The federal and Saskatchewan governments on Tuesday announced a $9.7 million investment to support crop research across Saskatchewan, with funding aimed at boosting innovation, productivity, and long-term competitiveness in the province’s agriculture sector.
Of the total funding, $7.2 million will support 39 new crop research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), while $2.5 million will be directed through the Strategic Research Initiative (SRI) to address the long-term management of herbicide-resistant kochia and wild oats.
The ADF funding will be distributed through a competitive annual process designed to identify research with direct benefits for producers. This year’s approved projects cover a wide range of agronomic and production challenges, including the evaluation of subsurface drip irrigation systems, strategies to improve resistance to wheat stem sawfly, efforts to enhance drought and phosphorus deficiency tolerance in lentils, management of riceworm infestations in northern Saskatchewan wild rice, and the validation of bale wrap materials made from flax straw and oat hulls.
In addition to government funding, the ADF projects are being supported by $3.2 million from 13 industry partners, reflecting a collaborative approach between governments and producer organizations. Participating groups include crop commissions and research organizations from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba, as well as the Western Grains Research Foundation.
The SRI initiative will bring together researchers from AAFC, the Universities of Saskatchewan, Regina, and Manitoba, and the National Research Council. The project represents a total research investment of $3.2 million, with additional funding provided by several producer groups and research organizations.
Both the ADF and SRI are funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3.5 billion federal-provincial-territorial framework designed to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resilience in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector.
