Government of Canada invests in innovation in Saskatchewan to bring leading-edge products and technology to market

Jan 24, 2022

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) provides funding of $1.3 million for innovation and job creation

REGINA, SK, Jan. - Driven by innovation and backed by a community of supporters, Saskatchewan is home to a rapidly growing tech sector, which includes many start-ups that are capturing national and international attention.

Today, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced an investment of $900,000 to support Regina's new Agtech Accelerator, and an additional $400,000 to support Jobbox Software Inc. (Jobbox) as they expand functionality and markets for their technology.

Canada's first venture-backed Agtech Accelerator was established by Economic Development Regina (EDR), Cultivator powered by Conexus and Emmertech. The Accelerator supports early-stage agtech companies to scale-up and grow by providing critical access to resources, programming and capital investment. The Accelerator builds globally competitive agtech start-ups and supports a long-term vision of further solidifying Regina and Saskatchewan as a global agtech hub that is focused on the agri-food value chain. It is a key part of EDR's agriculture and food strategy, which builds on regional strengths and unique assets, while reducing barriers to growth.

Jobbox, also supported by Cultivator, has built an innovative platform, ServiceBox, to assist field service companies to manage their business workflow digitally in real time. The Government of Canada is delivering additional investment to this growing firm to support further economic growth and innovation. This support will enable Jobbox to expand its platform and increase sales and marketing of its services throughout Canada and the United States.

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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.