$3.75 Million Investment to Advance Regenerative Farming and Climate Resilience
The McKenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) has announced a significant investment of $3.75 million from a partnership spearheaded by McCain Foods, alongside other New Brunswick institutions. This funding is set to revolutionize digital agriculture, promote regenerative farming practices, and mitigate the impact of climate change on farmland.
Over the next five years, McCain Foods is dedicating $2.76 million to a project that replicates farming with regenerative agriculture practices. The goal is to enhance the global adoption of sustainable potato farming. This digital model will simulate the environmental and business impacts of regenerative agriculture, supporting McCain Foods’ commitment to implement regenerative agriculture across 100 percent of its global potato acreage by 2030.
“This investment will go a long way in supporting the future of New Brunswick’s agricultural landscape,” stated Hon. Frank McKenna, founder of the McKenna Institute at UNB. “In this exciting partnership with McCain Foods, we look forward to enhancing research and innovation in the field of digital agriculture while exploring sustainable practices through digital solutions.”
In addition to McCain Foods’ substantial contribution, ResearchNB, the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries, and the McKenna Institute are collectively contributing an additional $990,000. This combined investment marks a pivotal step toward fostering a sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape.
The investment will bolster agricultural research at UNB by creating a “digital twin” of McCain’s Farm of the Future in Florenceville, NB. This commercial-scale research farm demonstrates sustainable farming practices, yielding positive results in crop yield and quality while prioritizing soil health, water use, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Work at the Farm of the Future aims to reduce carbon emissions associated with farming and enhance the farm’s productivity and resilience.
“A key part of our effort to promote smart and sustainable farming is leveraging technology solutions to help us redefine the way we grow a potato,” said Max Koeune, President & CEO of McCain Foods. “This cutting-edge digital farm model will help potato farmers worldwide adopt practices that help regenerate soils, improve water management and biodiversity, and ensure a resilient farming operation.”
The initiative includes the establishment of a Chair in Digital Agriculture at UNB, with $1.5 million of the contribution allocated for this purpose. The Chair will oversee a range of research initiatives, including digital agriculture, crop simulation modeling, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), sensor data, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices to support these initiatives.
Additionally, the investment will support various academic-led research projects in agricultural science, regenerative agriculture, and smart farming practices, utilizing interactive analytics and digital twin technologies.
