armer ancher Serving the producers of Northwest Saskatchewan
Thursday, September 29, 2016
North Battleford, Saskatchewan
The lazy days of summer are over for Northwest cow-calf pairs. It will soon be time for producers to bring the animals home from pasture for the annual weaning ritual. Photos by Vicky Clayton
Gov’t invests in agriculture research centre Staff In early September AgriFood Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the Government of Canada has invested $35.3 million for infrastructure improvements at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Swift Current Research and Development Centre. According to a press release, the centre is being renovated and new laboratories are being built, which are used to support AAFC’s wheat breeding program and other research on forages and cereals. Science and innovation play
an important role in making Canada one of the world’s top producers and exporters of agricultural products, the release states. The announcement was met with approval by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. SARM believes this investment will help ensure Canada remains globally competitive, a release from that organization states. “This investment will support the development of new crop breeds that will benefit producers, consumers and trade partners,” said SARM president Ray Orb.
According to SARM, the Research and Development Centre in Swift Current plays an integral role in developing better varieties crops and forages and, more specifically, wheat. The organization states developing higher quality, more weather and disease resistant crops is important in maintaining Canada’s position as a top global producer and exporter of agricultural products. “Agriculture is a significant contributor to both Saskatchewan and Canada’s economy. These types of investments will help ensure the sustainability of the agriculture industry,”
said Orb. Saskatchewan’s government also welcomed the announcement. “Our government has made research a priority as part of our innovation agenda, and such investments in our agriculture research sector will help Saskatchewan and Canada continue not only to feed the world, but continue to be a world leader in agriculture research,” Premier Brad Wall said. According to the government, researchers at the centre are developing high-performance, high-quality wheat varieties. Those varieties are grown on
about 50 per cent of the wheat acreage in Canada. The new space will offer modern laboratories and more energy efficient infrastructure. The new and renovated portions of the building will be LEED Silver certified – a mark of energy efficiency. “The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of research and innovation to agriculture and to our economy. Improvements to these facilities will help deliver new technologies to producers, which creates jobs, grows the middle class and supports Canadian farmers.,” said MacAulay.