Press Releases

News release – AGC AgriScience SCAP July 11 2024

Atlantic Canada’s grains and oilseeds sector is renowned for producing high-quality, safe products. Atlantic Grains Council’s (AGC) Outlook Strategy has set a target to strive to meet the demand for feed from the region’s livestock sector. Roy Culberson, Chair of AGC says, “the opportunity is in front of us to
supply our local market and improve food security in the region.” He goes on to say, “research is a critical component of improving our quality, growing our sustainable yields and adapting to climate change in the region.”

Robert MacDonald, Board Member of AGC is pleased to see that both the federal and provincial governments are supporting grains and oilseed research in Atlantic Canada. “Each partner is bringing funds to the table to match the investment of the region’s producers through our voluntary research
check-off. This is a team approach to focus on producer-led research priorities.” Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is investing up to $3.05 million through the AgriScience Program – Projects Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), toward the $5.8 million project led by AGC.

“As a farmer myself, I know firsthand the challenges that producers can face when it comes to getting their top-quality products to market,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “By investing in research that helps producers better adapt to the unique climate and soil conditions here in Atlantic Canada, we can help them increase their production and stay competitive.”

Further to the AgriScience Program investment, AAFC and the provincial departments of agriculture in the Maritimes, are jointly investing an additional $1.25 million through the Sustainable CAP to help improve grain and oilseed outcomes through localized research. This Sustainable CAP funding is costshared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially.

“We are pleased to partner with the Atlantic Grains Council to invest in trials and data collection that will benefit producers and allow this sector to experience continued growth,” said PEI’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture Bloyce Thompson. “We certainly support any project that allows us to collaborate with our colleagues in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as with industry leaders to help farmers optimize their practices and get information that can improve profitability.”

“Our grain and oilseed farmers continuously strive to adopt improved technologies and practices in their efforts to provide high quality products in the marketplace, including the livestock sectors,” said New Brunswick Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Margaret Johnson. “Our investment in this Atlantic Grains Council project, in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will support targeted research to optimize production,
yield and quality specific to regional climate and soil conditions, all key to positioning the sector for future opportunities. We are also delighted to work with our partners in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia on this initiative.”

“We’re proud to support research that will help these sectors in Atlantic Canada as they continue to adapt to climate change and improve crop growth,” said Nova Scotia Minister of Agriculture Greg Morrow. “The insights drawn from this work will be important to our farmers, to strengthening food security and to the sustainability of our livestock and dairy sectors.”

Finally, AGC and its industry partners are contributing $1.5 million to this comprehensive 5-year research project.

The objective of this project is to improve grain and oilseed producer outcomes in Atlantic Canada through applied research, which addresses local priorities. Producers will see advantages in the production of grain and oilseed crops which are best adapted to climate change in Atlantic Canada and increased market opportunities for high quality products. Research focused on local priorities addresses production challenges and supports and prepares the sector for future opportunities in the local market.

Highlights from the research project include expansion of the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN), including new production modelling to account for local Maritime conditions, improving our knowledge base on enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers for corn and other crops, improving nodulation in soybeans, use of cover crops in corn production and improving milling quality in Maritime wheat.

Neil Campbell, Vice Chair of AGC, is proud that there is a wide range of research activities in this project covering the range of crops we grow in the Maritimes as well as a new partnership with the UPEI Climate Laboratory. Their staff and students will use the data we have collected over the past ten years in YEN and On-farm Agronomy to build models to point towards future climate adaptation.

“I want to thank our partners in government, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Maritime departments of agriculture, for continuing to support our vision of improving and growing the grains and oilseeds sector through producer-led research. With results that can easily be interpreted for local conditions, this research will improve outcomes for our producers in Atlantic Canada,” says Heather Russell, Executive Director of AGC