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Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday February 24, 2021

Feb 24, 2021 | 10:34 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — The University of Alberta (U of A) will receive funds from the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) for research equipment.

The wheat breeding program will get roughly $288,000 for a plot seeder and combine.

WGRF board chair Dr. Keith Degenhardt said the program is an important piece of the western Canadian wheat breeding network.

“Reliable field equipment is essential to any breeding program. When equipment breaks down, not only is time lost, but the integrity of the yield and harvest quality information are compromised,” Degenhardt said in a news release.

The U of A program focuses on development of hard red and high yield spring wheat varieties. It also conducts research into genetics of disease resistance, nitrogen-use efficiency in wheat, and supports other winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, and organic oat breeding programs.

Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) board of directors has elected Mike Ammeter from Sylvan Lake, Alta. to serve as the chair for a two-year term.

Ammeter replaces outgoing chair Bernie McClean of Glaslyn, Sask..

The board also welcomed new director Dean Roberts from Coleville, Sask. during the association’s annual general meeting held on Feb. 23.

Gerry Hertz from Edenwold, Sask. has also completed his four-year term on the CCGA board.

Alberta wheat farmers may be eligible for a tax credit through the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Fund (SR&ED) program.

Anyone who pays the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) check-off can receive a 31 per cent tax credit for their investment in wheat research and development projects.

Farmers who paid $100 in check-off to AWC in 2020 would earn $31 in tax credit.

The tax credit percentage is based on the amount invested in research and development that meets the criteria laid out by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Farmers can contact the agency directly or visit the CRA website.

alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF