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Organic Sector Market Development Initiative

The Organic Sector Market Development Initiative (OSMDI) provides funding for research and market development projects designed to strengthen Western Canada's organic grain industry.

In the last three years, the OSMDI program has awarded $200,000 per year to research projects across the Prairies.

For 2010-2011 Crop Year

The OSMDI will not be taking new project applications this year, as financial support has already been committed to ongoing projects from previous years.

Below is a list of the projects supported through the OSMDI fund. Multiple year projects that continue to receive funding for 2010-11 are marked with an asterix (*).

2007-2008 OSMDI program

  • University of Manitoba: Supplying nitrogen to organic wheat using traditional and novel legume systems: Effect of tillage on nitrogen use efficiency and water.*
  • Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) Cereal Research Centre: Developing testing capacity for identification of superior wheat cultivars adapted to organic crop management.
  • Organic Food Council of Manitoba, Growing Organic Marketing Options: Market Research and Growers Cooperative proposal.
  • Western Applied Research Corporation (WARC): Precision Shallow Cultivation in Organic Production.
  • Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada: State of organic wheat and barley science review and research facilitation.
  • Mackenzie Applied Research Association (MARA): Evaluation of organic wheat production practices; organic crop production extension activities.
  • Going Organic Alberta: Conference
  • Organic Connections: Conference

2008-2009 OSMDI program

  • AAFC and Western Alfalfa Milling Co. Ltd: Relative effectiveness of various amendments in preventing nutrient deficiencies under organic crop production.*
  • Going Organic Conference
  • AAFC Saskatoon: An organic option for broadleaved weed control in cereals using a microbial bioherbicide.
  • University of Saskatchewan, Crop Development Centre: Selecting spring wheat for improved competitive ability – proof of concept.*
  • University of Manitoba: Multiple-use green manure crops for organic wheat production.*
  • University of Saskatchewan: Plant root simulator probes for field assessments of sulphur, nitrate and phosphate mineralization in organically managed soils.*
  • Western Applied Research Corporation: Effectiveness and target applications for precision shallow cultivation technology developed for organic production.*
  • Canadian Organic Growers: Transition to Organic Farming workshops.*

2009-2010 OSMDI program

  • Organic Connections Conference
  • AAFC Swift Current and AAFC Winnipeg: Field Demonstrations of wheat, durum, barley and pulse cultivars, characterization of spring wheat cultivars and breeding lines for reaction to root/crown rot.*
  • Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development and Alberta Organic Producers Association: Development of live-mulch cropping systems for organic cereal production in the Prairies.*
  • MARA: Evaluating the Effectiveness and target applications for the precision shall cultivation technology developed for organic production.

Changes to the OSMDI program 2009-2010

The OSMDI forms a new partnership with the Organic Federation of Canada and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada.

With the support of the OSMDI committee, which includes four organic farmers, the CWB is cooperating with the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC) on The Growing Forward "Organic Science Cluster". The OSMDI is an industry sponsor for cereals research and, from 2009 to 2013, will contribute $379,869 to the fund. Some of the lead cereal scientists who will receive funding through this program have been recipients of OSMDI funding in past years. The organic sector (including the CWB) is providing 25% matching cash contributions, while the federal government is providing 75% — over the next four years this represents just over $1,519,000 that will be invested in organic research thanks to the OSMDI. This is a win-win situation for the organic sector.

Here are the Organic Science Cluster projects that are receiving funding from the OSMDI:

  • Nova Scotia Agricultural College, AAFC Saskatchewan, University of Guelph: Characterizing soil phosphorus dynamics and availability under organic crop production.*
  • AAFC Swift Current: Predictive tools for characterizing mycorrhizal contributions to phosphorus uptake by organic crops.*
  • University of Saskatchewan: Changing weed populations under long-term organic crop production.
  • AAFC Winnipeg: Organic cereal crop breeding.*
  • University of Manitoba: Low-tillage grain production systems that suppress weeds and minimize tillage.*
  • University of Manitoba: Integrated grain-based cropping systems for biological and economic sustainability.*

For more information about the OSMDI program, contact Donna Youngdahl (donna_youngdahl@cwb.ca or 204-983-5799) or Patty Rosher (patty_rosher@cwb.ca or 204-984-1626).