MLA Jennifer Johnson advocates for Lacombe Research and Development Centre

EDMONTON -- Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson is denouncing Ottawa's plans to close the Lacombe Research and Development Centre.

This comes after a federal government decision was made in January to pull funding for the agricultural research hub, which has been a staple of the ag community for more than 119 years in Central Alberta. One of the many areas the research facility has improved over its time in operation is beef production, in terms of yield, quality, safety, and preservation. The planned closure has raised serious concerns across Central Alberta and the Canadian agricultural industry. The Centre employs more than 100 staff and has been a pillar of agricultural innovation for over a century.

Speaking in the Alberta Legislature on Feb. 25, Johnson issued a Minister's statement regarding the matter:

"In January, the federal government announced its plans to close the Lacombe Research and Development Centre. This facility is one of Alberta’s oldest and most important agricultural institutions. For nearly 120 years, this centre has supported western Canadian farmers with practical research. The feds think they’re going to save a few dollars in the short term with this decision, but we know that every dollar invested into agriculture yields $20 to $40, maybe $63 back in return. In the long term it’s a massive blow to the future innovation on the prairies. This decision puts more than a hundred researchers and staff out of work, and the province loses an essential source of local expertise.

Mr. Speaker, this centre has been a staple for research specifically tailored to the prairies and our unique needs. From developing robust crop varieties to improving livestock feed, the work done here is designed for local producers, not offices in downtown Ottawa. This station has produced the Lacombe pig, top five in Canada, which now feeds Albertans, Canadians, and people world-wide. It is the only federally inspected abattoir, which ensures that we are producing the highest quality meat that we all enjoy. Mr. Speaker, our scientists were the developers and early adopters of the technology now used to predict marbling, framing a path to value-based grading and branding of Alberta beef.

When that kind of knowledge disappears, it’s not easily replaced. Today it hosts more than $5 million in active provincial research projects focused on practical solutions that are improving livestock production, developing disease-resistant, drought-tolerant crops, optimizing soil and forage management, and supporting sustainable farming practices. Cutting this centre jeopardizes the very tools and expertise that keep western Canadian agriculture competitive, resilient, and on the cutting edge of innovation so that we can continue feeding the world. The message is clear: agriculture cannot thrive without strong, locally grounded research."

Meantime, Lacombe Mayor Thalia Hibbs and Lacombe County Reeve John Ireland have been invited to appear as witnesses before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to speak on the impacts of the federal government's planned closure of the Lacombe Research and Development Centre.