RDAR logo from website

By Dori Modney

Landmark agriculture and water stewardship monitoring project receives funding

Jun 17, 2021 | 1:38 PM

EDMONTON, AB. — A collaborative water monitoring project by Alberta’s producer-led Crop Sector Working Group (CSWG) and three major life-science companies, will receive an investment from Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR).

There will be a focus on southern Alberta, with more than 10 producers already signed up to participate in the sampling of wetlands on their private land. The data collection and analysis are being conducted by a third-party contractor, Millennium EMS Solutions.

The purpose of the project, is to gather scientific data to evaluate the effectiveness of wetland management practices in mitigating the movement of crop protection products into wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. It will provide crucial information to farmers as they work to maintain environmental stewardship.

RDAR’s funding contributions – of which $417,500 comes from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) – are valued at $750,000 over three-years.

CSWG Chair, Don Shepert, expects the project research to provide farmers with best management practices that will protect water habitats from crop protection product use, while providing substantial knowledge to producers.

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: April 19, 2024

7h ago

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: April 15, 2024

Apr 15, 2024

Week-in-review: Street sweeping, policing in Coaldale and #SlowYourRoll

Apr 13, 2024

“As a farmer, I take great pride in being a steward of the land and that includes our waterways – the data collected from this project will give farmers a better understanding how stewardship practices can be further employed and adopted to continue to prevent the movement of crop protection products in the environment.”

Dr. David Chalack, RDAR Board Chair, notes the need for the information that’s to be gatthered.

“The collection of on-farm data in this project will increase the quality and relevance of information that can be used to inform policy and regulatory guidelines for crop protection product use, which are more realistic than laboratory data.”

“This landmark project brings together producers, researchers, commissions, and national regulatory bodies, all dedicated to supporting the success and sustainability of Alberta’s agriculture industry.”

Data collected from this project will ensure a representative set of western Canadian data is available for regulatory bodies such as the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA).

It will ensure decisions can be made based on accurate use and application of crop protection products, which could lead to the retention of valuable crop protection tools that farmers rely on to be competitive globally.

The project was developed in close collaboration with the Health Canada regulator, the PMRA, which requires science-based data to support their regulatory evaluation and re-evaluation decisions. Other partners providing matching funds include Syngenta, BASF, Bayer Crop Science – Canada, the Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola, Potato Growers of Alberta, Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, and Alberta Pulse Growers.

Collection of on-farm data in this project will add to the quality and relevance of information that can be used to form policy and regulatory guidelines for crop protection product use, which are more realistic than laboratory data.