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Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan invest $17.6 Million in crop research

Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit have announced total funding of $17.6 million for crop-related research in 2023.

Invested through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), the announcement includes $10.3 million for 49 research projects, as well as $7.2 million in operational support over the next five years for the Crop Development Centre (CDC) in Saskatoon. Since being established in 1971, the CDC—a research organization with the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan—has released over 500 commercial crop varieties in over 40 different crop types.

Examples of the individual research projects being funded include exploring the diversity of Fusarium root to species infecting pulse crops, insect response to climate change and agricultural inputs across the prairies, economic salinity remediation strategies for agriculture water using innovative desalinization minerals, and a nutritionally balanced pulse-oilseed protein-based beverage.

An additional $4.6 million was contributed in support of this year’s research projects by the following industry partners:

• Alberta Wheat Commission
• Alberta Barley Commission
• Alberta Canola Producers Commission
• Manitoba Crop Alliance
• Manitoba Canola Growers
• Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission
• Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission
• Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission
• Prairie Oat Growers Association
• Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association
• Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
• Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission
• Western Grains Research Foundation

Each year, on a competitive basis, the ADF awards support to projects focusing on research with the potential to create growth opportunities for provincial agriculture producers and enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of the industry in Saskatchewan.