A total of $5.1 million in Federal-Provincial funding was announced yesterday during the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference.
The money will be allocated through the Agricultural Development Fund for 28 livestock and forage related research projects.
Agriculture Minister David Marit says these investments in research will ensure Saskatchewan continues to set the standard when it comes to new ideas and approaches for best practices in agriculture not only here but around the world.
"These research projects cover a range of topics including the Potential for Native and Tamed Forage Species to Enhance Carbon Sequestration, Expanded Methods for Reproduction Diagnostics, and Improved Control and Treatments with Respect to Animal Health."
Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food addressed the group on behalf of Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
He says research and innovation provide sustainable growth for the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.
"Our government is committed to investing in these areas to continue to increase both the productivity of our businesses and their resilience to climate change."
Marit added that the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission and Sask Milk are contributing another $483 thousand.
"Their assistance will help support 13 of the 28 projects approved in 2022. This is a great example of how the ministry and industry collaborate to support projects and strategic importance. This is how we find common ground on research that aligns with our strategic goals to increase production, farm cash receipts, value added production, and agriculture exports. This kind of research and innovation will help us meet our related Saskatchewan Growth Plan objectives for 2030. They include increasing meat processing and animal feed value added revenue to more than $1 billion, increasing agriculture exports to $20 billion and increasing value added revenue to $10 billion."
SCA Chair Arnold Balicki says investment in research is a cornerstone for the advancement of the industry.
"We're pleased to see both the federal and provincial governments place a similar priority in ensuring research is adequately funded."
You can find a full list of the Livestock and Forage Related Research Projects that will receive funding here.
During his presentation to the group, Marit also talked about the drought, and it's impact on the livestock sector and producer uptake on government programs like the Canada-Saskatchewan Drought Initiative.
"To date, more than 10,900 payment one applications were received, paying approximately $141.5 million. Approximately 5100 payment two applications have been received to date paying out $66.8 million. The deadline to apply for both payment one and payment to is the end of this month, January 31."
This week Marit also extended the application deadline for the FRWIP Program stats show from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 they received 1579 applications and paid out $6.9 million, while $6.42 million was paid out under the program from April 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
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