The federal and provincial governments in Canada have announced the allocation of more than $7.8 million in funding for 26 livestock and forage research projects. This record livestock and forage-related investment through the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) includes the renewal of five-year core funding for the Prairie Swine Centre and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.
Examples of research projects include the efficiency of feed and nutrient status based on the core body temperature of beef cattle, comparing cicer milkvetch varieties and advancing the control of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea.
An additional $800,000 was also invested by third party organizations including the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association, the Western Grain Research Foundation, the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association and the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, among others.
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said, “The livestock industry plays an important role in driving jobs and growth in Saskatchewan and across Canada. Investments in research projects are key to advancing innovation in our agricultural sector, which will help Canadian farmers feed Canada and the world."
The Agriculture Development Fund is designed to create opportunities through research and development projects to advance the agriculture industry. Since 2008, the federal and provincial governments have invested $37 million in livestock and forage research. Earlier this month, the federal and provincial governments announced over $7 million for 40 crop-related research projects.
Support for ADF projects is provided under Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. A complete list of funded projects is available at Saskatchewan.ca under Agriculture Development Fund.
