment for swine dysentery
- Development of molecular protocols for rapid detection of potato pests and pathogens
- The Regional Variety Trials in Alberta
- Mitigating Salmonella infections in dairy calves
- Understanding the interactions of Nitrogen fertilizer on soil health to optimize sustainable agriculture
- Development of stress-tolerant alfalfa for beef and dairy production in a changing climate
AFC is a body comprised of 18 agricultural organizations that leverage and coordinate funding to support sustainability, diversification and long-term growth for agriculture and the food industry in Western Canada, the release noted.
