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RDAR, a leading Alberta funder of agricultural research, announced a $500,000 contribution to support Dr. Willemijn Appels, RDAR Research Chair and Senior Research Chair of the Mueller Irrigation Research Group at Lethbridge Polytechnic, as she leads efforts to establish a provincial and national hub for applied irrigation research.

Backed by funding from the federal and provincial governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, RDAR is delivering an additional $5.2 million in Western Crop Innovations (WCI) to strengthen feed and forage barley and triticale breeding for Alberta and Western Canadian producers.

Mindful of the costs and risks that come with adopting new technology, the Claypool family saw the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF), delivered in Alberta by RDAR, as a practical entry point. “Probably the main reason was just the cost and like the risk if it didn’t work out...with RDAR it was kind of a win-win.”

Simply put, growers need a research ecosystem that is nimbler in providing rapid responses to emerging threats such as fungi, insects, weeds…and viruses. One that is faster in delivering workable commercialization support. One that is flexible in collaborating across federal, provincial, and industry research stakeholders.

RDAR is holding its fifth annual Round-Up on June 17, 2026 at the Heritage Centre, Cremona.

In the Field: The Era of Digital Farming

Partner exhibitors, workshops, and demonstrations

Bringing together workshops, live demonstrations, and exhibitor booths to support learning, peer exchange, and experience.

In this episode of The Final Mile podcast, host Shaun Haney spoke with Dr. Maria Bravo Arya, virologist and director of the Diagnostic Services Unit (DSU) at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Teryn Girard, a poultry veterinarian serving producers in Alberta and Saskatchewan, about the importance of Alberta’s growing diagnostic capacity.