MAY 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
15 Ottawa plays hardball with Agassiz leases
Agriculture Canada demanding more from industry partners by PETER MITHAM
AGASSIZ – Ottawa has pledged billions for the renewal of government research stations across the country, but the province’s industry in the Lower Mainland is feeling shut out as Ottawa limits access to the Agassiz Research and Development Centre. Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada terminated its long- standing arrangement with the Pacific Field Corn Association (PFCA) at the end of March following a year of negotiations, ending more than 40 years of industry-led field corn research. “The present AAFC administration will not continue the long-standing arrangement or give permission for the PFCA staff to enter its facilities to undertake the work,”
explained a memo PFCA chair Ted Osborn sent stakeholders on March 21. “Since there does not exist other freezing, grinding and drying facilities that could be efficiently utilized by the staff, the PFCA has no other alternative but to discontinue offering the corn hybrid trials.” Corn is a key ingredient in
the forage dairy and beef producers across the province use. The variety trials were a model of collaboration between government and industry. While the federal and provincial governments had the expertise and facilities needed for independent testing of varieties, seed companies would supply the seed and
cover expenses and growers would provide the trial sites. Ottawa’s withdrawal from
the partnership ends the arrangement but a spokesperson said AAFC remains interested in research partnerships “in areas of mutual interest.” However, industry’s failure to meet federal requirements meant that it couldn’t continue collaborating on the corn trials. “[PFCA] was unable to meet the terms required for establishing a collaborative research and development partnership,” the spokesperson told Country Life in BC. “AAFC looks forward to continuing to work with industry to identify areas of shared interest and address challenges and opportunities facing the sector.”
UBC deal One partnership the
Agassiz research station continues to pursue is with the UBC Dairy Research and Education Centre. But the partnership is conditional on reaching a new land use agreement, which will determine the rent Ottawa charges UBC. To reach that point, UBC has submitted a nutrient management plan for phosphorus that falls well within provincial guidelines but is subject to federal approval. Compliance isn’t
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made easier by federal efforts to have UBC use less land. “They are demanding a
drastic reduction from the amount we have used during the past 20 years,” says Jim Thompson, director, UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre. “It is essential that we have access to enough land to meet our needs for crop production and spreading manure. Without an adequate amount of land to support these activities, we would be unable to survive financially and would not be able to continue our leading research and teaching programs.” Thompson expected a
response by mid-April, but none was forthcoming. AAFC told Country Life in BC that negotiations are ongoing but refused further comment on the issue.
Thompson says if an
agreement isn’t reached soon, it could jeopardize spring seeding and other activities.
AAFC did not provide a
reason for the new approach to industry partnerships, nor
would it say if Agassiz is the only research station where negotiations have led to terminations of long-standing collaborations. (Sources indicate that Summerland Research and Development Centre continues to have a cordial relationship with industry.) What’s happening in
Agassiz concerns Dave Janssens, chair of the BC Dairy Association’s research and education committee. The unbiased research trials the PFCA conducted have served industry well. “It’s a real blow because our market for seed corn is too small for the companies to invest in research,” he says. “We won’t have unbiased information on what’s actually working.” Janssens isn’t sure what’s behind the changes in Agassiz but a common thread seems to be a refocusing of federal research priorities. PCFA’s trials didn’t cost the
government anything, but whether the work was something government
scientists should have engaged in came into question. A factor in discussions around UBC’s lease is having enough land for federal research projects. Without federal
involvement, Osborn says the PFCA will work with its remaining resources until the province develops its forage action plan. Proposals for the $70,000 project were requested last year. “When this plan is complete, the beef and dairy cattle industry associations will be able to determine the forage variety testing requirements, and at that time it can be determined the future role that could exist for PFCA,” Osborn says. The action plan will be an update to the forage strategy the BC Forage Council drafted in 1994 with the assistance of regional groups such as the Peace River Forage Association. The current project has been under discussion for several years, with a focus on the Peace.
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