HARRINGTON, PEI, Jan. 24, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is investing in science and innovation to help meet increasing global food demand, grow exports for Canadian farmers and producers, and create good paying jobs that help grow Canada's middle-class.
Today, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, joined newly hired researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Harrington Research Farm to announce the completion of a $6.8-million upgrade of the world-class facility.
The Government of Canada is commitment to discovery science and innovation, and to reaching its goal of growing agri-food exports to $75 billion by 2025.
The upgrades included $2.97 million for 10 new and renovated laboratories and the purchase of a $1.3-million nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for the Charlottetown Research and Development Centre, and $2.54 million for an expansion of the Harrington Research Farm greenhouse. The spectrometer allows scientists to study farm soil at the molecular level, which will help farmers improve the soil health and productivity of their land.
Three of the five scientists hired by the research centre over the past 18 months occupy new positions that expand the facility's areas of research. The five specialists are a microbial ecologist, an agro-ecosystem modeler and data scientist, a weed specialist, an environmental chemist and a cereals and oilseeds biologist.
Quotes
"Having farmed on PEI and travelled around the world as Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, I see how science and innovation opens markets and creates new opportunities for our farmers and ranchers. This government is committed to innovation through world-class science and to helping farmers have access to the most current tools and knowledge to continue to grow the best food in the world."
- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Quick facts
- The Charlottetown Research and Development Centre was established on August 14, 1909 as Canada's ninth federal agriculture research facility. The centre currently has a full-time staff of 80.
- In addition to the new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer for soil research, the research centre has a second NMR Spectrometer dedicated to pioneering research to identify plant molecules with the potential to improve human health and animal health.
- The growing space in the centre's greenhouse in Harrington has been doubled to 392 square metres,
- The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal-provincial and territorial governments, which will strengthen the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector, ensuring continued innovation, growth and prosperity.
Associated links
- Charlottetown Research and Development Centre
- Biographies of Researchers Charlottetown Research and Development Centre
- Investments in agricultural science and innovation help create better opportunities for farmers and Canadians (News Release)
- Canadian Agriculture Partnership
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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Halifax
Guy Gallant, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Lawrence Macaulay, 613-773-1059; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972
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