Page 3 June, 2020 SARDA Ag Research News
SARDA Ag Research during COVID-19
C
OVID has brought a lot of uncertainty into the workplace and SARDA Ag Research has not been immune. When the pandemic was declared and the new mandates were brought into play, staff were unsure if they would have a job during the summer of 2020. Even when Agriculture was declared an essential service, it was still unclear if research was included. Over time, staff was assured that research was included under the essential service umbrella. However, being assured that research in agriculture was included in the essential services list did not mean that operations did not have to change and adapt. Staff worked from home as much as possible, necessary meetings were held online, limiting staffs’ chances of contracting COVID. When staff needed to go to the office or the shop, they were still required to
observe social distancing and expected to observe sanitation protocols. Office access was restricted to staff only. With the imposed restrictions, the number of projects and the types of projects were reviewed and assessed. Staff evaluated the workload of each project as well as the ability of staff to observe social distancing and follow protocol duties. As a result, all trials are now local, our trial site near DeBolt let go for now. In order to maintain SARDA Ag Research’s renowned quality research, other projects needed to be cancelled or rejected due to the pandemic. The hiring of summer staff was also limited due to the restrictions. While dealing with the changes brought on by the pandemic, SARDA Ag Research was dealing with another huge change: the reduction in staff working for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. These staff were important sources of information and regular contributors to the SARDA Ag Research extension program through articles and presentations. The SARDA Ag Research extension program is currently identifying new revered unbiased sources. Another positive outcome has been the addition of Calvin Yoder, P.Ag., to staff, SARDA will fill the niche for producers needing reliable information on forage seed production. Behind the scenes, the extension program was already slated for a major overhaul, but the changes in the industry and the changes brought about by COVID have expedited this. Summer field tour events and crop walk events have been cancelled. We are working on the creation of videos and short clips to extend information in place of these events. The trial sites will still be open and if you would like a private tour of the plots, contact us
