The name of the initiative is catchy, and the idea seems to be catching on.
It’s called the protein highway, and it involves governments, universities and businesses in the three prairie provinces and six U.S. states that are collaborating to develop plant protein innovation.
“The concept is to gather a team, a bilateral team … to work together to develop agricultural technologies that enhance our competitive position going into the future for protein production,” said Kevin Kephart of South Dakota State University’s research and economic development department.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
“Protein resources would be things like pulse crops. That’s what comes to mind first, but also taking better advantage of proteins that are in canola meal, soybean meal, dried distillers grains out of corn ethanol facilities. That offers a big opportunity on protein as well. Those are just some examples of what we have in mind.”
Kephart said the initiative developed after Canadian Governor General David Johnston met with university, government and industry personnel in Minnesota last April.
Johnston encouraged development of bilateral projects that could benefit people and economies on both sides of the border.
Kephart said several topics were discussed, and “this is the one that emerged as having, in the opinion of those that participated, the most strength.”
David Gauthier of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority and Larry Sernyk, a scientist who has worked for Dow AgroSciences and Mycogen Corp. in Indiana, wrote a report on the project, which was published in February.
The report provides background on the potential for greater plant protein development and focuses on plants rather than animals for the following reasons:
- unrealized economic value from producing high value edible protein products from soybean, canola, peas, lentils, flax and edible dry beans already produced in the region
- opportunities for protein production from other oilseed crops such as sunflower and safflower and minor crops such as buckwheat, hemp, camelina, chia and quinoa
- opportunities from high value edible proteins that are byproducts of corn ethanol facilities and barley brewery solids
- potential for meat replacements made from plant protein products and ingredients
- another way to help feed the growing world population in a potentially more sustainable way
- provide a more economical solution to providing protein for human consumption than passing protein through an animal
- evidence that plant proteins can contain healthy amino acid components with beneficial health effects
- reduced saturated fat intake when animal protein consumption is lowered
The report identified the Prairies, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa as having sophisticated on-farm knowledge, multinational food processors, many research institutions and robust infrastructure.
Those attributes make them well placed to encourage development of plant protein-based foods and ingredients, it said.
Additionally, the report listed companies that now produce meat-like products from pulses and legumes.
Kephart said those involved in the protein highway are still developing their mission and vision and must set up a funding strategy be-fore proceeding.
