(CNW Group/Prairies Economic Development Canada)

By rdnewsNOW staff

$3 Million for Olds College

Minister Vandal announces federal investments to support value-added agriculture projects across Alberta

Jul 3, 2024 | 4:08 PM

The Government of Canada has announced an investment it hopes will enable Alberta’s small- and medium-sized businesses to capitalize on opportunities that build on the province’s recognized strengths in creating products and services the world needs.

On Wednesday, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, announced federal investments of more than $21 million for 14 projects to build Alberta’s value-added agricultural sector through commercializing and developing new products, applications, and services.

Examples of projects receiving support include:

• Olds College is receiving more than $3 million to expand its Smart Farm operations into Saskatchewan and purchase new equipment to increase capacity to research agriculture challenges impacting the Prairies, including food security, crop protection, livestock health, and environmental sustainability.
• Stettler Adult Learning Council is receiving $250,000 to establish a Regenerative Agricultural Lab to help Alberta food producers and stakeholders explore and adopt sustainable regenerative agriculture practices.
• Pure Life Carbon is receiving over $2 million to upgrade and expand an existing manufacturing facility to increase production of its proprietary soil alternative products used in agricultural applications.
• Wyvern is receiving over $450,000 to launch a new proprietary system and network of satellites that significantly reduces the cost of satellite imaging used to increase the adoption of innovative farming solutions that help preserve ecological zones, increase agricultural yields, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use.
• Alexander Business Corporation is receiving $146,800 to assess the feasibility of two plant-based protein opportunities for Alexander First Nation, including researching an investment opportunity and conducting a study of a possible nation-owned production facility that would sell raw flour to plant-based food retailers and ingredient manufacturers.
• Alberta Bio Processing Innovation Centre and Alberta Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator are provincially operated facilities that are receiving a combined $1,125,000 to purchase and install new equipment, which will enable more small- and medium-sized businesses to test and commercialize value-added agricultural or food products.

Projects receiving today’s funding are expected to have significant environmental and economic benefits across the province and its agricultural sector, including supporting more than 800 jobs and helping Alberta organizations take advantage of the numerous economic opportunities associated with value-added agriculture. Officials say Wednesday’s federal investment leverages about $12.5 million in additional funding through other levels of government and industry.

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“Our government is making strategic investments to build on Alberta’s solid track record of commercializing innovative products, services, and technologies that the world needs,” says The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan. “The projects we’re announcing today will help ensure Alberta’s value-added agricultural sector can capitalize on the opportunity to create new solutions that benefit both the economy and environment. These investments dovetail with the goal of the Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy to create good jobs by helping build a stronger and more sustainable economic future in communities across the Prairies.”

“Today’s announcement is the result of great collaboration between all orders of government, academia, the private sector, and Indigenous entrepreneurs,” adds The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “I’m so pleased that our government is supporting this vitally important industry, and I have no doubt these projects will keep the momentum going in Alberta’s innovative value-added agriculture sector.”

“Alberta has a thriving agricultural sector with the ingenuity and drive to meet the world’s growing demand for high-quality sustainable valued-added food and ag products,” states RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. “Thanks to the PrairiesCan investment, more processing businesses in our province can access state-of-the-art equipment at our Bio Processing Innovation Centre or Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator to test unique products and bring them to market.”

“At Olds College, we work very hard to be at the leading edge of agriculture and technology in Alberta and around the world,” shares Todd Ormann, Vice President, Development, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. “We are extremely proud to be accelerating the development and adoption of agriculture technologies and practices, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and providing invaluable work-integrated learning for our students on the Olds College Smart Farm. By expanding our research and Smart Farm operations, we get additional opportunities to integrate agriculture technology into the classrooms for an enriched learning environment, so our students get the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the agriculture industry.”

“The principles and practices of regenerative agriculture are a great opportunity for Alberta and the rest of the Prairies to meet consumer demand for sustainably produced agricultural products,” says Derek Leahy, Executive Director, Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, Stettler Adult Learning Centre. “PrairiesCan’s investment has made it possible for the Regenerative Agriculture Lab to create a forum for the agri-food value chain to discuss and decide together how they are going to seize this opportunity.”

Canadian government quick facts

• Federal funding for these 14 projects is being provided through PrairiesCan. PrairiesCan is the federal department that supports economic growth in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
• PrairiesCan programs and services help businesses, not-for-profits and communities grow stronger: its mandate is to support economic growth and diversification in the Prairie provinces and advance the interests of the region in national economic policy, programs, and projects.
• The Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy is a long-term commitment to work differently, through stronger coordination among federal departments on investments for the Prairies and closer collaboration with Prairie partners on their priorities for a prosperous and sustainable Prairie economy that leaves no one behind.
• In Alberta specifically, the Framework is intended to encourage greater collaboration on regional investment opportunities, such as growing a sustainable agriculture sector by catalyzing more value-added activity and reducing environmental impact; supporting decarbonization by advancing the hydrogen ecosystem and critical minerals opportunities; and strengthening our support for community economic development capacity and initiatives, especially in Indigenous and rural communities.

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