New university studies on grain could bring future opportunities to northern farmers and the local economy.

UNBC researchers are exploring new ways to grow grain in the region's climate. The first level of study is now complete and the UNBC scientists are ready to talk about these preliminary results and take feedback from grain producers about setting up the next level of experimentation.

“Agriculture research is new to UNBC, and having had our first grain variety trial last summer on campus, we’re eager to share the results with producers in the region and hear what they think our next step could be,” said Scott Green, associate professor at UNBC.

The study compared 10 varieties of barley under varying levels of water stress to see which varieties might perform better under different conditions. Green and graduate student Serena Black worked closely with producers in the Omineca region to help choose varieties to compare.

“We wanted to make sure research was relevant to the producers and that our results would be useful,” said Green.

Green and the research team will be hosting a workshop on Feb. 23 to connect with producers and identify future research priorities for the region.

"The morning session is open to the public and will provide an overview of current agricultural initiatives in the region, with particular focus on emerging agricultural projects and activities at UNBC," Green said. "The afternoon session is open to producers and agri-businesses interested in grain production. Researchers and producers will have focused discussions around challenges and opportunities of northern agriculture."

Those interested should RSVP by Jan. 31 by contacting workshop organizer, Serena Black at bla...@unbc.ca, or 250-960-7800. Please indicate which session(s) you are interested in - both are free to attend.