Agriculture committee  Yes. We've just signed an agreement with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which was formed under the North American Free Trade Agreement, to see that production in all three countries in that agreement was operating more or less under the same parameters from the env

Agriculture committee  You're right. It is quite a challenge. The dairy industry uses alfalfa very aggressively and takes two, three, four cuts a year, and then replants every four or five years to maintain that productivity. There's a fairly robust market in alfalfa. I think it's true though that most

Agriculture committee  I'm going to defer to Ron's understanding of that game for comment.

Agriculture committee  Well, I don't think it's ever a dead issue. I think one of the examples of where the private sector has left a void at present is in inoculants for legumes. Alfalfa is fine. There's lots of alfalfa being grown and seeded, so there are alfalfa inoculants. But we have a new variety

Agriculture committee  I think for us, as I said in the presentation, the forage industry is primarily used by the beef industry and the dairy industry in Canada. Where we see ourselves fitting is in making the production of beef and dairy more economical within Canada, which then would certainly benef

Agriculture committee  No. I'm happy to say that at today's prices, and under our current business plan and management, our beef operation looks very good. The challenge with producing forages that will support that beef industry is that we need a focused agenda on the part of industry and government t

Agriculture committee  I'll let Ron take that one. He's probably more up-to-date on that field than I am.

Agriculture committee  Well, we think that because of the environmental piece that provides benefits to all Canadians, there's a case to be made for public dollars to be spent on forage variety development, because when they end up on the landscape, they provide for healthier soils and more biodiversit

Agriculture committee  I certainly can. The reality of the forage industries is they are perennial producers. If a plant breeder develops a forage variety that works very well, one of the attributes I want is long-term survivability and productivity. I have some in my pastures that are now 15 years o

Agriculture committee  It's Doug Wray from Calgary. I'm going to make the presentation. We very much appreciate the opportunity to speak to you about the innovation in the forage and grassland industry. My name is Doug Wray. By way of introduction, my wife Linda and I operate a family ranch at Irrica