Greetings from the Chair

On behalf of the Board, I want to share how excited we are that construction has begun on the new SARDA Ag Research building. The new facility is located southwest of the Town of Donnelly on Highway 2, adjacent to the Smoky Hemp Decortication building. After many years of diligently pursuing this goal together, the Board and the SARDA Ag Research team cannot wait to move in.

SARDA Ag Research had a good year with favorable conditions in which we were able to harvest and collect data. The research team is in the process of completing the analysis of samples and information so that it can be shared shortly. We welcomed new faces to the team, enabling us to accomplish the field work and extension workshops. We were pleased at how well these were attended by our local producers. Thank you for supporting these initiatives!

It is a big year coming up, with the much-anticipated return of the SARDA Agricultural Trade Show. The Trade Show would not have grown into what it is today without the dedication of Roch Bremont. As a Board and team, everyone at SARDA Ag Research would like to acknowledge the contributions Roch made to the event before his passing this September. We are grateful for all he has done.

Vance Yaremko, the manager of SARDA Ag Research, has been an advocate for operational funding that has stabilized the organization and contributed to our success. We are part of a group of 5 research organizations called Farmrite. Working together, we have been able to demonstrate a united front and continue to lobby the government for the necessary funds to keep these research organizations local and able to produce quality findings. We would like to encourage any producers who have found value in SARDA Ag Research to share their good news stories with their local MLAs and grain commission representatives. We hope to see continued support from the government so that we can benefit the farmers we impact directly.

Sincerely, Simon Lavoie