The Link

8 Pages·2002·7.7 MB·English

by  Alberta Agricultural Research Institute

/7/7
WE BELIEVE IN GROWING ALBERTA’S ECONOMY fall2002
Linking industry and science ’
iAAl
AARI's new business plan pulls
together all the pieces
Adding Strategy to Science 2
Alberta Agricultural
Collaborating to support innovation Research Institute
and sustainability in agricultural research
brings together six major funders
Board Profile 3
Hector Coudreau, MLA for Dunvagen Kinking Industry and Science
Water Quality
Research upstream, quality-^ AARI's new business plan fosters collaboration among stakeholders, sets
downstream: protecting a strategies, and increases accountability to improve the outcomes of agricultural
precious resource research, adding value to Alberta farms.
The Alberta Agricultural Research R&D community, but the need for true
Institute has long believed that shared partnerships with industry, and the part-
visions and good teamwork across the nership of A griculture, Health, Forestry,
sector lead to the best scientific successes Environment, and Renewable Energy in a
Breeding Better Beef 5 and contributions to economic, social and Life Sciences approach.
Dr. Stephen Moore is p art of an environmental well-being. Alberta is blessed with many outstanding
international team effort to sequence The new business plan lays out a l ong- researchers. The Institute and other funders
the bovine genome term road map to do just that. The goal for believe we can improve the operating
the Agriculture and Food Industry in Alberta environment for scientists by providing
Floating Success 6 is to achieve $20 billion of value-added ship- them with clear goals in the context of
AARI funding was an important catalyst ments and $10 billion of primary production larger strategies, support to work together
for this growing Alberta company by 2010, and to do this in a sage and sustain- effectively, and access to funds in a rational,
able way. Research will play a crucial role in
transparent manner. The work of Alberta's
Focusing on the Big Picture 7 achieving these goals. So, in consultation most creative scientists should be focused
Strategic Research Networks generate with industry and stakeholders, the Institute more on the lab and the field than on end-
new ideas linked to specific outcomes has defined the following strategic directions: less applications for funding.
• Developing new market-driven value- One of the primary goals is to improve
added products (linking agricultural the funding decision mechanism so that
New Beginnings from production to higher value food and the R&D community as a whole benefits
"The Road Not Taken" 8 renewable non-food products); through strategic focus, collaborative teams,
Parting thoughts from Don Macyk, • Improving production and process- streamlined processes, and increased invest-
Director Emeritus, AARI^^j^D6pnB P M acyk ing systems capable of sustaining and ment in R &D. This may sound ambitious,
enhancing the basic resources of land, but so many pillars are already in place.
holds a ' water, and air; For example, the Research Funding
presented • Ensuring global competitiveness in Consortium is contributing to the strategic
on behalf of
technology and knowledge applicable direction, collaborating to provide leader-
the Premier
and the to primary production efficiency and ship, and rationalizing the process for
secondary processing; researchers. Research Performers are active
Province of
Alberta for • Basic research in life sciences essential in developing strategies and opportunities
his many
to agriculture (eg. genomics, pro- to pool their expertise, creating synergies
teomics, and bio-informatics). and new opportunities for impact. The
h\ y seearrvsi c oef.
The business plan lays a careful business plan hopes to build on these
blueprint to foster an atmosphere of achievements. There is an ambitious
partnership around the larger aim of growth curve planned for agricultural
improving the outcomes of agricultural research, and we will need the resources
research. Those partnerships recognize to achieve this in the years ahead - b ut the
the need not only within the Agricultural foundation has been laid.
www.aari.ab.ca
^ 1 i
^ A dding Strategy to Science
On September S, 2002, Don Macyk
was recognized at a retirement
party held in his honour. Many
friends and colleagues came out to
toast Don. Below are some scenes
from the party. Six of Alberta's major agricultural research funding
groups have formed a strategic partnership to support
an innovative, sustainable, and world-class agricultural
industry in the province. The partnership will work
together to fund research initiatives and ensure that
shared strategies are being implemented.
