Southern Alberta agriculture businesses expected to benefit from federal funding

Two southern Alberta not-for-profit organizations and a project with Lethbridge Polytechnic are part of a $1.8 million investment from PrairiesCan to support small and mid-sized agriculture businesses.

Earlier this week, the minister for PrairiesCan, Terry Duguid, announced the funding going to four not-for-profit organizations in the province. The funding will go toward strengthening these small and medium-sized businesses’ ability to create products and services exported worldwide.

A statement from the federal minister reads, “Alberta’s value-added agriculture and agri-food sector is a key economic engine, fuelling growth and prosperity in communities large and small across the province.”

The funding includes $223,647 toward Alberta Sugar Beet Growers in Taber, slated to commercialize and scale up sugar beet storage solutions. The funding is on top of a previous $242,000 commitment by PrairiesCan.

Economic Development Lethbridge is the second southern Alberta not-for-profit slated to receive funding, with $405,285 going toward an investment strategy for Canada’s Western Gateway in southern Alberta and helping businesses in the region access new markets.

According to the federal announcement, “This project will involve collaboration with municipalities along the Alberta section of the CANAMEX trade corridor, as well as key industry partners, to build a sustainable supply chain in the region.”

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Edmonton-based New Harvest Canada also received a $1 million investment, which will be used to advance the Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem Project. This project includes working with 12 other groups in the industry and academia such as Lethbridge Polytechnic, “to kickstart a cellular agriculture research and innovation ecosystem to build a more resilient food production system.”

In a separate statement, Duguid notes, “Alberta’s farmers and producers work hard to feed our communities and drive our economy. This investment in New Harvest Canada is about supporting innovation that builds on that strength — creating new opportunities for producers, making our food system more resilient and ensuring a strong, sustainable future for Alberta’s agriculture sector.”

The work will focus on improving cellular agriculture, which Results Driven Ag Research chair and Advanced Post-harvest Technology Centre director with Lethbridge Polytechnic, Dr. Chandra Singh, says will help improve food security across Canada.

“In our region, we’re looking to use sugar beets as an energy source for cell culture medium to facilitate this research, providing a long-term market for sugar beet producers in southern Alberta,” adds Singh.

The total $1.8 million investment from the federal government is estimated to help support around 50 jobs in Alberta, but also support 350 small- and medium-sized businesses in Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food sector.