Dairy investment program resumes
Requests for funding will be accepted under the second and final phase of the $250 million Dairy Farm Investment Program starting Jan. 7.
Dairy farmers have until Feb. 8 to apply for Phase II funding, valued at $98 million.
The program will now have a two-stage application process involving a pre-selection step, which, if an applicant is selected, will be followed by the submission of a full application.
The new process will give all applicants an equal opportunity of being selected for funding and projects will be eligible for a contribution of up to $100,000.
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Between 1,000 and 1,500 projects are expected to be funded in Phase II.
A number of changes to Phase II of the program were developed following consultations with industry and feedback from farmers.
For the second intake period of the program, priority will be given to farms that have not already received funding.
The program is designed to help the sector adapt to the anticipated impacts from the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement signed by Canada and the European Union.
Greenhouses receive research funding
The federal government is investing up to $5 million in the Automation Cluster under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which will be led by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Lincoln, Ont.
The greenhouse industry has the largest labour gap with an estimated labour shortage that could cost the sector up to $1.5 billion in lost productivity and sales.
The Automation Cluster will help address labour costs and availability by focusing on three key areas over the next five years:
- developing and testing robotic harvesters for greenhouse cucumbers
- developing smart, wireless irrigation technologies for potted flowers and vegetables
- developing state-of-the-art sensors that will help detect and monitor moisture levels in the soil and air
Albertans inducted into 4-H Hall of Fame
Mark and Pat Sayers and Nora Paulovich are the 2018 inductees into Alberta’s 4-H Hall of Fame.
Candidates are nominated by their 4-H peers and are evaluated based on their leadership qualities, community references and contributions to 4-H, agriculture and their local communities.
The Sayers from Lethbridge County have been 4-H leaders and volunteers on many clubs, councils and committees for 25 years.
Paulovich from Manning has been a 4-H leader and volunteer for more than 20 years and has mentored and assisted other clubs.
Winter wheat trials receive funding
The Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission has received funding from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s ADOPT (Agricultural Demonstration of Practices and Technologies) program for a two-year seeding date trial for winter wheat.
The study will determine if winter wheat can be planted in late September and early October and still maintain a significant level of viability.
Changes in seeding practices, growing longer season crops and the shift toward direct harvest for canola is creating more challenges for producers to plant winter wheat within the recommended window of late August and early September and still be eligible for crop insurance.
Researchers in Canada and the United States are showing that a later planting date is more promising than anticipated.
The demonstration sites are located at the Wheatland Conservation Area at Swift Current, Sask., and the South East Research Farm at Redvers, Sask.
