By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Friday June 4, 2021

Jun 4, 2021 | 9:00 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Government will continue to provide financial support to short line railways.

The Short Line Railway Improvement Program (SRIP) will distribute $530,000 to its 13 provincially regulated short line railways for track upgrades and expansion, improved crossing surfaces and sightlines, bridge maintenance, and track rehabilitations.

Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw said helping to improve and expand infrastructure will ensure grain keeps getting to market.

“The short line rail business is a key sector of Saskatchewan’s shipping industry and plays a vital role in our economy,” Bradshaw said in a news release.

Short line railways in Saskatchewan operate on 2,131 kilometres of track, primarily transporting grain.

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Funding will be allocated based on the amount of track each railway owns, with small track networks to receive at least $20,000.

The SRIP also includes track construction projects with up to 50 per cent of eligible track material and construction costs provided.

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Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) are rallying Canada’s grain industry to champion the role of modern plant technology.

GGC executive director Erin Gowriluk said two federal consultations on plant breeding are underway that will impact Canadian farmers in decades to come.

“Advancements in plant breeding and access to new crop varieties have really been the backbone of our industry,” she said in a news release. “These new varieties are the reason today’s farmers can grow more, with fewer resources, while also sustaining our land and soils in Canada.”

Last month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) launched a 120-day public consultation on guidance for determining whether a plant is subject to the Seeds Regulations part V, while Health Canada launched a consultation in March on new regulatory guidance for novel food focused on plant breeding.

Gowriluk said modern plant technology, such as gene edited crops, will be even more critical to feed a rapidly expanding global population, while also meeting climate change goals and contributing to Canada’s economy.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW