Enhancing Commercial Agricultural Productivity and Building the Rural Bioeconomy

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Lakeland College is a rurally-located public college serving Alberta and Saskatchewan and offering programs to over 8,000 students. The College has developed significant applied research competencies in agriculture, energy and environmental sciences. Lakeland College has a rich history of on-campus farm demos, field crop trials, and applied research projects. The requested funding will expand research capacity and activities at the College in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.Commercial agriculture is a significant industry in our region, representing 26% of businesses and $1.63B of 2011 on-farm cash receipts. The research plans described in this proposal follow three key themes-(1) Livestock Energetic and Nutritional Efficiency; (2) Enhancing Crop Management; and (3) Advancing the Bioeconomy-with specific research activities, developed in partnership with industry, that align with our unique regional industry needs. Each of these themes interrelate and support each other to ensure that net research outcomes reflect the primary goal of sustainably increasing commercial agricultural productivity in the region, in Alberta, and in Canada. NSERC funding will enhance and expand the college's capability to engage in commercial agriculture applied research projects in partnership with industry. It will extend and supplement existing equipment capabilities and allow the college to become more systematic in our engagement and deployment of agricultural applied research, which will be measured by the number of students, faculty and staff engaging in research and the number of companies developing multi-year partnerships with the college.