Diversified Livestock
Where would you rather have the top
Fund of Alberta
scientists in the province - i n the
lab - or in the hunt for funding dollars?
The goal of the new funding consortium
of the major agricultural research fund-
ing groups in Alberta is to increase the
Don with Lloyd Andruchow, AAFRD efficiency of applying for funding and
also to ensure the outcomes are consist-
ent with the goals of the industry.
Alberta Agricultural
The partnership primarily includes Research Institute
public funding bodies. It is designed to
improve all aspects of research fund-
ing, through co-ordinated planning and
activity and efficient use of expertise and needs fit in that puzzle. From this, we can
resources, says Freda Molenkamp of AARI, look for ways to complement each other
which has spearheaded this joint venture. and lay out a l ong-term game plan to
"This type of partnership is essential meet our collective goals."
in today's research environment," says The partnership is an informal one that
Molenkamp. "There are more research preserves the autonomy of the indi-
activities and more funding organiza- vidual funding organizations and their
tions than ever before, and it only makes mandates. The organizations share the
sense for us to work together to avoid workload of evaluating research fund-
duplication and make the best use of ing applications and participate in round
public dollars. Using our collective table discussions to co-ordinate their
Ron Dyck presenting Don with a
funding activity.
token of appreciation from Alberta knowledge and resources, we can co-
Innovation and Science. ordinate our efforts into a b roader vision "It's a very practical process," says
that allows us to accomplish far more Neal Oberg, a Forestburg producer and
Co-Chair of AARI's Board of Directors.
than we ever could individually."
In addition to AARI, the partner- "Each group comes to the table with its
ship includes three industry develop- own unique mandate and priorities, and
ment funds - t he Alberta Crop Industry each is accountable to its own board and
Development Fund (ACIDF), the Alberta makes its own funding decisions. But we
Livestock Industry Development Fund look for logical ways to work together, to
(ALIDF), and the Diversified Livestock improve the overall efficiency and effec-
Fund of Alberta (DLFOA) - along with the
tiveness of o ur efforts."
Agriculture and Food Council of Alberta An obvious benefit is avoiding dupli-
(AFC) and AVAC Ltd. These groups allo- cation, says D oug Walkey, General
cated a t otal of $9.0 million to agricul- Manager of ACIDF. The three industry
tural research projects in 2002. development funds began in 2001.
Rather than each developing their own
"Together, the groups around the table
represent a b road cross-section of stake- application and funding mechanisms
holders and industry sectors," says Darcy from scratch, these funds were able to
Ap r pe rsienntt e cda l lteod ^ D o^n^ P raasi r iaen Heaxrpvreessts'i^ o nw a so f Fitzgerald, General Manager of ALIDF. build on what AARI already had in place
thanks for all his dedication and and share collectively in the process.
"This gives us a b ig picture view of the
valued contributions. overall priorities and where our individual "AARI's desire to build the broader part-
2
E
Board Profile
i
The six strategic priority
Agriculture o areas for agricultural research
CVFood Council
and technology development
identified by AARI are:
New Value-Added Food and
Agri-Based Health
Bio-Products
ALBERTA LIVESTOCK
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT FUND Interaction of Agriculture with
water, soil and air resources
Livestock Opportunities
an/Ac
Crop Opportunities
Ltd.
