The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing more than $2 million over three years to support 24 research and development projects in Manitoba’s agriculture and agri-food sector. This announcement was made by Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn.
“Research and development continue to be key to driving innovation in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food industry,” said Minister Ritz. “Investments in new research such as these will help create further economic opportunities for our producers and processors.”
The funded projects cover a range of agricultural issues including animal and human health, on-farm production technologies and opportunities for value-added industries and include:
- the effects of late planting on early-maturing soybeans,
- management strategies to control insecticide-resistant Colorado potato beetles,
- fusarium head blight resistance in barley,
- the long-term market effects of feeding and vaccination strategies for beef cattle,
- genetic markers for flavour selection in pork, and
- hemp consumption and human health trials.
“By strategically investing in research and development, we can encourage new opportunities and a more diverse economy in rural areas,” said Minister Kostyshyn. “Manitoba’s agriculture and agri-food sector will certainly benefit from the findings of these projects. Adopting the new ideas generated from this work will lead to further economic growth in the province.”
In addition to the federal and provincial funding, applicants and funding partners are providing cash and in-kind contributions of approximately $3.6 million. Partners include agricultural businesses, commodity groups, the Western Grains Research Foundation and university and government researchers.
These projects are funded through Growing Innovation – Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (GI-ARDI) under Growing Forward 2. For more information about GI-ARDI, visit www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture under Growing Forward 2.
The federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.
