The wind-up of a $16.4 million beef research program has producers pondering their next step as they figure out how to continue receiving government money for beneficial industry projects.
The Canada Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund was established eight years ago with equal contributions from the federal and Alberta governments.
The fund was formed because Alberta producers chose to allocate a portion of their safety net money to market-neutral industry development.
“We have to figure out the strategy on how our industry will attain more funding to continue research like this,” said Larry Helland, a rancher from Lomond, Alta., who chaired the committee.
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“It’s not a lot of money compared to the spin-off benefits.”
The program funded 60 projects from the cellular level to the whole animal in the fields of health, animal production and environmental concerns.
While the projects are completed, discoveries from some studies have led to further questions. For example, a new strain of E. coli was discovered and researchers want to know if it is pathogenic or benign.
In some cases, Helland said, projects proved theories long-held by producers, such as the fact that antibiotic use in cattle does not lead to resistance problems in humans.
Some projects did not work as hoped, but he said it’s also valuable to know that theories are wrong.
