New Saskatchewan research projects target better forage, disease testing, and water quality

EAGLE STAFF

Brome grass that’s easier to digest and a better test for a cattle disease are among the results officials expect from new livestock and forage research projects.

The federal and provincial agriculture ministers last week revealed 25 new projects that will receive grants totaling about $4.5 million through the province’s Agriculture Development Fund.

Scientists intend to create new brome grass hybrids with more consistent yields and improved digestibility, look for biomarkers to help develop an earlier and more reliable test for Johne’s disease, and develop better bison grazing strategies, a statement said.

The Prairie Swine Centre and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, both on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, will also receive about $3.9 million as their agreements are renewed.

Meanwhile, the province’s crop insurance program will adopt a satellite-based forage insurance program, replacing the forage rainfall program. The new program will use satellite technology to measure soil moisture. Current forage rainfall customers will be automatically enrolled in the satellite forage insurance program, a separate statement said.

“We continue to look for innovative ways to support producers as they face ongoing unpredictable moisture conditions,” Heath MacDonald, the federal agriculture minister, said about the satellite forage program. It represents “how governments are using new and more localized data in business risk-management program decision-making,” MacDonald said.

David Marit, the provincial minister, said the satellite program continues the province’s commitment to providing “relevant, responsive and accurate” insurance.

“We are investing in research that will deliver innovation to livestock producers, helping them to adapt, stay competitive, and thrive in an ever-changing industry,” Marit said in the other statement.

More than a dozen other organizations involved with livestock—six of them based outside Saskatchewan—will contribute another $1.3 million.

In one project, a University of Alberta researcher will examine whether soil at former game farms has been contaminated with the prion that causes chronic wasting disease, and how long the prion can remain active.

In another, Jinkai Xue of the University of Regina will try to remove phosphate and purify dugout water using ceramsite, build a water treatment plant using the fire-clay, soil-free growing medium, and test it on three farms.

Another University of Regina scientist will test hydrogen peroxide against blue-green algae toxins, and Lifeng Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan will study how well plasma-activated water washes egg surfaces.

“We appreciate government investment in our research priorities, which focus on animal health, forage production, and water quality this year,” said Chad Ross of Estevan, who chairs the Saskatchewan Cattle Association.