Update on agriculture research in Alberta
On March 30, Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Honourable Devin Dreeshen, announced a new vision for provincial agriculture that will see Alberta farmers and ranchers determine the priorities that will guide research funding and program decisions. The Minister announced that an arm’s length organization, Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), will be established to bring together the diverse groups involved in ag research.
RDAR identified 33 farmer-governed organizations that will make up its Class A voting membership. It also identified Class B non-voting members representing research institutions, universities and colleges.
The RDAR board of directors will consist of a minimum of nine and a maximum of 11 members, with up to seven directors elected from candidates nominated by the Class A members and up to four directors elected from candidates nominated by the board. This will ensure a broad cross-section of skills, regional representation and competencies to effectively govern RDAR. There will be four standing committees: governance, research, communications and engagement, and finance and audit.
With a small board representing the vast livestock and cropping industries that make up Alberta agriculture, RDAR has established an advisory committee that will be an important part of RDAR’s governance framework. The advisory committee will keep the RDAR board aware of industry trends and developments and will connect the RDAR board and staff with the farmer and rancher community to ensure alignment of research priorities.
The advisory committee will recommend research priorities to the board, advise the board on key emerging industry issues, provide advice to RDAR on policy, procedures and performance and review RDAR performance metrics annually and the value of its research investments.
To ensure that the advisory committee represents all aspects of agriculture in Alberta, members will be drawn from over 40 organizations and can be comprised of up to 50 representatives.
Alberta Canola has been actively involved in the RDAR establishment process and Alberta Canola research committee chair John Mayko is on the RDAR advisory committee.
Alberta Canola’s new research projects for 2019-20
| Alberta Canola Funding | Total Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Establishing the importance of canola-derived long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on immune development. Dr. Catherine Field, University of Alberta | $401,000 | $695,250 |
| Identifying key predators and their role in canola insect pest suppression. Dr. Boyd Mori, University of Alberta | $104,098 | $312,296 |
| Suitability and efficacy of chaff lining for weed control in Western Canada. Dr. Breanne Tidemann, Agriculture and Agri Food Canada | $268,000 | $268,000 |
| Biological control of lygus plant bugs in established and emerging crops. Dr. Hector Carcamo, Agriculture and Agri Food Canada | $22,000 | $141,025 |
| Monitoring the canola flower midge with pheromone-baited traps. Dr. Boyd Mori, University of Alberta | $21,446 | $128,678 |
| Pre-breeding lines combining canola quality with sclerotinia resistance, good agronomy and genomic diversity from PAK93. Dr. Sally Vail, Agriculture and Agri Food Canada | $46,666 | $280,000 |
| Evaluating the effect of canola seeding rate and seed size seeded into wheat stubble in flea beetle damage and population. Dr. Maria Angelica Ouellette, North Peace Applied Research Association | $208,050 | $208,050 |
| Improving heat and drought resistance in canola (Brassica napus) through regulating diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity. Dr. Gavin Chen, University of Alberta | $120,000 | $416,750 |
| Clubroot pathotype surveillance and research. Dr. Stephen Strelkov, University of Alberta | $20,000 | $615,904 |
| Funding in Core Areas since 2012 | Alberta Canola Funding | Total Project Cost | Matching funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agronomy | $1,599,589 | $4,999,859 | $3.13 |
| Genetics | $582,933 | $2,059,863 | $3.53 |
| Insects | $1,221,390 | $4,249,689 | $3.48 |
| New Product/New Uses | $1,287,081 | $2,085,157 | $1.62 |
| Disease | $2,005,563 | $9,184,404 | $4.58 |
| Canadian AgriScience Canola Cluster 25 projects over 5 years | $1,030,142 | $25,513,838 | $24.77 |
| Total | $7,726,698 | $48,092,810 | $6.22 |
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