Government of Canada announces funding to help soybean farmers manage extreme weather

Aug 02, 2024

Kingston, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Soybeans are one of the largest field crops in Canada, generating $14 billion in annual economic output. Research and innovation in the soy industry are helping producers evolve by enhancing crop resilience and yield in response to more frequent extreme weather events and the need to reduce the environmental footprint of farms, while feeding a growing population.

To support soybean producers, today, Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced up to $2,325,361 over 4 years to Performance Plants Inc. (PPI) through the AgriScience Program – Projects Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

This funding will allow PPI to develop climate change-resistant, high-yielding soybean through selected genetic lines and will also enable field testing. The objective is to create soybean varieties that are more heat and drought tolerant, herbicide resistant, use water efficiently, and sequester carbon into the soil. PPI continues to further new soybean trait and genome development to ensure they have the best characteristics to withstand harsh climates.

Source : Canada.ca

Video: Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter

Over the past several weeks, much of the U.S. Midwest has experienced prolonged episodes of extreme heat, a trend also observed in other major corn-producing regions of North America such as eastern South Dakota, southern Ontario, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. These high-temperature events can place significant physiological stress on maize (Zea mays L.), which is cultivated on approximately 90 million acres across the United States, with leading production in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Like all maize, Bayer’s PRECEON™ Smart Corn System is subject to transpiration-driven water loss under high heat. However, this system incorporates agronomic traits designed to improve standability through enhanced stalk strength, thereby reducing lodging risk during stress conditions. Furthermore, the system supports precision agriculture practices by enabling more targeted fertilizer and crop protection applications. This approach not only helps to optimize input efficiency but also contributes to maintaining or increasing yield potential under variable environmental stresses such as heat waves, which are becoming more frequent in corn belt and fringe production regions.