Food Safety and Quality
nership and our need for a mechanism ing with larger groups and pursuing The MLA for Dunvagen, Hector
came together very nicely. It was a p rocess joint funding opportunities, says Bill Goudreau, joined the AARI
of learning from what had worked in the Buchta, General Manager of DLFOA. Board of Directors in February 2002.
past, and developing that into some- "We're a small group, with small funds, In these two roles, Goudreau acts
thing that works for all of us." and there's no way we can fund some as a link between AARI's goals and
The partnership encourages shar- of the larger projects alone. But by col- the provincial legislature. His vision
ing of r esearch applications and joint laborating with organizations like AARI, for a d iversified Alberta economy
funding of projects. As a result, more there's opportunity for us to get some has helped AARI focus on funding
projects get funded, and they are globally competitive research.
chosen with a broader vision of how the fairly big projects funded." Goudreau brings a vast array of
"The partnership also offers benefits
outcomes will benefit to research funding
experience in agriculture, commu-
agriculture in Alberta. 'The cross section of applicants," says John nity development, and government
Christensen of AFC. affairs to the table. After earning
"There's no ques- stakeholders gives us a
tion that the more The funding organi- his B.Sc. in Agriculture, he spent 21
horse power you have big picture view of the zations have worked years as a d istrict agriculturalist and
overall priorities and
around the table, towards a one-window crop specialist. During that time, he
where our individual
the better the deci- process for applica- was engaged in a number of related
sions that are going tions, which simplifies activities, including community
needs fit in that puzzle."
to be made. And the the workload for appli- programs that highlight the needs
different perspec- Darcy Fitzgerald, cants and ensures their of Alberta's farm families.
tives that our groups General Manager, ALIDF proposals will get wide "I am excited to be working with
bring to the table are exposure to funding AARI and the world-class participants
highly valued," says Ross Bricker of AVAC opportunities. "The researchers like the in AARI programs," says Goudreau.
Ltd. "We can look at a p roposal in the one-stop shopping aspect. And with the "I am committed to helping to build
context of every point on the continuum greater potential for joint funding, their an effective, integrated, agricultural
from primary agriculture to value-added chances of success are significantly higher research and technology develop-
market opportunities. So there's less for worthy projects." ment system in Alberta that can be
likelihood that good projects will slip In the end, that's what it's all about
a model worldwide."
through the cracks." - using strategies to make the proc-
The round table allows smaller esses, goals, and accountability better, so
funders to see more projects, and researchers can work their magic for
extend their influence by communicat- the province.
3
y Research Upstream,
Quality Downstream
Water is one of our most pre-
cious resources and protecting our
water quality is of economic and
A rec ent three-year study addressed municipal sewage to surface water
social importance! The Alberta
agricultural management to assist Cryptosporidium and giardia levels, Agricultural Research Institute
the industry in responding pro-actively and determining whether high density and others in Alberta's agriculture
and responsibly to environmental con- livestock operations contribute greater industry are partnering to fund
research into the effects of cattle
cerns. The multi-agency study, supported numbers of parasites to the North
significantly by AARI and the Canada- Saskatchewan River than non-agricul- operations, wildlife, and municipal
Alberta Beef Industry Development tural (forested) watersheds. sewage on the quality of water in
local waterways.
Fund, recently released a report called The initial results indicate that the highest
Relationship Between Beef Production levels of parasites moving into the North
and Waterborne Parasites. Saskatchewan River occurred seasonally, and
The report examines land use and water some of the Cryptosporidium and giardia
quality within streams, particularly those during the spring and summer months may
draining into the North Saskatchewan River. have come from agricultural lands. However,
The study was commissioned partly due to occasional drainage from non-agricultural
the heavy runoff conditions in the spring (forested) areas also contributed high loads. new technology should help.
of 1997, when abnormal levels of Crypto- Concentrations of g iardia, although signifi- Further studies will help to effectively
sporidium and g iardia were identified in cant in m unicipal sewage effluent, appeared reduce land use impact on water qual-
the North Saskatchewan River. to be insignificant in comparison to total ity. However, all watershed stakeholders
James Wuite, Water Quality Biologist parasite loads from watersheds. - wastewater operators, drinking water
for the Conservation and Development Wuite cautions against assumptions, treatment plant operators, livestock
Branch of Alberta Agriculture, Food and suggesting that further studies must be producers, rural residents, and other
Rural Development (AAFRD), says the study conducted to ascertain if c oincidental fac- landowners and industries - must work
was also initiated as a result of the scrutiny tors, such as wildlife inhabiting livestock- together to make the most of this effort.
