Capital funding ignites agriculture industry in Alberta

On June 25, Alberta's Minister of Agriculture & Irrigation, RJ Sigurdson, announced a one-time capital grant of $3.2 million to be distributed to forage and applied research associations throughout Alberta for capital purchases.

This funding will allow them to extend their capacity to support producers adopting new technologies and practices. Their research helps demonstrate the benefits to productivity, sustainability, and profitability while minimizing the risk of adoption for producers.

More than 100 regional innovators and decision makers from Alberta’s agriculture industry gathered in a field of research plots at the Farming Smarter 2025 Field School. Each waited with anticipation to hear Minister Sigurdson’s announcement. The event connected the Minister with a backdrop to exhibit the intention of the capital grant.

“Agriculture helped to build our province. It is the backbone of [Alberta], and it continues to be a strong contributor to our economic growth and diversification,” Minister Sigurdson stated.

“The funding is intended to support agricultural research and improve competitiveness,” he added.  

The Minister spoke of the Farming Smarter event as a great example of the benefit this grant will have on the agriculture industry in Alberta. By bringing information from the lab to the field helps farmers improve their technologies and adopt new practices.

Expanding research into valuable industries for the province

Farming Smarter received $500,000 through this grant to purchase equipment that will advance irrigated crop production and potato agronomy in southern Alberta. It has enabled the research organization to enhance its services into these incredibly valuable industries for the region and the entire province.

“We took this opportunity to expand our operations into a new realm of research that includes the potato industry. This requires specialized equipment we were previously unable to acquire,” says Ken Coles, Executive Director at Farming Smarter.

This capital funding enabled Farming Smarter to service southern Alberta’s potato industry throughout its own expansion. In 2024, Alberta exported $930 million in processed potatoes and produced 23.7% of Canadian potatoes to maintain its position as the largest potato producer in the country.

Farming Smarter has doubled its potato agronomy research projects in 2025 to accommodate the growing industry. Current projects modernize practices for producers in the region like optimal nutrient application rates and developing agronomic knowledge for new varieties. This recent expansion has allowed for test trials to introduce new practices to the area like drip-line irrigation and no-till planting as potential advancements potato producers can take to enhance their operations.

Farming Smarter has additionally increased its capacity for irrigated crop research with the purchase of two Cadman irrigation systems.

“Irrigation is tremendously valuable in southern Alberta as farmers can grow more crop yield without the need for the expensive purchase of land. This new, improved equipment allows us to bring farmers through the ability to learn from new and different high-quality research projects related to irrigation,” Coles states.

"This helps to ensure a meaningful return of investment to the irrigation expansion in southern Alberta," he adds.

Coles speaks highly of capital funding’s long-lasting impact on the industry. “They’re one type of investment with nearly never-ending returns; they catapult organizations to do more work and better work.”

Research associations conduct research and trials that improve farming techniques resulting in improved soil quality and pest management. Their results are provided to producers through learning and extension opportunities that aid in the adoption of successful ideas without risk.

Farming Smarter has purchased new potato equipment, a new Fendt tractor, and Cadman irrigation reels and booms with this capital grant. The ability to explore new opportunities to adopt technology and practices will service incredibly valuable sectors of the industry and improve the profitability and sustainability of farmers across the province.