BY: Cassandra Tkachuk, Research Project Manager, MPSG
Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) was hard at work throughout 2024 lining up the next wave of research projects starting in 2025. As research manager, it’s an interesting thing to spend most of my time operating one year in the future.
The process actually begins two years in advance of a project’s start when the internal research committee, made up of MPSG directors and staff, determine the top research priorities on behalf of the farmer membership. That list of priorities then becomes a call for letters of intent (LOIs) that’s circulated early in the year. The goal is to find researchers who are interested and willing to tackle a project that aligns with our priorities.
The timing of all that is to get ready to apply to the next provincial Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) program (or other available programs) to leverage your check-off dollars for a more robust investment. Matched dollars these days are anywhere from 50:50 to 70:30. Meaning, at best, MPSG puts in 30% of the funds and the leveraged program supplies 70 per cent. This is where we really put your investment to work.
Projects deemed to be successful at the LOI stage advance to the full proposal stage. After full proposals are submitted to a program, we wait patiently for approval. Once approved and agreements are in place, all systems are go on those projects.
What have we conjured up for you starting in 2025?
Here is a sneak peek of the research:
- The pursuit of dry bean flood and drought tolerance tackled by a new collaboration of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and North Dakota bean breeders.
- Fine-tuning the Aphanomyces root rot oospore test for more accurate disease risk prediction for a given pea field.
- A deeper investigation of how Manitoba soil, environmental conditions and various other practices impact soybean biological nitrogen fixation.
We’re intrigued to see how these projects will contribute to our knowledge bank for Manitoba production and look forward to sharing the results with you as activities transpire.
The list of fully executed projects MPSG is funding within this five-year funding cycle (2023–2028) can be found in the magazine. These projects were launched in 2023 and 2024 and are now fully underway. Each project spans anywhere from three to five years in duration. Most projects are co-funded under the provincial SCAP program, some projects are co-funded with other commodity groups and a few projects are solely funded by MPSG.
Going back to how we set the top research priorities, it is through feedback from you – the farmer membership, agronomists and other stakeholders who share real world experiences with us. We want you to tell us what you need for your pulse and soybean crops so we can go forth and find solutions for you.