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Agriculture students and researchers at the University of Saskatchewan will soon have access to two new facilities dedicated to crop and soil science.
The university has received $11.8 million in funding, which will go towards the Harrington Plant Growth Facility and the Soil Science Field Facility. The project will also include a renovation to part of the university’s Crop Science Field Lab, and construction is expected to be completed in July of 2026.
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“These new facilities will be instrumental in advancing critical agricultural research and will set the stage for addressing global challenges as we aim to be the university the world needs,” university president Peter Stoicheff said in a statement.
According to the university, the Harrington Plant Growth Facility “will provide much-needed indoor growth room capacity for breeding programs.” Named after alumnus Dr. James Bishop Harrington, the facility will allow researchers to work outside of Saskatchewan’s limited growing season.
“The project will include an expansion in workspace capacity devoted to seed processing and storage as well as enhanced lab spaces for analyzing field samples,” the university added.
The Soil Science Field Facility will allow scientists to work on issues related to soil health and sustainability, soil fertility and plant production, as well as Indigenous agriculture and environmental issues like mitigating the impacts of climate change on agriculture.
“The facility will offer a modernized, central location to consolidate soil science field research activities, featuring spaces for soil and plant drying, soil and plant processing for analytical analyses, and storage of soil and plant material from research trials,” the university explained.
Funding for the project comes from a number of sources, including $7 million from the Western Grains Research Foundation, $2.3 million from the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, and $1 million from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.
“This funding announcement is excellent and exciting news, and we’re very proud to add our support to the group of industry partners who have come together to fund this initiative at the University of Saskatchewan and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources,” Daryl Harrison, Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister, said in a statement.
“We appreciate the importance of innovative ideas and getting them where they need to be—into the hands of our producers and value-added businesses to help them stay positioned as global leaders in the industry.”
“USask researchers are driving the discovery and innovation needed to feed the world,” added Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn, dean of the university’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources.
“We are extremely grateful for this significant investment that will strengthen our research and teaching, and elevate our capacity to deliver the resilient crop varieties and soil research that are critical for a sustainable future.”
