Research programs moving to Lakeland

The two programs were previously under Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

Recently, representatives from the Government of Alberta and Lakeland College announced that two research programs are moving.

Lakeland College in Vermilion will get a $1.9-million grant for the transition of the pulse agronomy and the beef production systems programs.

This transition “continues on with our transferring of research from departmental officials from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry over to where research is also being done in the post secondary system,” said Devin Dreeshen, minister of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

Over the last several months, universities and colleges throughout the province, such as Olds College and the University of Alberta, had research programs transferred to them.

“I applaud all of the post secondaries for working with the department to take this on. It's exciting to see not just the post secondaries, but the researchers themselves sometimes moving to these new institutions, and the added opportunities that they will get from this is, whether it comes to curriculum development or teaching opportunities, it's pretty exciting to see,” said Dreeshen.

Lakeland College has a three-year agreement to support the programs moving and eventually, Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) will take over responsibility for funding agreements of the two programs, as well as the other programs that have moved, said Dreeshen.

“This is our larger overarching change to research in agriculture. With RDAR having the $370 million 10-year funding commitment, that's more than Manitoba and Saskatchewan provides into agriculture research combined. It just really goes to show the commitment that Alberta has to research within the province,” he told Farms.com.

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