Manitoba Crop Alliance launches call for Whole Farm Research program letters of intent
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 14, 2022 (Carman, MB) – The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is now accepting letters of intent (LOIs) for new projects under the Whole Farm Research Program.
The Whole Farm Research program is a whole-farm, cross-commodity approach to research. This research is not crop-specific and leads to innovative solutions that will benefit Manitoba producers now and into the future.
“Now that the Whole Farm Research Program is in its second year, we’re excited to build off the success of last year’s call for proposals and keep growing this important, multi-disciplinary research,” says Katherine Stanley, Research Program Manager, Special Crops at MCA. “This program continues to be driven by the valuable input and carefully considered priorities voiced by Manitoba farmers.”
Whole Farm Research priorities include crop rotation innovation, soil health, cover crop and intercropping, pest management, and water. General principles for MCA funded Whole Farm Research projects are:
- Innovative and forward-thinking.
- Designed to answer farmers questions or resolve issues.
- Solution-oriented, with actionable outcomes that producers can implement in their operations.
- A pathway to assess and integrate new/next technology into Manitoba cropping systems.
- Another channel to communicate and collaborate with other organizations, consumers and the public, in Manitoba and across Canada.
- An opportunity to enhance communication with consumers and the public.
“Not all crop production issues are crop specific, which is why the Whole Farm Research Program is so valuable to Manitoba farmers,” says Boris Michaleski, farmer chair on the Whole Farm Research Committee and director with MCA.
“The cross-commodity or ‘Whole Farm’ research model encourages researchers and organizations Canada-wide to collaborate in unique ways. The goal of this approach is to discover efficiencies and solutions to a variety of issues, making farmers more profitable and sustainable, not only in Manitoba but across Canada.”
LOIs will be accepted until Wednesday, April 13, 2022 for projects to begin in 2023. MCA will consider proposals of up to five years in length related to grain production and value‐added processing. An overriding priority is improving profitability for Manitoba’s barley, corn, flax, wheat and/or sunflower producers.
In 2021, the Whole Farm Research Program’s inaugural year, MCA’s call for LOIs resulted in funding for three projects that will begin in 2022. For more information, please visit our blog.
To learn more about MCA’s Whole Farm Research Program or to review the LOI eligibility criteria, please visit mbcropalliance.ca/projects/whole-farm-research.
For more information, please contact:
Katherine Stanley
Research Program Manager, Special Crops
204-898-4122