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Spring
2017
Grains
West
32
Feature
BY ALEXIS KIENLEN • PHOTOS COURTESY OF TYLER DIFLEY AND GEORGE CLAYTON
HEAT AND BARLEY
research has improved by
leaps and bounds under the
Growing Forward 2
agriculture policy
framework—specifically, thanks to
the AgriInnovation program and its
associated research “clusters.” The
program is focused on research and
development activities that bring
innovation to the sector and bring
new varieties of wheat and barley
W
Crop researchers hope to continue and expand valuablework under
new ag policy framework
to commercialization. The five-year
program will end on March 31, 2018,
and a new program is expected to
kick in as part of
Growing Forward 2
’s
successor on April 1, 2018, but details
have yet to be announced.
According to Garson Law, former
research manager for Alberta Barley
and program manager of the
Growing
Forward 2
AgriInnovation cluster for
barley, each cluster is a grouping of
related scientific projects. The clusters
fit into groups of themes, and multiple
projects can fit into one cluster.
“They’re meant to develop regional
and national teams. They’re meant to
generate or build collaboration among
scientists, like in a region such as the
Prairies, or nationally. That’s been largely
successful in speaking with scientists
who are part of a cluster,” said Law. “The
connections that they’ve built across the
STAYING
THE COURSE