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The Ontario government announced $1.3 million in funding through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a funding partnership with the University of Guelph.

The research projects at the University of Guelph will focus on increasing production and decreasing economic losses caused by crop diseases and pests on Ontario farms, including:

• Surveillance for blight management decisions in field tomatoes
• Investigating the threat of onion thrips to greenhouse floriculture pest management programs
• Developing approaches to combat Fusarium disease in wheat
• Assessing management in sugar beets to reduce crop disease
• Investigating production of a year-round supply of high-quality potatoes for Ontario
• Improving grape rootstock to prevent winter losses in sensitive areas.

The Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance (previously the OMAFRA-U of G Partnership) is a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs and the University of Guelph, and works to advance research and innovation that contributes to the success of the province’s agri-food sector and promotes rural economic development.

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau was at the Dairy Farmers of Canada Annual General Meeting at Saskatoon, Sask., this week where she announced $11.4 million in funding for the Dairy Research Cluster.

“The Canadian dairy sector is a key driver of jobs and economic growth, especially in our rural communities, and this investment will help it remain on the cutting-edge of research. We continue to work closely with industry to ensure Canada’s agricultural sector remains strong, stable and competitive for years to come.”

According to press release, the cluster will:

• Aim to foster public trust, drive innovation, and stimulate economic growth of the Canadian dairy sector;
• Support research in genetics, animal health and welfare, milk production automation, forage breeding, milk safety and quality and environmental sustainability;
• Support the development of management practices and tools to reduce on-farm economic losses from production limiting diseases;
• Help the sector better understand the impact of microbes on milk, dairy product composition and quality, and examine the use of alternative tools and practices to antimicrobial use.

The Research Cluster is led by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Through matching funds, the total funding will reach $16.5 million. This research cluster is funded through the AgriScience Program, a five-year, $338-million initiative, to support discovery and applied science, and innovation driven by industry research priorities.

With two potential new models for collecting seed royalties on the horizon, farm groups across the Prairies are wanting to hear from producers as to what their preference would be.

Currently, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have put their consultation process on hold with farmers. This comes after the two groups held multiple meetings over the winter to see what farmers would like see.

“It is crucial that we hear from farmers and producers on the two new proposed models, because consultation with those who are directly affected ultimately leads to better decision making,” says Bill Campbell, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP). “Our hope is that producers will take the time to get involved in this process and ensure their needs are met under a new royalty structure.”

Meanwhile, Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) says he agrees with Campbell. “Producers certainly weren’t satisfied with the level of engagement and consultation that went into the development of the two models currently under consideration. We want to make sure that producers stay on top of these discussions and have their voice heard throughout the process,” Lewis says.

The groups claim the survey will only take a few minutes and there’s an option for the producer to win a prize by submitting their name and contact information.

“The creation of a new seed royalty model for cereal crops will mean significant changes for producers when it comes to the issue of farmer-saved seed. Further exploration and consultation is absolutely critical to ensure that the interests of Canadian producers are reflected in any resulting model,” said Lynn Jacobson, president of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture.

To take part in the survey, click here.

Related:

• Over 800 farmers show to debate proposed seed royalty structure
• Cereal commissions want more options on seed royalty changes

BASF has retooled how it moves its products to customers and plans to launch the direct-to-retail model in full for the 2020 growing season.

Called RetailConnect, the distribution model for seed and crop protection products will work directly with independent retailers across Western Canada.

The full roll-out follows what BASF calls successful piloting of RetailConnect for 2019 growing season for the InVigor, Liberty and Centurion products. In 2020, RetailConnect will expand to service BASF’s entire portfolio to independent retailers in Western Canada. The company will continue to distribute products through its wholesale model in Eastern Canada.

BASF says that RetailConnect will provide a more direct connection to BASF’s retail and grower customers, and will “increase demand transparency.” Other benefits include improved warehousing, transportation, and logistics service, including 24-hour product delivery during the growing season to most regions in Western Canada, the company says.