The Superior Plant Upgrading and Distribution (SPUD) Unit will receive a $330,000 investment from both the Ontario and federal governments to support the development of healthier fruits and vegetables.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash
We suppose you could call it seed money.
The governments of Canada and Ontario announced they are providing a $330,000 investment to the Superior Plant Upgrading and Distribution (SPUD) Unit in New Liskeard.
The SPUD Unit supports farmers and the wider agriculture and food industry by ffering testing for plant diseases and providing a stock of healthy plants to commercial growers across the province.
The money is being provided via the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP).
“Commercial growers across Ontario are on the cutting edge of innovation, bringing greater crop diversity to the province’s agriculture sector,” stated the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, the Canadian Federal Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “This investment will help growers access top-quality crops and crop research so they can reach current markets and create new opportunities.”
This investment will enable a variety of capital and equipment upgrades to the SPUD Unit facility, including improvements to the irrigation, air filtration, heating and control systems, increases to sterilization capacity, and improvements to the greenhouse coverings. It will improve the ability to anticipate, detect, mitigate, and reduce plant diseases and pests along the supply chain, benefiting potato, berry, garlic, sweet potato, and hazelnut growers in the province.
The upgrades will begin this year, and work will continue through 2025.
“As we have set out in the Grow Ontario Strategy, we’re increasing the creation and adoption of research and innovation that’s supporting our agriculture and food industry,” explained Rob Flack, the Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “Through these upgrades to the SPUD Unit, our government is making farming and food production in this province more resilient and competitive and strengthening the industry against future disruptions.”
The SPUD Unit produces 10 percent of the mini tubers needed for seed potato production in Ontario and is the only source in Canada for garlic seed suited for the Ontario climate.
Added Shawn Brenn, Chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, “The SPUD Unit is a critical piece of infrastructure, supporting the clean seed and propagation needs of several significant edible horticulture crops in Ontario. This investment is crucial to the continuity of the SPUD Unit as we collaborate with government on its future success.”
The SPUD Unit is operated by the University of Guelph and funded in part by the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, and the University of Guelph to advance research and innovation.
“The University of Guelph is proud to work with our provincial partners to provide infrastructure that enables cutting-edge research and innovation,” said Dr. Rene Van Acker, incoming Vice-President (Research and Innovation) at the University of Guelph. “We welcome this critical investment that will support Ontario’s agri-food sector.”
Sustainable CAP is a five-year (2023-2028) $3.5 billion investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agrifood, and agri-based products sectors. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 percent federally and 40 percent provincially and territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.