Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility to be built at University of Manitoba

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Students, researchers, and industry will soon have a new facility at the University of Manitoba to dig in to questions on agriculture systems and the Canadian food supply. The Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility, a new $20.7 million, state-of-the-art 20,000-sq.-ft. facility is set to open in June, 2026.

Announced Tuesday, funding for the Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility (PCSRF) will come from several sources, including the governments of Canada and Manitoba ($6.4 million), Manitoba Advanced Education and Training (up to $5.9 million in capital investment over three years), and the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is providing up to $500,000.

The initiative was developed through a multi-year consultation with agronomists, entomologists, pathologists, plant breeders, geneticists, soil scientists and other stakeholders in the industry.

“This is a significant investment that will greatly enhance our capacity for research, education programs, and collaborations with producers for more sustainable crop production,” says Martin Scanlon, dean, faculty of agricultural and food sciences, University of Manitoba. “The PCSRF sets the stage for our researchers to develop an integrated approach to robust agronomic systems that will benefit Western Canadian producers and consumers across Canada for years to come. At the same time this will allow our students to become the next generation of agri-food leaders.”

The current facility at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba is nearing the end of its lifespan, and this new facility will expand and modernize agronomic research and training, U of M says.

The PCSRF will be focused on research and innovation of nutrient management, cropping systems, digital agronomy, entomology, and engineering research for sustainable crop production solutions.

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