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Agriculture Roundup for Thursday August 24, 2023

Aug 24, 2023 | 3:51 PM

Ontario’s largest commodity organization is now accepting applications for the 2024 Grains Innovation Fund.

Grain Farmers of Ontario Vice President of Strategic Development Paul Hoekstra said this marks the 15th anniversary of the Grains Innovation Fund.

“Throughout history, grains and oilseeds have maintained a resilient and adaptable role in driving innovation across multiple sectors,” Hoekstra said. “Grains Innovation Fund projects continue to break new ground and help drive the market reach and use of Ontario’s exceptional grain products.”

The Grains Innovation Fund seeks innovative projects from different organizations across Ontario that will utilize a minimum of 40 metric tonnes of crop residue.

The fund provides eligible companies and organizations up to 60 per cent of the cost of a project to a maximum of $75,000.

Some of the previously successful projects include wheat-based pelletized straw, Ontario corn-fed beef promotion in Japan, a new soybean-based tempeh product, cat litter made of wheat by-products, upcycled grain food products promotion, and by-products for soybean-based tofu production.

A new living lab has opened in Prince Edward Island.

This living lab co-develops, tests, and evaluates on-farm beneficial management practices (BMPs) on multiple sites across the province. These BMPs feature the addition of kelp in diets of cattle, rotational grazing, hedgerows, and edge-of-field wetlands.

Building on the success of the Living Laboratories Initiative that ran in PEI, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario from 2019 until March 2023, the Agricultural Climate Solutions Living Labs program seeks to strengthen the sustainability of PEI’s agricultural sector by co-developing and testing new ideas in real-world conditions.

The new living lab adds to projects launched earlier this year in Quebec and Ontario and the nine launched in 2022.

With this announcement, the ACS – Living Labs program is on track to have at least one living lab in every province.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW