The CWB announced that eight new recipients will share in funding from its annual Organic Sector Market Development Initiative (OSMDI), now in its second year.
“Growing consumer demand for organic products creates new opportunity for western Canadian farmers,” said CWB president and CEO Ian White. “We have committed to assisting organic farmers in a number of ways, including funding these worthwhile initiatives.”
Farmers will be helped to make the transition to organic farming through workshops run by Canadian Organic Growers, supported by $75,000 over three years from the OSMDI. Research at the University of Manitoba to evaluate farm-income potential in grazing green manures will receive $72,000 over three years from the fund. Testing of spring wheat breeding lines, selected under organic crop conditions, will be conducted at the University of Saskatchewan using $45,000 in OSMDI funding over the next two years.
Other projects include:
• development of a specialized cultivation shovel for weed-control through precision tillage (Western Applied Research Corporation)
• use of plant root simulator probes to measure soil mineralization in organic rotations (University of Saskatchewan)
• evaluation of microbial bio-herbicide for broadleaf weed control (The Scotts Company)
• resources for an organic conference focused on agronomics (Going Organic Alberta).
A total of $200,000 has been committed to the fund in 2009 to support research and market-development projects that can strengthen the organic grain industry in Western Canada. Projects were selected based on their overall benefit to the development of the organic grain industry. The selection panel included a research scientist, CWB staff and four organic farmers, who ensure approved projects have clear potential benefits for producers.
Many recipients value CWB support because the money can be used to secure matching funding from government. Dr. Martin Entz of the University of Manitoba said the CWB investment will allow him to broaden his research and hire more students interested in organics. This also helps train future organic researchers, farmers and extension workers.
Dr. Ralph Martin, director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, said he hopes the CWB’s example will encourage other major agri-business players to follow suit. “To keep pace with consumer demand, we need more research to address agronomic challenges and increase organic production in Canada,” he said. “When the federal government’s new Canadian Organic Regime is implemented in June 2009, there is bound to be even more interest in organics. Funds like the OSMDI will help ensure that farmers have the knowledge they need to successfully and sustainably develop their organic farm enterprises.”
The Canada Organic Regime is a regulated system that will define specific criteria for organic products to be labeled as organic.
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. One of Canada’s biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.
