Today federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced more than $5.5 million in funding for 34 livestock and forage-related research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the Strategic Field Program (SFP). The ADF and SFP are supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $388 million investment in strategic initiatives for Saskatchewan agriculture by the federal and provincial governments.
Support from the ADF is awarded on a competitive basis to projects that create future growth opportunities and enhance the competitiveness of the industry.
Projects funded through the ADF have gone on to create new knowledge and technologies that benefit farmers and ranchers, food processors and agribusinesses. From enhancing biosecurity, to improved vaccines, to breeding forage varieties beneficial for Saskatchewan soil, the projects supported through the ADF aim to improve Saskatchewan agriculture. Under the SFP, funding is available for rigorous field level demonstrations and/or the evaluation of targeted practices and technologies, which will support extension delivery while advancing the objectives of the industry. The initial project supported under this program will be confirming guidelines for beef cattle consumption of sulphate in drinking water. The research is being conducted at the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence.
The ADF projects supported this year will examine a variety of areas of interest to producers, including: developing enhanced biosecurity and animal welfare measures for livestock in transit by improving the design of the trailers they are transported in, determining if ear-tip necrosis in pigs is an infectious disease and monitoring post-fire recovery of forages on native grasslands. In addition to funds committed by the federal and provincial governments, the ADF is also supported by industry groups and other organizations. Livestock and forage projects are also receiving more than $320,000 from the following organizations: The Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, Alberta Beef Producers, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission and the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission.
Information and Photo Source: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media
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