Government of Canada invests $425K into precision agriculture

Nov 25, 2016

Funding will be used to develop and commercialize the CX-6 SMART Seeder

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Canadian Government is investing $425,000 into Clean Seed Agricultural Technologies Ltd. to further develop and commercialize a piece of precision agriculture technology.

Clean Seed will use the investment to further its research into the CX-6 SMART Seeder, which can allow farmers to have simultaneous control of up to six products. The goal is to help farmers reduce over-applications of fertilizer and pesticides, while also lowering fuel usage and input costs.

The company is headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, but other parts of the country could benefit. Testing will take place in Saskatchewan and the machinery will be manufactured in Manitoba.

"Clean Seed Agricultural Technologies Ltd. is an innovative leader in the development of advanced precision agricultural equipment aimed at modernizing and streamlining farm operations,” Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, said in a Nov. 25 release. “The Government of Canada's investment in companies like this will generate growth in Western Canada and provide jobs for skilled workers.”

Executives with Clean Seed say the investment will help them bring the CX-6 SMART Seeder to farmers in Canada and around the world.

“The continued support by the federal government over the years has played an important role in our evolution,” Graeme Lempriere, chief executive officer of Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. said in the release.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.