Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced nearly $7.7 million in funding for 46 crop-related research projects through the province's Agriculture Development Fund (ADF).
The 46 projects receiving funding this year are diverse and include research on: improving plant breeding technology specifically to test for DON toxins that are the result of fusarium head blight infection in wheat; optimizing loss-sensing technology on farm equipment to minimize losses at harvest; and the development of a pulse-based replacement for shortening that can be used in baked goods, to name a few.
Today's ADF announcement leverages significant funding from industry partners, on top of government funding. A total of almost $3.7 million is being committed from partner organizations that include Western Grains Research Foundation, SaskPulse, SaskCanola, SaskFlax, Sask Wheat, and Alberta Wheat Commission.
Funding for ADF projects is provided under Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.