Today federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced more than $5.5 million in funding for 34 livestock and forage-related research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the Strategic Field Program (SFP).
The ADF and SFP are supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $388 million investment in strategic initiatives for Saskatchewan agriculture by the federal and provincial governments.
“Our government supports the growth of an innovative, competitive, and market-oriented Canadian agriculture sector,” MacAulay said. “This funding will allow for vital advancements in agricultural research that will support new discoveries in our livestock and forage industries that will benefit farmers, producers, and agribusinesses in Saskatchewan and all across the country.”
“By funding research here in Saskatchewan, we’re not only committing to the biosciences sector, we’re investing in the future of our producers and agribusinesses,” Marit said. “ADF support is granted to projects that focus on areas of concern to Saskatchewan producers, and by supporting this research we’re investing in the future of our industry.”
Support from the ADF is awarded on a competitive basis to projects that create future growth opportunities and enhance the competitiveness of the industry.
Projects funded through the ADF have gone on to create new knowledge and technologies that benefit farmers and ranchers, food processors and agribusinesses. From enhancing biosecurity, to improved vaccines, to breeding forage varieties beneficial for Saskatchewan soil, the projects supported through the ADF aim to improve Saskatchewan agriculture.
Under the SFP, funding is available for rigorous field level demonstrations and/or the evaluation of targeted practices and technologies, which will support extension delivery while advancing the objectives of the industry.
The initial project supported under this program will be confirming guidelines for beef cattle consumption of sulphate in drinking water. The research is being conducted at the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence.
“This project is exactly the type of work the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence is designed to support – tackling the challenges of the agriculture sector,” University of Saskatchewan Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence Director Kris Ringwall said. “The research will provide clear and meaningful results that are science-based. Livestock producers, by incorporating the new guidelines into their operations, will be expanding their management options and, in turn, increasing the livestock sector’s revenue.”
The ADF projects supported this year will examine a variety of areas of interest to producers, including: developing enhanced biosecurity and animal welfare measures for livestock in transit by improving the design of the trailers they are transported in, determining if ear-tip necrosis in pigs is an infectious disease and monitoring post-fire recovery of forages on native grasslands.
In addition to funds committed by the federal and provincial governments, the ADF is also supported by industry groups and other organizations. Livestock and forage projects are also receiving more than $320,000 from the following organizations: The Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, Alberta Beef Producers, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission and the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission.
“These investments will benefit the beef sector, and a prosperous beef sector will help grow Saskatchewan's economy,” Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association Chair Rick Toney said. “We want to build upon the industry’s competitiveness by advancing beef and forage production methods through research and innovations.”
Source : Government of Saskatchewan