Government of Canada announces funding to help soybean farmers manage extreme weather

Aug 02, 2024

Kingston, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Soybeans are one of the largest field crops in Canada, generating $14 billion in annual economic output. Research and innovation in the soy industry are helping producers evolve by enhancing crop resilience and yield in response to more frequent extreme weather events and the need to reduce the environmental footprint of farms, while feeding a growing population.

To support soybean producers, today, Mark Gerretsen, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced up to $2,325,361 over 4 years to Performance Plants Inc. (PPI) through the AgriScience Program – Projects Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

This funding will allow PPI to develop climate change-resistant, high-yielding soybean through selected genetic lines and will also enable field testing. The objective is to create soybean varieties that are more heat and drought tolerant, herbicide resistant, use water efficiently, and sequester carbon into the soil. PPI continues to further new soybean trait and genome development to ensure they have the best characteristics to withstand harsh climates.

Source : Canada.ca

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.