agriculture has faced outside the province concentrated land, may have influenced Support from the agricultural industry,
on water issues. The Province wanted to get the early results. Wuite sees future prom- provincial and municipal governments,
ahead of the curve and make sure appro- ise in a second phase of this study, where and private landowners is also imperative,
priate protocols were in place to ensure new microbial source tracking technology both to further research that will identify
Albertans a h igh quality water supply. might be employed to strengthen results. water quality protection programs, and
The study focused on comparing the Currently, it is difficult to pinpoint the to access the resources required to effec-
contributions of cattle, wildlife, and sources of waterborne parasites, and the tively operate these programs.
Breeding Better Beef
"Understanding how genes gain access to the research
once it is released.
function in cattle can give us infor-
"We need to know that
mation not only about how better
to breed cattle, but also how we have full and early
access to all that data as it
better to manage them in order to
optimize their performance," says comes out. If w e don't do
Dr. Stephen Moore, the Industry
Chair in Beef Genomics at the aabnlyet h tion g d o n oawn,y t hwien g w owni'tth be
the information when it
University of Alberta. "This means
getting the maximum you can get becomes available," says
out of them with the least amount Moore. "We need to make
of stress on the animal - and sure that we'll be able to
that's becoming more and more apply all this wonderful
important as animal welfare issues information that's coming
out of genomics projects
these days loom large." Moore
also hopes to discover, through his across the board, and that
work on the bovine genome, how
we can apply that infor-
to increase nutrient uptake and mation to c attle here in
feed efficiency in cattle. Canada. That's one of the
real issues we have to face
- maintaining our standing
in Btuhte twhoirs l dw.o"r k goes beyond
maintaining a p resence on
Dr. S tephen Moore is the world stage. It is relevant
the lead Canadian to Alberta beef producers as
researcher on an interna- well. Moore says the nutrient
tional team devoted to
uptake research in cattle is
sequencing the bovine very exciting.
genome, which means map- "The cost of feed is over
ping and then discovering 50 per cent of the total cost
the function of all the differ-
of production, so if w e can
ent genes in cattle. reduce the cost of feed,
The work Moore is doing incrementally we're going
on the bovine genome will to make big savings for
create a p lace for Canada at
the industry," he says. "So
the international table, when formance ofc attle, improving their welfare.
the applied part in nutri-
it c omes time to access and build on global Originally from Australia, Moore ent uptake and feed efficiency is a d irect
genomic research. His project deals with spent 11 years with the Commonwealth
benefit to the industry."
sequencing the genome, and then eventu- Scientific and Industrial Research Moore says they are also studying the
ally selecting genes to breed cattle that are Organization working on beef molecular correlation between efficiency traits and
efficient and yield a q uality product. genetics, eventually leading the group quality traits. They are hoping to avoid a
"The priority for cattle farmers in for a y ear and a h alf. He came to Canada scenario where higher animal efficiency
Alberta at the moment is p robably not three years ago and heads up this coun- might mean, for example, a reduction in
genomics in the first instance - i t's getting try's foray into an international initiative marbling, which would then reduce the
to sequence the bovine genome, which
through the year," says Moore. "But we grade of the end-product.
hope we can convince them, with the also includes researchers from the United Funding from this project has come
potential outcomes of this research, that it States, the European Union, Brazil,
from a variety of sources, with AARI con-
Australia and New Zealand.
is worth investing in, in the long-term." tributing $1.2 million over the next three
There is a network of scientists across
Those long-term goals include determin- years. "It's been very important to have
ing what individual genes do, and how Canada working on parts of this project. both the AARI funding, and the industry
they are related to each other, so that breed- There are groups in Saskatchewan, Nova funding," he says. "It's very heartening to
ers can begin selecting the genes in cattle Scotia, and Ontario, as well as several scien- see the industry get behind this, especially
which are responsible for product quality tists across Alberta. Moore hopes to make since some of the goals are rather long
and efficiency. This research will lead to this network strong so that Canada has a term, and I realize the immediate issues for
better breeds and will optimize the per- place at the international table in order to
the industry are pressing."
