The Government of Canada is creating new economic opportunities in rural Canada by investing $6 million in the Feed Opportunities from the BioFuels Industries (FOBI) research network that will work to develop and harness new market opportunities in the ethanol and livestock sectors.
“Our Government wants to help farmers succeed, and a big part of that success depends on Canadian farmers being able to access new and value-added markets,” said Saskatoon-Humboldt Member of Parliament Brad Trost who announced the investment on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “This initiative will result in new markets, which will help our livestock sector improve their bottom line and boost our economy.”
Led by the University of Saskatchewan, the FOBI network is a multidisciplinary initiative composed of private, public and academic members from the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Feedlot Health Management Services Ltd., Prairie Swine Centre Inc. and the Saskatchewan Research Council. The FOBI network will focus on creating higher quality livestock feed from ethanol waste, also known as co-products or distillers grains. The research will explore the integration of livestock production and wheat-based ethanol production, and focus on creating new co-products and new markets for existing co-products and Canadian farmers.
“This collaborative research network led by the University of Saskatchewan Feeds Innovation Institute will help make Western Canada an international leader in feeds research and commercialization, improve both livestock and bio-fuels production, and provide tremendous new training opportunities for more than 30 students and other research personnel,” said Karen Chad, University of Saskatchewan Acting Vice-President Research.
Funding for this project is being provided through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program (ABIP), a federal funding program designed to integrate Canada’s talent from universities, industry and government in order to stimulate creativity, leverage resources, reduce costs and accelerate progress towards commercialization of bioproducts and bioprocesses.
