Regina, Saskatchewan – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Today, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced $7.5 million in funding for livestock and forage-related research through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF).
This includes more than $4.1 million in funding for 24 livestock and forage-related research projects and nearly $3.5 million in operational funding for the Prairie Swine Centre and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan.
Support from the ADF is awarded on a competitive basis to projects that create future growth opportunities and enhance the competitiveness of the industry.
This research will impact producers across commodities with studies that benefit bees, bison, beef cattle, swine, poultry, dairy cattle and sheep. For example, one project led by Kerri Finlay will look at how removing sulphates from agricultural ponds improves cattle health. Another project led by Dr. Murray Jelniski will use watering bowls to study antimicrobial resistance. Kathy Larson will lead a project that will examine how cow-calf producers are using production and financial data to make management decisions on their operations.
In addition to funds committed by the federal and provincial governments, livestock and forage research projects announced this year are also receiving nearly $324,000 from the following partners:
- Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association
- Saskatchewan Forage and Seed Development Commission
- Saskatchewan Alfalfa Seed Producers Development Commission (a new ADF industry partner this year)
- SaskMilk
- Alberta Milk
Source : Canada.ca