OREANDA-NEWS. July 15, 2016. The governments of Canada and Manitoba will invest nearly \\$400,000 in ten research projects expected to provide practical, on-farm benefits to producers, Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced today.

The Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI) is one of the funded organizations and will receive \\$288,400 to conduct six research projects focused on:

  • airflow in large grain storage bins
  • guidelines and tools for consolidating on-farm surface water;
  • improving efficiency for soybean harvest;
  • comparing canola harvest methods;
  • hemp harvesting for use in fibre processing; and
  • flax fibre harvesting.

Projects are funded under Growing Forward 2's Growing Innovation – On Farm, which evaluates and demonstrates new agricultural practices or technologies at the farm level. The research must benefit individual producers, communities or the agricultural industry by increasing productivity, introducing new crops or products, refining agricultural management practices or introducing improved production techniques.

Other funded projects include:

  • \\$50,000 to evaluate smart hive technology to improve hive health, disease surveillance and traceability (Durston Honey Farms Ltd.);
  • \\$15,745 to study how crop harrowing can improve weed control in organic hemp production and organic transition periods (Scott Beaton);
  • \\$20,970 to develop a test for Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk (Horizon Lab Ltd.); and
  • \\$23,900 to study nitrogen management for high-yielding wheat varieties (Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association).

The federal and provincial governments are investing \\$176 million in cost-shared programming in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets. For more information about Growing Innovation, go to Growing Forward 2 (Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development).

Quotes

Part of our plan to support science and innovation in the agriculture sector, our government is pleased to make these investments in new production methods and farm practices. With these strategic investments, we are lending a hand to hard-working farmers in Manitoba and across Canada so they can keep their businesses on the cutting edge and create quality jobs.

- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"Manitoba's agriculture industry is filled with innovators, whose commitment to new ideas and practical solutions create real benefits starting at the farm gate. Innovation is essential for our province, and these research projects will create opportunities for growth, new investment and increased efficiency."

- Ralph Eichler, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development

"The economic benefits of our agricultural research are very impressive, because the findings can be implemented by many agricultural producers in Manitoba. Recent studies show work such as this produces \\$15 to \\$20 in benefits for every dollar invested, which is essential for our industry. We will be developing strong funding partnerships with industry, and will work closely with a great number of agricultural producers to carry out this work."

- Dave Gullacher, PAMI CEO