Recent History – 2000
July 14, 2000
BEAVERLODGE — After several years of planning and construction, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Beaverlodge Research Farm official opened its new $2.1-million crop services building Monday.
Senator Thelma Chalifoux was on hand at the farm on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief to unveil a plaque dedicating the new facility.
Staff from the research farm also offered guided tours.
The new crop services building will house workrooms for packaging seeds, separating plants and other similar tasks. It will also contain a special room for potting plants.
Completed construction of the building represents phase one of a three-stage plan to replace and upgrade outdated facilities and improve the overall capacity of the farm.
The next two phases of the plan will see construction of a greenhouse and an administration/laboratory complex.
“These new facilities will significantly improve the size and scope of services provided by the Government of Canada to farmers in the Peace River region,” said Senator Chalifoux.
“Farmers depend on the technological improvements that come from research at the centre and the new buildings will increase efficiency and allow it to deliver more of this valuable technology at a faster rate.”
Research at Beaverlodge focuses primarily on forage seeds, honey bees and improving the quality the region’s grey wooded soils. The station develops crops varieties and management systems suited to climate and soil conditions in the northern and parkland regions of Canada.
The new crop services building will bring all of the centre’s different research programs together under one roof where they can share resources and take advantage of new equipment.
The central location will also make it easier for scientists working on separate, but complementary research projects to share information.