Canada Boosts Crop Diversity with $8.1 Million Investment

Jun 04, 2024

In a strategic move to safeguard Canadian agriculture against the effects of climate change, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, announced a significant investment of $8,124,319.

This funding, allocated to Ag-West Bio Inc. through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, targets the advancement of crop diversification.

Ag-West Bio will oversee the Diverse Field Crops Cluster, which collaborates with various organizations to increase the seeded acreage of resilient crops like camelina, carinata, flax, mustard, and sunflower.

These crops are known for their ability to thrive in adverse conditions such as drought and poor soil nutrients, making them vital for sustainable agricultural practices.

The research initiative aims to benchmark greenhouse gas emissions, develop oilseed crops suited for lower-quality land, and enhance genetic resilience and disease resistance.

This could significantly reduce the risks associated with limited crop rotation, which is a common issue in Canadian agriculture, particularly in Western Canada.

With the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership as its foundation, the AgriScience Program supports pre-commercial scientific activities that promise long-term benefits for the agriculture and agri-food sector.

This initiative not only focuses on immediate agricultural needs but also aligns with the broader Green Prairie Economy, promoting sustainable growth and economic reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Through this investment, Canada is positioning itself as a leader in sustainable agriculture, aiming to create a more robust and environmentally friendly agricultural sector.

"There is no doubt that our farmers are among the first to feel the impacts of climate change. That's exactly why we're supporting this important research to increase the yield and profitability of diverse field crops and make the sector more resilient," stated The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

"Ag-West Bio is grateful for this continued support of the Diverse Field Crops Cluster (DFCC). The goal with DFCC is to give farmers viable alternatives to include in their rotations, which will help create an agricultural ecosystem that is more profitable while also being more resilient to climate change. By pooling resources, DFCC can advance these crops much faster," explained Karen Churchill, President and CEO of Ag-West Bio.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

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