The Canadian Barley Research Coalition invest $16 million into advanced agronomic barley research
This fall, the industry is launching a Grant for Research Optimization of Western Barley Agronomy (GROW Barley). The grant will be administrated from the Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) platform.
There is a deficit in agronomic research in barley in Western Canada. While many funding applications around barley breeding were received in response to recent funding calls (barley cluster, agriculture consortium, agriculture development fund), few projects focused on agronomy. Industry makes significant investments in breeding programs. Still, there remains a need for an integrated approach to solving all crop production-related issues, such as diseases, pests, weeds, chemical applications, climate change etc. Without adequate agronomic research, the yield gap will remain wide. The grant will help producers to fill yield gaps by optimizing and adapting agronomic practices for new varieties, new soil amendments, chemical applications, and cultural and biological management.
The The idea for GROW Barley was was initiated by Mitchell Japp, research and extension manager with SaskBarley before other commissions joined the venture. “This program provides an opportunity to develop a strong network of barley agronomic research across the prairies, adding value to barley farmers to extend the benefits of the new genetics,” says Japp.
The program will have a competition inviting researchers to apply, with their vision for a seven-year research program that will address the most relevant needs in the barley industry, as identified by the National Barley Research Strategy. A framework will be established to guide the development of research projects throughout the grant. Projects will be developed in collaboration with funding partners. The location of trial sites will be across the Prairies, with locations aligning with the representative funding contributions.
The launch of the application process will be starting soon; check out the CBRC website, barleyresearch.ca, for future updates.