Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Funds target dairy research

Monday, September 16, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

The national dairy research cluster has received $12 million in federal government funding that’s earmarked for work on milk production, cattle genetics and milk product nutrition.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and his Parliamentary Secretary, Pierre Lemieux, made the funding announcement Monday from a farm in Embrun.

Dairy Farmers of Canada spokesperson Therese Beaulieu says the government funding will be combined with dairy industry money of more than $6 million to provide a fund of about $18 million for the research cluster during the next five years. Of the dairy industry’s more than $6 million in funding, $5.3 million is from Dairy Farmers of Canada, $669,000 is from the Canadian Dairy Network and $750,000 from the Canadian Dairy Commission.

The federal government’s press release says the research cluster will focus on what the industry has identified as the highest priority work, and projects will be done by Canadian researchers in centres across the country. Beaulieu says they’re still finalizing which projects will get funding.

The previous cluster, which ran from 2010 to 2013, had government funding of $7 million and dairy industry money of $5 million. Beaulieu says the results of that work are being reported at dairy farmer meetings, through webinars, and through the DFC semi-annual report, Action Plus, that’s mailed to all farmers. In Ontario, farmers will be getting that report with their next Milk Producer magazine in October.

The projects in the current cluster will be different than the ones in the previous cluster but there will also be work that builds on previous research. For example, a project in the previous cluster studied ways to identify different kinds of mastitis. “That’s the research part,” she says. But another project needs to be done to develop some kind of quick test farmers can use on their farms.

The federal government’s $12 million in funding comes from Growing Forward 2, the national agricultural policy framework that came into effect April 1. Specifically, the money came from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s five-year, $698 million Agri Innovation program. BF

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Farmers Share Yield Strategies Amid Drought

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The Great Ontario Yield Tour held an event at Petersen Custom Farming in Osgood, Ontario, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The farmer panel during lunch was one of the highlights of the event. Farmers and industry experts gathered to discuss yield strategies and the realities of this season’s... Read this article online

2025 Livestock Tax Deferral Regions Announced

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has published the initial list of prescribed regions eligible for the 2025 Livestock Tax Deferral provision, a key support measure for Canadian livestock producers grappling with the impacts of extreme weather. “As we continue to see the very... Read this article online

Markets Connect Dots Toward US China Trade Deal

Monday, August 25, 2025

On the weekly hosted by Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal, the focus for the week of August 18 to 22, 2025 was connecting market signals with on-the-ground realities. The discussion centered on trade negotiations and... Read this article online

Hensall Co-op Invests in Rural Growth

Monday, August 25, 2025

Hensall Co-op has announced the recipients of its fifth annual Strong Communities Initiative, a program dedicated to strengthening rural communities by supporting projects that deliver long-term positive impact. This year, the co-op and its employees awarded $20,000 in grants to two main... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top