$18 million earmarked for grain research in 2015

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

The Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) will be investing over $18 million into field crop research in 2015.  Garth Patterson, executive director of the foundation said that the foundation co-funds many research projects in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in partnership with other groups.  “We work with them by looking at the same research proposals and decide by identifying which ones are of the most benefit to Western Canadian grain farmers,” he said.  The producer funded research foundation, in partnership with member organizations and research funding partners across Canada more than doubled the $7.3 million invested in 2013.

The foundation’s focus on crop research for the development of new farm management practices and improved crop varieties is a priority for producers who ultimately benefit from this commitment.

WGRF’s board consists of 18 producer representatives from different agricultural organizations across Western Canada. Some of those from Alberta include members from the Alberta Federation of Agriculture, the Western Pulse growers Association, the Alberta Barley Commission, the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Western Barley Growers Association.

Some of the 2015 funding highlights include:

• WGRF committed $5 million to the Genome Canada Large Scale Applied Research Project.
• The total value of the Systems Approach to Crop Sustainability is $4.32 M over the next 5 years; WGRF is leading this initiative and is contributing $2.16 million.
• The total value of the Wheat Cluster is $25.2 M over five years; WGRF is leading this Cluster and is contributing $9.6 million.
• The total value of the Barley Cluster is $11.2 M over five years; WGRF is contributing $1.5 million.
• Graduate Scholarships of $100,000 per year continue to be provided to U of M, U of S, and U of A on a rotational basis.
• WGRF commissioned a study to evaluate agronomy research capacity in western Canada.