5
SemBioSys is an example of an Alberta-made
success story, based on an idea for making less
expensive pharmaceuticals by "floating" them
out of oilseed crops in the oil portion of the
seed. AARI helped make the venture possible
with early funding for the research project that
inspired the company's creation.
Dr. Maurice Moloney
Before SemBioSys was even conceived,
that the concept worked. The process is transgenics to make difficult or expen-
Dr. Maurice Moloney, founder and now estimated to cut the production costs
Chief Scientific Officer with SemBioSys, of a number of pharmaceuticals by 50 to SemsiBvieo pShyasrm a ciesu t ailcsaol s .i"n creasing the
started with an idea. He believed that cer- 90 per cent compared to other methods. potential for safflower, an oilseed crop
tain protein-based pharmaceuticals could From the success of that project of desert origin that SemBioSys uses for
be developed in, and easily extracted stemmed SemBioSys in 1994, which now protein production. Safflower performs
from, oilseed crops, making them far less works with 25 different proteins out of its very well in drought conditions, such as
the ones witnessed in Alberta and across
expensive. The pharmaceuticals, includ- 25,000 square foot corporate headquar-
ing treatments for blood diseases, cancer, ters in C algary. With nine U.S. patents, the Prairies in recent years. It g ives
and multiple sclerosis, are also produced and other patents approved or pending Alberta farmers another crop option for
in animal cells, which is not only expen- in Canada and a number of industrialized reducing production risk and improving
sive but runs the risk of transferring viral countries, SemBioSys is finding success their bottom line.
contaminants to people using the drug. with this robust technology. Moloney says that AARI took a risk on
However, in his work at the University This success also brought significant
a concept with good potential. "AARI
of Calgary, where he is also the NSERC investment into Alberta. Moloney says that contributed before SemBioSys got started,
Industrial Research Chair in Plant Dow AgroSciences Canada was the first and to AARI's credit, they were willing to
Biotechnology, Moloney discovered a company to invest in SemBioSys, offering spend money on something that by no
plant protein in canola that only associ- several million dollars in funding. Since means guaranteed success. AARI invested
ated itself with the oil portion of the seed. that time, he says, funding has come from
He theorized that he could introduce a in something that was truly 'research'.
more broad-based companies, includ- They were able to see that investment in
pharmaceutical protein in the seed that ing Bay C ity Capital, Royal Bank Ventures the early stage of somewhat risky research
could do the same, and then be easily Inc., Ventures West Capital Ltd., and the
is a critical thing in agriculture."
extracted by "floating" the protein out of Business Development Bank of Canada, Moloney believes that this kind of
the seed in the oil, using the principle that all of whom are considered the "elite" in investment will help build the agriculture
oil is lighter than water. The extraction life-science investment banks. industry in Alberta and across Canada,
process would be simpler, far less expen- As for the other benefits for Alberta, by not only diversifying the type of crops
sive, and would remove the risk of viral
Moloney says the project created "a sig- grown, but diversifying the markets that
contamination from animal cells. these crops serve. This diversity spreads
nificant number of positions", including
Moloney sent a g rant application to AARI nine management staff with substantial the risk of production, helping to ensure
to request funding to start the research, the success of farmers and many others in
technical training. He adds, "We are now
and after several years of study, he found one of the strongest companies in plant Alberta, and beyond.
6
DID YOU
Focusing on
KNOW.
