Announcement made March 20th in London, Ontario
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com
What’s the one thing farmers are looking to do?
What would they consider the main reason why they attend farm shows and buy new equipment?
If you guessed improving yield, you guessed correctly.
To help farmers achieve the highest yield possible, the Canadian federal government is investing $1.19 million to help develop a diagnostics test that can help corn growers increase their yields by using better plant and soil health practices.
London, Ontario’s A&L Biologicals Inc. is the beneficiary of the investment. They’ll use different kinds of molecular technology to detect and diagnose microorganisms that can hinder the corn output. They will also work alongside researchers from the Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre on a variety of initiatives including researching new green microbe-enhanced manure fertilizers.
"Southern Ontario has a large number of corn growers who will directly benefit from this investment under Growing Forward 2,” said Susan Truppe, Member of Parliament for London North Centre today on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “New molecular technologies can increase corn yields, reduce costs and, as a result, improve the bottom line for producers.”
Ontario will be the first province to hold field trials before extending into Manitoba and Quebec.
Corn is one of Canada’s top field crops, with approximately 13.1 million tonnes harvested in 2012.
The investment is being made under Canada’s Growing Forward 2 AgriInnovation Program – a five-year initiative of about $698 million designed to accelerate and promote agricultural innovations, facilities and research.
Join the conversation and tell us what kinds of tools you hope this new investment will bring. Would you be willing to do a field trial if the opportunity came about?
Corn