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March 9, 2006
Nearly $30 million directed at new agriculture research and development
More than half supports Alberta's grains and oilseeds sector
Edmonton... Alberta's agricultural research and development community will receive nearly $30 million in additional research grants to help bring the newest techniques and technologies from the lab to the farm.
"Research into new innovations is key to transforming our agriculture industry," said Doug Horner, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. "These funds will assist already-established organizations to continue their applied research support, giving our producers and processors access to the latest advances in agricultural science and technologies."
A total of $18 million will go to the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund and $10 million to the Alberta Livestock Industry Fund. Both of these non-profit, industry-led organizations support selected crop- and livestock-related industry development activities, which include market development, research, food safety, environmental sustainability and extension.
The remaining $1.8 million will go towards partnership support through the Agriculture Research and Extension Council of Alberta, the provincial umbrella organization representing the 12 applied research and forage associations in Alberta. Driven by producer-run boards, applied research and forage associations work directly with producers in their area to improve agricultural practices for long-term economic and environmental sustainability. All funds are from the existing agriculture department budget.
The additional research dollars directed at Alberta's crop industry supports the long-term goals of the recently announced Alberta Grains and Oilseeds Three-Point Recovery Framework. The framework looks at: better business risk management tools, including changes to the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program; new crop uses, new technologies and new varieties; and, new business, new investment and new marketing tools. The framework is available on Ropin' the Web (www.agric.gov.ab.ca).
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Copyright(c); 2006 Government of Alberta