U of S receives $17.25 million for 13 agriculture research chairs

The funds, which will pay for 13 new research chairs, were announced today by federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart at the U of S College of Agriculture and Bioresources.
"Our government remains committed to supporting research and innovation, because it generates long-term economic growth and prosperity," said Ritz. "This investment in human capital will go a long way in attracting even more cutting-edge agricultural research here in Saskatchewan."
The chairs are funded through the provincial government's Strategic Research Program, which is backed jointly by the provincial and federal governments.
"This funding ensures that we have highly-qualified scientists doing constant and ongoing research into areas of key agricultural importance to our province," Stewart said. "Their research provides Saskatchewan producers with the tools and information to be leaders in global agriculture."
Most of the research chairs have already been assigned to leading U of S agriculture researchers working in a wide range of fields. Examples include developing plant-based food ingredients to replace animal-derived ingredients to meet consumer demand; wheat with higher protein, better dough-making properties and improved resistance; and improved disease management strategies for pulse crops.
"This investment provides crucial support to our current researchers and resources to attract more world-class scientists to create knowledge to help farmers prosper and help feed a growing world population," said U of S Vice-President Research Karen Chad. "We applaud our government partners for their continued support for the U of S as the hub of agricultural research in Canada."
Each research chair includes a scientist and a technician, and the chairs are responsible for attracting additional funding from public and private sector sources to support their research programs. The recipients and their areas of research are as follows:
· Curtis Pozniak: Durum and High-Yield Wheat Breeding and Genetics
· Pierre Hucl: CWRS Wheat, Specialty Wheats and Canaryseed Breeding and Genetics
· Randy Kutcher: Cereal and Flax Crop Pathology
· Aaron Beattie: Barley and Oat Breeding and Genetics
· Helen Booker: Flax Breeding and Genetics
· Tom Warkentin: Field Pea Breeding and Genetics
· Sabine Banniza: Pulse Crop Pathology
· Diane Knight and Richard Farrell (shared): Soil Biological Processes
· Jeff Schoenau: Soil Nutrient Management
· Martin Reaney: Lipid Quality and Utilization
· Michael Nickerson: Protein Quality and Utilization
· Peiqiang Yu: Feed Research and Development
· Vacant: Forage Crop Breeding
More information is available on the Saskatchewan government website: http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/GF2-StrategicResearch.
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For more information, contact:
Jennifer Thoma
Media Relations
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-1851
jennifer.thoma@usask.ca