20 new ag research projects in the works

Apr 24, 2017

The Canadian government plans to grow innovation in the ag industry

Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the federal government will fund 20 new farming sector research projects across the country, according to an April 21 government release.

Researchers associated with the new projects will study and test new agricultural practices to assist farmers in adapting their operations to climate change obstacles, and improving soil and water quality on-farm.

“Canadian farmers are great stewards of the land and the environment,” MacAulay said in the release. “These new investments are part of the government's commitment to address climate change and ensuring our farming sector are world leaders in the use and development of clean and sustainable technology and processes.”

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Funding for the projects comes from the $27 million, five-year long Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program (AGGP). The program prioritizes research in cropping systems, livestock operations, water usage in agriculture and agro-forestry.

MacAulay made the announcement Apr. 21 – one day before Earth Day – at the University of Alberta (UA), one of the institutions receiving research funding. UA researchers will use $3.7 million for three projects regarding the environmental impacts of cereal crop production, different cattle grazing systems, and shelterbelts.

Further east, scientists from the Dalhousie University (Dal) in Nova Scotia received $1.7 million to support research surrounding soil’s health, its carbon storing capacity and its supply of nitrogen, according to a Dal release.

These 20 new research projects will contribute to building the Canada’s reputation as a global food leader, as mentioned in the minister of finance’s economic report, according to David Gray, dean of the faculty of agriculture and principal of the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus.

“In (the economic) report, the Federal government aspires to global leadership in agri-food such that Canada will become the trusted global leader in safe, nutritious and sustainable food for the 21st century,” he said in the Dal release. “The Faculty of Agriculture is proud to work with our government toward this vision through our leading-edge teaching and research.”

Canada’s farmers have lately been the subject of positive government attention; from the 2017 Federal Budget to the minister of finance’s Path to Prosperity Report released earlier this year, the government is recognizing agriculture as a crucial component to Canada’s economy.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.