Canada’s federal agriculture department will spend up to $39.3 million to support research that benefits the Canadian wheat, barley, soybean and field crop industries.
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the investment last week during CropSphere in Saskatoon.
The federal investment will be distributed under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year $3 billion funding agreement that involves federal and provincial governments.
The money will be directed into four research clusters, each led by existing industry organizations in the ag sector.
The federal contribution will be matched by industry contributions valued at $28.4 million, pushing total research investment in the four research clusters to as much as $67.7 million, according to a Jan. 15 news release that announced Ottawa’s investment.
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Of the $39.3 million committed by Ottawa, a national barley research cluster led by the Barley Council of Canada will receive $6.3 million.
Among other things, the barley cluster will be aimed at using science and technology to increase the use of barley in food products for human consumption.
Other research clusters that will receive support include:
- The diverse field crop research cluster, led by Saskatoon-based Ag-West Bio Inc., which will receive $13.7 million. Research projects under that cluster will focus on variety development, crop protection, production agronomy and value-added practices to support diverse crop growth.
- The national wheat research cluster led by the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) will receive up to $13.9 million. Projects will be aimed at developing new wheat varieties that deliver higher-yields and improved fusarium head blight resistance.
- The soybean research cluster led by the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance will receive $5.4 million and support projects aimed at helping Canadian soybean crops become more resilient and productive. Projects will also attempt to increase the geographic range for soybean production in Western Canada.
“The government of Canada is proud to work side-by-side with industry to help keep the Canadian field crops sector on the cutting edge,” MacAulay said.
Terry Young, an Alberta wheat grower who serves as chair of the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition, said the investment by the federal government in wheat research will maintain the high quality of Canadian wheat and lead to new opportunities for producers.
“This collaboration between government, producers and industry will allow for greater innovation in variety development and agronomic practices that will keep wheat production strong across the country,” he said.
