Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Wednesday announced funding of up to $5.25 million for a new barley research cluster under the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership, which will run from 2023-2028.
Industry and grower organisations are also contributing $4.3 million, bringing total funding for the Barley Research Cluster to $9.6 million over five years.
The Canadian Barley Research Coalition, led by the Alberta Grains Council, Saskatchewan Barley Association and Manitoba Crops Alliance, says the funding will be used to improve feed barley, barley genetics, agronomy, disease resistance and sustainability to make barley a more resilient and profitable crop for Canadian farmers and end consumers.
“Our hard-working barley growers supply the highest quality grain to so many industries, from the livestock sector to Canada’s brewing industry,” MacAulay said in a news release. “This vital research will help growers incorporate climate-resilient barley crops into their operations, making their farms more profitable and sustainable.”
Funding partners of the Barley Research Cluster include the following private and grower organisations:
– Alberta Grains,
– Beef Cattle Research Council,
– Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute,
– Canadian Field Crops Research Federation (Atlantic Grain Council, Ontario Grain Farmers Association, Quebec Grain Growers Association, SeCan),
– CBS Bio Platform,
– Manitoba Crops Alliance,
– Saskatchewan Barley Development Board (SaskBarley), and
– Western Grain Research Foundation.
The previous five-year National Barley Research Cluster, which ran from 2018 to 2023, was funded by the Federal Government at $6.3 million, with contributions from industry bringing the total to $10.2 million.
