Brooks (Rural Roots Canada) – There’s a new owner of the agricultural research facility near Brooks, Alberta, which has been known for decades as the Crop Diversification Centre – South (CDC).
The County of Newell is the new leaseholder for the research facility and fields, having secured a ten-year lease from Alberta Infrastructure.
They have wasted no time in hitting the ground running, since signing the lease on April 1.
The CDC-South is a unique example of the evolving agricultural research landscape in Alberta that has been unfolding since the province decided to divest itself of many agricultural research projects and facilities in 2020.
County of Newell Director of Agricultural Services Todd Green speaks with enthusiasm as he discusses the potential this project holds for the region.
“We saw a relatively underutilized facility, and an economic development opportunity, and we think there’s value in having management of this facility be local. We’re able to be very nimble in our decision-making abilities and our use of the facility,” says Green.
The Crop Diversification Center South features research fields, a greenhouse complex, multiple specialized laboratories, a workshop, and several other buildings, making this facility one with great potential.
READ MORE: Research Associations in Alberta to Share $3.2 Million in Ag-Research Funding
Green says they are now busy upgrading facilities with an arbitrary deadline of September 1, when they will welcome in tenants.
“We have some wonderful partners already on board, people utilizing the Ag research lands. We have people who are interested in utilizing other facilities. We just need to inject a little capital funding into them to bring them up to 2025 standards.”
Green says it will be no small task to get it ready by the beginning of September, but they will be ready on time.
“If somebody’s out there that is a research organization or has something that they want to research, we want to be their landlord.”
For more information, visit the CDC’s website.
