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Alta. ag minister talks 2020 budget

Alta. ag minister talks 2020 budget

Creating jobs is a major focus for Alberta, Devin Dreeshen said

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Alberta’s provincial government is focused on attracting investment and creating jobs.

That’s one of the messages Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen conveyed to Farms.com during an interview Thursday about the province’s second budget under Premier Jason Kenney.

“This is a jobs and economic growth budget,” Dreeshen said. “We have a really high-level goal within the department of trying to attract $1.4 billion of new agriculture value-added investment to the province of Alberta. We’ve estimated that 2,000 net new jobs will come from that investment.”

The jobs would also contribute to rural revitalization, he said.

Employment opportunities will be primarily in the canola processing, pork, plant protein, greenhouse, food processing, malt and agri-technology sectors, the budget document states.

Government will study all sectors within the agricultural industry to determine where the most job opportunities are, Dreeshen said.

“We have an investment team within our department to identify … what type of investment could actually come to the province and expand in all the different commodity areas,” he said.

Alberta’s ag ministry is reducing its own spending.

The department will be allotted $833 million in 2020-21, down from $879 million in the 2019-20 budget.

Taking a different approach to operating provincial ministries and making necessary changes will help ensure Alberta is fiscally responsible, Dreeshen said.

“We’re still spending $833 million, and we think the efficiencies we found in last year’s budget was kind of a transformational view of how we can run the department like a business,” he said. “In so many ways we are service providers to farmers and ranchers and on the forestry wide as well, so we wanted to figure out how we could actually streamline our services going out.”

Despite some spending cuts, Alberta is committed to funding farmer-led research.

The United Conservative Party’s fiscal plan maintains $37 million in funding for the research in 2020-21 and through years three and four of its mandate, Dreeshen said.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen


Trending Video

The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.

 

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