$1.2M investment supports biomass research at Saint Mary’s University

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Nova Scotia Innovation Hub have invested $1.2 million in biomass research at Saint Mary’s University, aimed at enhancing the province’s bioeconomy. The research focuses on how poor-quality marginal land can be used to produce biomass as a potential revenue stream for farmers. The federal contribution, provided through AAFC’s AgriScience Program, is part of funding for the new Biomass Canada Cluster  announced by Lawrence MacAulay, minister of AAFC. The five-year project at Saint Mary’s University aims to determine what substances and organisms best promote plant growth and decrease production costs in a variety of plants, including willow and switchgrass. The project will assess the yield potential of crops on marginal soil areas on farms and AAFC research sites across Canada. The goal is to produce a database and a yield production model for four crops under examination. Project partners include Acadian Seaplant Ltd, ADECO BioResources Inc., Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, Port Hawkesbury Paper, and Propel Bioenergy.