Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay was in Regina this week to attend Canadian Western Agribition.
MacAulay participated in the “Burning of the Brand” ceremony to open Agribition, delivered remarks at the Indigenous Agriculture Summit and Agribition’s Grain Expo, and met with stakeholders, including Saskatchewan’s new Ag Minister Daryl Harrison and cattle industry leaders.
The ag minister also announced $5.4 million in funding for five cattle industry programs on Tuesday.
The Canadian Cattle Association is receiving up to $4,569,682 for four projects:
- $1,003,200 over 5 years to improve the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program.
- $2,893,275 over 5 years to update 2 Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) assurance systems: the National Beef Sustainability Assessment and the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework.
- $515,625 over 2 years to develop the Grassland Production Index User Interface, a digital forage insurance system and risk management tool for Canadian forage and livestock producers. It builds on the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association’s previous work with Global Ag Risk Solutions to create a satellite-based forage insurance solution.
- $157,582 over 3 years to further develop the Guardians of the Grasslands Game, a gamified educational tool aimed at increasing public awareness about the importance of grasslands and sustainable beef production practices. This funding will be used to create eight provincial versions of the game aligned with curriculum outcomes across various grades and subjects. A tradeshow version is also in the works.
The Canadian Beef Breeds Council will also receive up to $871,200 over 3 years through the AgriMarketing program to promote Canadian beef cattle genetic exports by attending international events, conducting market assessments, and developing a new marketing strategy, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
While MacAulay was in Regina, Dan Vandal, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, was in Saskatoon, where he announced over $10 million for the following eight agriculture-related projects.
Non-repayable grants:
- $1,166,000 for the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada to support the agricultural manufacturing sector through the Careers in Ag initiative.
- $1,100,000 for the Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI) to purchase and commission new equipment and software to assist small and medium enterprises on the Prairies develop, design, test, and commercialize products and processes in the agricultural, mining and transportation sectors.
- $600,000 for the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership Inc. (STEP) to promote manufacturing, including an agriculture manufacturing trade mission in the next two years.
Repayable funding:
- $3,500,000 for Drake Meat Processors Inc. to purchase, install, and commission equipment for a new meat processing facility in Saskatoon.
- $1,955,711 for Simpson Seeds Inc. to purchase and commission equipment for a new lentil flour processing facility in Moose Jaw, SK.
- $1,000,000 for Pelican Lake Farms Ltd. and Pelican Lake First Nation to establish a farming operation on Pelican Lake First Nation in northwest Saskatchewan.
- $440,079 for Prairie Energy Resources Inc. to set up bulk cooking oil delivery for Saskatchewan restaurants to reduce plastic waste.
- $426,500 for Vale Industries Ltd. for equipment that will increase manufacturing capacity of their agricultural, aggregate, and mining equipment products.
