New USask infrastructure to bolster agricultural research

Located on the USask Saskatoon campus, the Harrington Plant Growth Facility and the Soil Science Field Facility will provide capacity to expand research programs and enhance training opportunities for students in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at USask.

The project will also include a renovation to a portion of the Crop Science Field Lab at USask to provide additional workspace for the CDC. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed in July 2026.

“We are grateful to all of our partners and government supporters who have contributed to this important infrastructure project,” said USask President and Vice-Chancellor Peter Stoicheff. “These new facilities will be instrumental in advancing critical agricultural research and will set the stage for addressing global challenges as we aim to be the university the world needs.”

Named after USask alumnus Dr. James Bishop Harrington (PhD), a member of USask’s Class of 1920 (BSA), in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of plant breeding, the Harrington Plant Growth Facility will provide much-needed indoor growth room capacity for breeding programs. With a limited growing season in Saskatchewan, growth rooms are essential for researchers, allowing for multiple cropping cycles in a year.

The project will include an expansion in workspace capacity devoted to seed processing and storage as well as enhanced lab spaces for analyzing field samples. Providing increased capacity to meet the needs of the CDC’s renowned plant breeding programs, the new infrastructure will improve efficiency and support research for many of the crop types essential to western Canadian producers.

The Soil Science Field Facility will better equip USask soil scientists as they address agricultural issues related to soil health and sustainability, soil fertility and plant production, Indigenous agriculture, and environmental issues such as mitigation of climate change and its impact on agriculture.

The facility will offer a modernized, central location to consolidate soil science field research activities, featuring spaces for soil and plant drying, soil and plant processing for analytical analyses, and storage of soil and plant material from research trials.

Funding for the project includes $7 million from Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), $2.3 million from the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, $1 million from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture through the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP), $850,000 from the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission, and $400,000 from the Saskatchewan Oilseeds Development Commission.

Additional funding has also been provided by BASF Canada, the Saskatchewan Cattle Association, SeCan, Bob and Norma McKercher, the Saskatchewan Alfalfa Seed Producers Development Commission, the Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission, and SaskOats.

“The WGRF investment into these two new facilities will provide new opportunities for expanded research at the University of Saskatchewan,” said Laura Reiter, WGRF board chair. “The research that takes place at the University of Saskatchewan has made a significant contribution to the success of western Canadian farmers and the new facilities will build upon that success.”

This infrastructure project was made possible through the WGRF Phase 2 Capacity Initiative which supports the development of infrastructure necessary to accelerate crop research for the benefit of field crop farmers in Western Canada.

“This funding announcement is excellent and exciting news, and we’re very proud to add our support to the group of industry partners who have come together to fund this initiative at the University of Saskatchewan and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources,” said Minister of Agriculture Daryl Harrison of the Government of Saskatchewan. “We appreciate the importance of innovative ideas and getting them where they need to be—into the hands of our producers and value-added businesses to help them stay positioned as global leaders in the industry.”

Sustainable CAP is a five-year, $3.5 billion investment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-product sectors. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

“USask researchers are driving the discovery and innovation needed to feed the world,” said Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn (PhD), dean of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. “We are extremely grateful for this significant investment that will strengthen our research and teaching, and elevate our capacity to deliver the resilient crop varieties and soil research that are critical for a sustainable future.”

This project funding supports USask’s Be What the World Needs campaign, which will wrap up next month.

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For more information, contact:
Victoria Dinh  
USask Media Relations    
victoria.dinh@usask.ca  
306-966-5487