AARI has been facilitating "big picture" thinking in some key areas of
agriculture research. Innovative thinking within these areas will generate an
overall vision for research in the sector. The results themselves have potential
for further alignment.
Over 21,800 farms in Alberta
used computers for farm man-
agement in 2 001, a 6 2 per cent
Agriculture is a critical component of Alberta's economy, one that connects rural and increase in just five years. Primarily
urban issues. The R&D system has laid the strong foundation of production excellence used for bookkeeping, payroll, and
that Alberta enjoys today. That system must change with the changing times (environ- taxes, nearly 15,700 farms also used
mental awareness, low commodity and high input prices, urbanization, global markets, computers for the Internet, and
etc.). ..and the AARI Board put the leadership for that change forward through a concept of more than 14,400 farms used their
Networks. Three Networks were initiated early in 2002: Bio-Products Network, Food Value computers for e-mail.
Adding, and Agri-Health, the latter two supported by the Sustainable Production Network.
Things ARE bigger in Alberta,
The primary function of Networks is threefold: including the farms. The average
farm size in Alberta in 2001 was 970
acres, a 10.1 per cent increase since
1996, whereas the Canadian average
was only 676 acres.
Membership in all three of the Networks comes from a d iversity of industry, research,
funder, producer, and business sources. Six months of intense consultation has resulted Retail sales from Alberta supermar-
in the Focus and Priority areas seen below: kets and g rocery stores nearly dou-
bled between 1990 and 2000. Sales
Strategic Research Focus Priority Areas reached nearly $7 billion in 2000,
compared to $4 billion in 1990.
Agri-Health and Value-Added 1 ) Food Ingredient and Fermentation Products
Research
2) Value-Enhanced Meats and Meat Products
3) Health, Wellness, and Performance Products In 2000, the average Alberta house-
hold spent $6,496 on food, repre-
Bio-Products Research 1) Bio-Materials Products senting 10.5 p er cent of the average
2) Bio-Energy Technologies and Products household budget. Of this, 76 per
3) Bio-Industrial Chemical Technologies cent was purchased from stores. The
and Products
remainder was purchased from food-
Sustainable Production 1 ) Sustainable Production Systems for Specific service outlets (i.e. restaurants).
Research Supporting Traits in Crops and Livestock
Profitable Sustainable 2) Nutrient Efficient Systems in Integrated Crop
Production and Livestock Production
3) Microbial Management Systems
32))Adv1o cBaIedRt ee e)ans D te uipa fefroo ycir hnI D nt t ia f hlanr ein ao gd fs ei tsnn rtccDturoeecea,ntvgt tuere arMgalecai t otrcep^ kd m e^f etoc nc otucms om l ula annbid o cr arat2e31tosi)))erv ae^ r IBF ciu nl hiRfla l r& dIna D nspd f tr orri n auosc scr ythtCirsuutaurtrimceeret psemu inrf toeowr ni t IAGhlna lif pfrn oPsa rr s itto rtrhuihect eyt uN rApeerrt ei waoRosre risktoi ue rsca erse a
Research, Regulatory
The development of the present Networks were facilitated by Stewart Campbell
(Food Value Adding and Agri-Health), Darrel Toma (Bio-Products), and Scott Wright
(Sustainable Production). AARI will now establish Champions for the Networks to ensure
an ongoing renewal process.
Program Teams in the strategic areas are emerging through a number of mechanisms.
Proposals for work in these Network areas are under consideration by the entire funding
consortium as part of the current funding round. In addition, AARI anticipates a t argeted
call for proposals, and are currently supporting the development of program proposals
in targeted areas of focus.
7
New Beginnings from
^The Road Not Taken”
National Library of Canada
Bibliotheque nationale du Canada
Don Macyk, outgoing Executive Director of AARk brings
to light his perspective on the crossroads that research and
3286 52839499 8
development in Alberta's agriculture industry has reached.
Macyk offers his wish list of future accomplishments for
AARI as it moves forward in the quest for greater knowl-
edge and ever-better technology.
