New Funding for Corn, Oat, and Soybean Research Will Benefit Grain Farmers
Government of Canada and Industry Funders contribute more than $14 million to agriculture research
ST. ISIDORE, ON (January 23, 2019) – Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, today announces new research funding has been achieved for the national Corn Project and national Oat Project. This new funding, along with last week’s announcement of research investment dollars for the Soybean Cluster, brings more than $14 million to research projects that will greatly benefit grain farmers in Ontario.
As part of its involvement with the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance (CFCRA), Grain Farmers of Ontario collaborated with organizations across Canada to access federal funding under the Canadian Agriculture Partnership’s AgriScience Program. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has committed $9.5 million to this research, with industry funders contributing an additional $4.9 million.
“Research that furthers the development of new varieties that have greater resiliency, quality, and yield benefits is vital to Canadian agriculture,” said Markus Haerle, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “We welcome the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting grain farmers in Ontario through these research investments and thank them for their work with the CFCRA.”
Research in these grain projects will have great benefits to grain farmers, including:
Corn Project: Developing germplasm with resistance to diseases, advanced nitrogen management strategies for farmers that will enhance productivity and environmental performance, and early-maturing cold-tolerant corn genetics
Oat Project: Developing higher-yielding disease-resistant varieties for eastern Canada, improved nutritional performance, nitrogen management and seeding rate recommendations, and implementing new support tools in oat breeding programs
Soybean Cluster: Developing improved identity-preserved and food-grade varieties with improved disease-resistance, improved yield, and greater cold tolerance
Grain Farmers of Ontario is a founding member of the CFCRA, which will lead the Corn Project, Oat Project, and the Soybean Cluster. Through the CFCRA, Grain Farmers of Ontario also supports eastern Canadian wheat research through the Wheat Cluster, and eastern Canadian barley research through the Barley Cluster. Grain Farmers of Ontario is contributing almost $2 million to these five initiatives.
“We very much appreciate the federal government’s continued commitment to agriculture investment,” said Barry Senft, CEO, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “Grain farming in Ontario is the basis for 40,000 jobs in the province and we need new and innovative ways to meet the demands on our farmer-members for high quality and competitive yields in a global marketplace.”
The Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector. The Partnership builds on Growing Forward 2, the previous five-year agreement that ended on March 31, 2018.
The CFCRA is a not-for-profit entity founded in 2010 with an interest in advancing the genetic capacity of field crops in Canada, particularly soybean, corn, wheat, barley, and oat. The CFCRA is comprised of provincial farm organizations and industry partners, including: Atlantic Grains Council, Grain Farmers of Ontario; Producteurs de grains du Québec; Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers; Manitoba Corn Growers Association; Saskatchewan Pulse Growers; Prairie Oat Growers Association; SeCan Association; and FP Genetics.
Investment in research is a long-term strategic initiative of Grain Farmers of Ontario for the benefit of all barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. Find more information about research investments in our Research Project Database.
Contact
Markus Haerle, Chair – (613) 229-8336, marhaerle@gmail.com
Victoria Berry, Manager, Communications – (226) 820-6641; vberry@gfo.ca
