July 19, 2021 – Sawyerville, Quebec – The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) is pleased with the announcement today by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, of over $2.6 million to support three projects that will assess and improve alfalfa growth using artificial intelligence and develop a Canadian grassland carbon offset system.
CFGA executive director Cedric MacLeod joined Minister Bibeau for the announcement at the farm Bergerie Malvibois in Sawyerville, Quebec, one of the key data collection sites for the project.
“The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association is very excited about this funding from AAFC’s Canadian Agriculture Strategic Priorities Program,” says MacLeod. “Alfalfa is an important ingredient that feeds many other agriculture sectors in Canada, and this funding will help provide forage producers with valuable decision-support tools to help alfalfa crops thrive.”
Funding will be allocated as follows:
- Up to $998,185 to develop a tool to improve yield and forage nutritive value from alfalfa fields using artificial intelligence. The tool will identify potential agronomic, climatic and soil-related factors affecting alfalfa yield. It will also predict potential yield and nutritive value loss through soil nutrient analysis and health diagnostics.
- Up to $996,190 to develop a tool to assess and improve alfalfa’s winter survival rates with artificial intelligence and persistency by combining data and remote imagery with artificial intelligence.
- Up to $621,572 to develop an assurance system for farmers to produce and sell carbon offsets, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and retention of Canada’s grasslands. Canadian Forage and Grassland Association expects that more than 5,000 hectares of Canadian grasslands will be protected by land conservation agreements, and 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) will be saved through third-party verified carbon offset credits.
Alfalfa is a key forage crop producers rely on to capture and fix carbon, return nutrients to the soil and improve soil health. These projects will help farmers better understand alfalfa growth, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Government of Canada is committed to providing new and innovative means for farmers to improve the yields of their cover crops and building a sustainable agriculture sector.
“Today’s announcement is about projects that will help to develop tools farmers can use to produce and export more, higher-quality alfalfa through artificial intelligence, and to sell carbon offsets,” said Minister Bibeau.
Funding for the first two projects comes from the Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP). The CASPP supports the Canadian agricultural sector’s participation in the Government of Canada’s growth and policy objectives, by investing in the sector’s design, development and implementation of tools and strategies to respond to and seize opportunities created by these objectives. These projects include a network of 40 agronomists and 225 farms for collecting the data.
Funding for the third project comes from the AgriAssurance Program, which funds projects, at the national level, to help industry develop and adopt systems, standards and tools to support health and safety claims about Canadian agricultural and agri-food products.
Media Relations:
Trudy Kelly Forsythe, Communications, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association
506-333-4260
info@canadianfga.ca
About the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association:
Incorporated in 2010, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association provides a national voice for all Canadians who produce hay and forage products and for those whose production is dependent upon forage/grassland production.
