Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Canadian field crop farmers are working hard to ensure the sector remains vibrant and strong. The crop sector is a key contributor to Canada's economy, representing $25 billion in farm gate receipts, $21 billion in exports and supporting thousands of jobs across the country while expanding markets for the sector's safe, high-quality products.
Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced a federal investment of up to $39.3 million to four science clusters including barley, wheat, diverse field crops and soybean under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. These investments include an additional $28.4 million in contributions from industry, for a total investment of $67.7 million.
These new Clusters will drive innovation and discovery in the Canadian field crops sector over the next five years:
- The Barley Cluster ($6.3 million) aims to improve productivity in the science and technology of using barley for food and increase disease resistance. The Cluster will be led by the Barley Council of Canada.
- The Diverse Field Crop Cluster ($13.7 million) focusses on variety development, crop protection, production agronomy and value added practices to support diverse crop growth. The Cluster will be led by Ag-West Bio Inc.
- The Wheat Cluster ($13.9 million) aims to deliver higher-yielding wheat varieties to producers, and to develop the next generation of Fusarium Head Blight resistant varieties. The Cluster will be led by the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition.
- The Soybean Cluster ($5.4 million) will help Canadian soybean crops become more resilient and productive, increase the geographic range for growing crops and benefit the environment. The Cluster will be led by the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance.
Source : Government of Canada