Fed Strengthens Oat Industry through AAFC’s AgriInnovation Program

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced an investment of more than $3.7 million to benefit the Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA) in order to help Oat producers sell a larger proportion of their crop in the global marketplace.

POGA Receives Funding via Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

POGA will receive the more than $3 million in funding through AAFC’s AgriInnovation Program for three research projects:

• More than $150,000 will be used to develop a new method for identifying genes for use in oat improvement.  Researchers hope to identify desirable traits in oats.
• Up to $2.9 million for scientists to pursue research aimed at developing new varieties of oats specifically cultivated for the Canadian prairies.
• And just over $100,000 will go to evaluating how beta-glucan improves the responsiveness of the immune systems of horses.

POGA Receives Further $600K for Activities Aimed at Capturing US Equine Market

In addition, POGA will receive up to $600,000 through AAFC’s AgriMarketing Program to help oat producers further penetrate the American equine market through targeted marketing activities to promote Canadian oats as high-quality horse feed.  These activities will not be limited to multimedia advertising, marketing dollars to promote Canadian oats at trade shows and conferences, as well as to hold face-to-face meetings with US equine experts including nutritional researchers and veterinarians.

Learn More about Canadian Small Business Grants and Loans for Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mentor Works has helped hundreds of small to mid-sized agriculture and agri-food businesses gain access to Canadian business grants and loans.  Learn more about some of the most popular government funding programs for agriculture and agri-food businesses in Canada by reading up on opportunities via our Canadian government funding blog.   Established small to mid-sized businesses are also invited to attend a Canadian government funding workshop or webinar focused on the agriculture and agri-food industry.  Please also follow us on your favourite social media network to stay informed of the daily updates on programs and incentives available to help grow your business, including: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest.