Governments invest $5.5 million for livestock research

Saskatchewan’s livestock industry received a major boost, according to a funding announcement Thursday.

Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced more than $5.5 million in funding for 34 livestock and forage-related research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the Strategic Field Program (SFP).

The ADF and SFP are supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $388 million investment in strategic initiatives for Saskatchewan agriculture by the federal and provincial governments.

“Our government supports the growth of an innovative, competitive, and market-oriented Canadian agriculture sector,” MacAulay said in a statement. “This funding will allow for vital advancements in agricultural research that will support new discoveries in our livestock and forage industries that will benefit farmers, producers, and agribusinesses in Saskatchewan and all across the country.”

Support from the ADF is awarded on a competitive basis to projects that create future growth opportunities and enhance the competitiveness of the industry. Examples of projects include but are not limited to enhancing biosecurity, improved vaccines, and breeding forage varieties beneficial for Saskatchewan soil. The initial project supported under this program will be confirming guidelines for beef cattle consumption of sulphate in drinking water. The research is being conducted at the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence.

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“This project is exactly the type of work the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence is designed to support – tackling the challenges of the agriculture sector,” University of Saskatchewan Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence Director Kris Ringwall said in a statement. “The research will provide clear and meaningful results that are science-based. Livestock producers, by incorporating the new guidelines into their operations, will be expanding their management options and, in turn, increasing the livestock sector’s revenue.”

In addition to funds committed by the federal and provincial governments, the ADF is also supported by industry groups and other organizations. Livestock and forage projects are also receiving more than $320,000 from the following organizations: The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, Alberta Beef Producers, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission and the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission.
 

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