Federal, industry investment to boost Canadian crop production and innovation

The federal government and industry partners are making an investment to boost Canadian field crops production and innovation.

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay was at CropSphere in Saskatoon on Tuesday to announce up to $39.3 million in federal money toward four science clusters including barley, wheat, diverse field crops, and soybean.

An additional $28.4 million will be invested by industry.

“The government of Canada is proud to work side-by-side with industry to help keep the Canadian field crops sector on the cutting edge,” MacAulay said in a press release.

“Demand for our field crops continues to grow and these investments in innovation and research will help position our farmers to grow top quality products sustainably, while meeting consumer demands at home and abroad for years to come.”

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Federal officials said the crop sector is a key contributor to the country’s economy, representing $25 billion in farm gate receipts, and $21 billion in exports.