GrainsWest Fall 2020

Fall 2020 grainswest.com 31 hen the UCP took power following the 2019 provincial election, the party did so with a laundry list of campaign promises made to Alberta’s agriculture sector. One of these was to listen to farmers for direction on agricultural research. Post-election, the government embarked on a series of consultation sessions in the winter of 2020 to gain a sense of what farmers wanted from publicly funded ag research. “We asked them what farmer-led research meant to actual farmers and ranchers throughout Alberta, and through those consultations, we developed the structure of RDAR, of the Results Driven Agriculture Research organization,” said Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen. The government created RDAR to implement the new approach to agricultural research and appointed a nine- member interim board to launch the non-profit company. RDAR’s mandate is to “support results-driven agriculture research priorities and programs that will increase competitiveness and profitability of Alberta’s agriculture industry.” At arm’s-length from government, RDAR will annually administer $37 million in research funding. It has been granted $2 million by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to cover startup and overhead costs. These startup funds were administered by Alberta Barley. “From farmers and farm groups that I’ve talked to, they seem very excited that there is this significant commitment to public research in agriculture in Alberta,” said Dreeshen. RDAR’s arm’s-length nature will take politics out of research funding decisions, believes David Chalack, interim board chair. “We’re a flat, lean, mean organization, with a board that represents producers and answers to producers, because the membership is made up of producers,” said Chalack. RESPONSE TO FARMERS Chalack, a large animal veterinarian, was the chair of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency at the time of its dissolution under the NDP government in 2015. The NDP also later dissolved the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund and moved the research responsibilities of both entities within Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF). However, the shift prompted industry complaints about the research funding approval process. Critics cited poor communication and accountability and questioned funding choices. “When things were taken into the ministry, we lost track of how decisions were being made and whom those decisions were made by,” said Lauren Comin, Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) research director. Typically, the ministry wouldn’t make its research interests known or share funding timelines until it was too late, she said. Because AWC does its own share of research funding, RDAR offers an opportunity for co-funding. “We’re looking for a transparent partner in co-funding,” said Comin. When the NDP came to power in 2015, they created a draft plan to change the research strategy for the ministry, Comin said. Sustainability and climate change were priorities stressed in the draft plan, which was not finalized before the government changed again in 2019. It seemed that to receive funding, research applications had to be tied to lowering carbon emissions or other environmental causes, said Chalack. The research of carbon use and the environment in agriculture is a good thing, he added, but it’s not the only thing. There was enough dissatisfaction in the farming community over this it became a political issue, he said. Government press releases about RDAR have emphasized government shouldn’t bend research priorities to suit ideology. “From farmers and farm groups that I’ve talked to, they seem very excited that there is this significant commitment to public research in agriculture in Alberta.” —Devin Dreeshen W