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Kapuskasing Beef Research Farm seeks new opportunities

The 100 head of cattle may be gone at the Kapuskasing Beef Research Farm, but the facility is far from shutting its doors for good.
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The Kapuskasing Beef Research Farm was closed by the federal government last year, but it will be operated as an independent facility.

The 100 head of cattle may be gone at the Kapuskasing Beef Research Farm, but the facility is far from shutting its doors for good.

In the spring of 2012, the federal government announced the facility, which has been in operation since 1914, would close.

However, efforts have been underway to run it as an independent operation.

“We are currently in the process of refining a revised business plan,” said Kapuskasing Mayor Al Spacek. “We have changed our strategy somewhat, since originally we were going to keep the herd intact and have staff on hand to take care of them.”

The intent was to have research work start this summer but it was found that major companies, organizations and institutions have already made their research plans for the coming growing season. “There wasn’t the projects there that we anticipated,” he said. “Staffing will be minimal just to maintain the facility and now we are proposing a business development manager only, for a period of a year, to obtain the research opportunities for next year’s growing season.”

The research farm won’t be restricted to cattle, but will be open to any kind of agricultural research. It had conducted crop research in the past.

In order to maintain the integrity of the fields, they are being made available to local farmers to use this year.

The research farm has experienced costcutting measures throughout the years and last year’s announcement was part of the federal government’s austerity program.

“It was across- he-board cost cutting and we have been through this before,” Spacek said. “The facility is part of a cluster based in Quebec and when they announced the austerity measures, of between eight and 10 per cent, we were bracing for that kind of reduction.

“The other areas didn’t get a reduction and Kapuskasing’s was 100 per cent.”

At one time, the facility had a staff of about 30 but when it closed, there were 14 employees.

For the past 15 years, the station has been conducting advanced research that is unique in Canada on beef production in a northern zone.

It contributed to the development of a new type of meat called golden beef, which is produced without antibiotics or growth hormones.

“I am an optimist,” he said. “What hasn’t changed is the interest in the facility and the recognition of its importance and the role it can play, especially with the heightened level of activity and interest in agriculture now with climate change. In fact it highlights the need for it and there is a need for the data.”

Last year, Mennonites expressed an interest in establishing a community in the Kapuskasing area. They eventually decided on the Matheson area, but the mayor was told they would be back since there is not much land available in southern Ontario and it costs more.

“They were impressed with the amount of vacant agricultural land,” Spacek said. A land inventory study was conducted by the Northeast Community Network (from Hearst to Timmins and Matheson), and it identified a million acres of vacant Class 3 and Class 4 agricultural land.

“And that is the single largest block of underused or available agricultural land in North America,” he said.

Some challenges with that vacant land is that a lot of it is owned by nonresidents or absent landowners. The network is in the process of contacting them and making them aware of the opportunities available. The initiative to get the farm running independently has been supported by the federal government through its department of agriculture and FedNor.

On the provincial side, Premier Kathleen Wynne, in her capacity as agriculture minister, confirmed in writing that there could be joint opportunities for the research farm and the provincial agricultural research station in New Liskeard.

“Everyone has identified there are synergies there and opportunities. She recognized that and is committed to having her ministry work with us to further identify those opportunities,” Spacek said. “The research farm has been a part of our community for about 100 years and it is a great facility.”

www.kapuskasing.ca