"Two roods diverged in o wood and I -
I t ook the one less travelled by,
And that has mode all the difference. "
- R obert Frost
Current events and circumstances
present a rare opportunity for Alberta's
research and development community
under the leadership of AARI and partners
to move forward in significant strides. The creates new possibilities for agriculture and forestry raw material; by-prod-
current transformation of the agriculture and food to intersect with health, phar- ucts substituting for non-renew-
and food industry (here and elsewhere) is macy, energy and forestry sectors in able raw materials; and (to borrow
driven internally by economic, social, and new products, technology, and sustain- a concept from Bill Flunter, Alberta
natural events on a scale not seen by this able practice development. Forestry Research Institute Co-Chair) a
writer. It i s driven externally by opportuni- • The will and incentives to create the finan- "cellulosis R&D capacity" to advance
ties and challenges arising from technology cial capacity and mechanisms needed value creation of this largely available,
development, changing consumer prefer- for a $ 20-30 billion agriculture and food low-value biological output.
ences, resource limitations, and so on. We sector. A n ew governance model is neces- 3. A s ocio-economic research capacity
are approaching a crossroads and need to sary to e nsure direction and account- integrated into the assessment of sci-
summon the will and courage to choose. ability requirements arising from the ence-based research undertakings, and
The emergence of an Alberta R&D R&D Strategic Business Plan are met. The as one of the multi-disciplinary compo-
Strategic Business Plan to harvest Funding Consortium can ensure stake- nents of r esearch programs and models.
today's capacities and build towards the holder needs and research and develop- 4. A p artnership among the four west-
outcomes needed for the future is the ment investments are aligned and serve ern provinces (preferably nationally)
beginning of building an enhanced com- as a mechanism for directing research to create the capacity to link food,
munity. Never before has the power of funds to the highest priority uses. nutrition, and health research in an
science and technology been so central • Enhanced research investment and innovative approach to enhance
to outcomes - economic, social and commitment in at least four areas: human health and wellness.
1. Creation of an animal research
environmental parameters - v ital to a b al-
anced quality of life. capacity integrating rumen microbi- "New possibilities" abound, a result of
To learn, to grow, to change, and to ology, nutrition, genomic, metabolic, more thoughtful approaches by all stake-
dream a l ittle are all essential to moving physiological, and human health holders, representing the public and their
forward. New possibilities can be very research capacities. Alberta would interests linked with a creative, innovative
motivating. I name but a f ew on my per- host the capacity to assess all physi- community. It all adds up to the will to
sonal wish list: ological, metabolic, behavioural, and "make a d ifference" - a h uge difference in
• A s trongly functioning provincial R&D resultant food quality, nutritional, my view: Everyone making their con-
Strategic Business Plan complete with and health impacts of our primary tribution to a n agreed plan with stretch
principles, goals, strategies. And a com- livestock sector. outcomes developed through processes of
mitment to b uilding toward the new 2. An Alberta Renewable Resource inclusion, knowledge sharing, awareness,
R&D capabilities and capacities neces- Managed Network to: develop lead- and the will to take the first step in the
sary to a chieve the outcomes needed ing-edge systems approaches for journey of a T housand Miles.
by our unique agriculture and food agriculture and forestry sustainabil- Don Macyk
industry today and tomorrow. ity; new products and technologies
• An "Alberta Life Sciences" initiative that focused on integrating agriculture Director Emeritus, AARI
Alberta Agricultural Research Institute The Link is a q uarterly newsletter published by the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute
9th Floor North, John E. Brownlee Building (AARI) that communicates with Alberta’s agriculture and research communities.
10365-97 Street, Edmonton, AB T5j 3W7 AARI is an institute established by the Alberta Science and Research Authority Act.
Tel: [phone] | Fax: [phone] [ www.aari.ab.ca Submissions and feedback are welcome.