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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is closing seven research operations across the country, including two satellite research farms in Saskatchewan.
The farms are in the town of Scott, southwest of North Battleford, and near Indian Head, east of Regina. Workers at the satellite farms research how to improve crop production on the prairies.
Indian Head’s mayor, Steven Cole, said that he and the workers of the community’s research farm found out Thursday that their operation would be shutting down in the near future.
“[As] a community leader of our town here, [I’m] shocked. That farm’s been there for 140 years this summer.”
Cole told CBC that from what he knows, operations may only continue in Indian Head for another four to six months.
He said around 30 full time employees will either be out of work or will need to relocate to another rural municipality.
The federal department has said that across the country about 665 department positions have been reduced and nearly 1,050 employees received notices on Thursday.
Cole said the research farm in Indian Head has held a special place in not only the community, but in his family for generations.
“My dad worked there, my grandfather worked there, my uncle worked there,” Cole said. “So, we’ve got a long history with this farm and [I’m] going to be sorry to see it go.”
The cuts are part of the federal government’s move to tighten the public service budget.
“Like other federal departments, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has identified savings over three years while remaining focused on its core mandate,” the AAFC said in a statement.
“AAFC will remain Canada’s largest agricultural research organization, with 17 research centres nationwide and research farmland in every province.”
Losing valuable agricultural research
The satellite farms in Sask. are focused on creating better crop yields.
Richard Gray, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Saskatchewan, said it’s an important job for strengthening what we can produce in the province.
“Our farms are competitive with anybody in the world,” Gray said. “They’re profitable and they’re sustainable, so I think it’s very important that research — that creates the knowledge that eventually either results in new varieties or newer agronomics or new machines — is supported in the long-term.”
Gray said other resources may need to be diverted in order to ensure the research that was being facilitated out of these research sites can continue in some way.
Across the country, satellite farms in Nappan, Nova-Scotia and in Portage la Prairie are shutting down.
Research and development centres at Guelph, Ont; Quebec City, Que. and Lacambe, Alta. will also close.
