News release: Sask Wheat commits over $500,000 to Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster
Saskatoon (July 12, 2018) – The Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat) announced the commitment of up to $543,000 to five research activities under the Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster (ICAC). The ICAC was announced earlier today in Saskatoon by the Honourable Laurence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“Sask Wheat is happy to contribute farmer funding towards these five projects,” said Laura Reiter, Sask Wheat Chair. “These projects will have benefits for wheat farmers, allowing them to meet challenges and improve their farming operation. We would like to thank the Government of Canada and other farming organizations for their commitment to funding crop agronomy and to the Western Grains Research Foundation for their leadership in putting this proposal together. We look forward to collaborating with these organizations and working with the researchers to bring agronomic benefits to farmers.”
The ICAC, a five-year program funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, consists of eight research activities ranging from soil health to herbicide resistance and climate change adaptation. The five projects receiving a commitment from Sask Wheat include:
$166,000 for a project studying the crop sequence effects on fusarium head blight in cereals;
$60,000 for a project studying agroecosystem productivity, resilience and sustainability;
$50,000 for a project that will monitor field crop pests across the Prairies;
$173,000 for a project developing decision support tools for the management of fusarium head blight in Western Canada; and
$94,000 for the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network.
“Investing in agronomy is a key priority for the Board of Directors of Sask Wheat,” says Reiter. “These projects will help to improve yields and the quality of wheat while also reducing input costs and the environmental impact of crop production. This will enhance the profitability of growing wheat in Saskatchewan while helping us maintain Canada’s reputation for growing high quality wheat.”
More details on the ICAC projects will be made available soon on the Funded Research Projects section of the Sask Wheat website.
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For more information, contact:
Dallas Carpenter
Communications Manager
306-653-7967