The 46 projects receiving funding this year are diverse and include research on: improving plant breeding technology specifically to test for DON toxins that are the result of fusarium head blight infection in wheat; optimizing loss-sensing technology on farm equipment to minimize losses at harvest; and the development of a pulse-based replacement for shortening that may be used in baked goods, to name a few. The ADF funding is part of the C$26.8 million the government of Saskatchewan committed to agriculture research for 2016-17.
The ADF announcement leverages significant funding from industry partners, on top of government funding. A total of almost C$3.7 million is being committed from partner organizations that include Western Grains Research Foundation, SaskPulse, SaskCanola, SaskFlax, Sask Wheat, and Alberta Wheat Commission.
"Ongoing investments into research and development provide Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers the ability to be competitive in the global marketplace, while producing food sustainably,” said Lyle Stewart, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture. “Continual innovation through the ADF leads to improved crop varieties, more value-added processing and cutting edge farming practices and knowledge, keeping our agriculture industry strong."
Funding for ADF projects is provided under Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.