Lethbridge Research and Development Centre

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

5403 1st Avenue South
Lethbridge, Alberta
T1J 4B1

Telephone: 403-327-4561

Email: aafc.lethbridgerdc-crdlethbridge.aac@canada.ca

Latitude: 49.700404
Longitude: −112.763215

Search Research projects from the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre to learn more about what we do.

The Lethbridge Research and Development Centre was established in 1906 and is one of the largest facilities within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's research network. It includes the main research centre, located on the outskirts of the city, and the Vauxhall Research Farm, about 80 kilometres northeast of Lethbridge.  Vauxhall supports the Centre's activities on commercial crops grown under irrigation.

The Centre conducts research in seven sector strategies:

• Agro-ecosystem Resilience
• Cereals
• Dairy, Pork, Poultry and Other Livestock
• Forages and Beef
• Horticulture
• Oilseeds
• Pulses

Facilities at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre

• The Centre is located in Lethbridge, southern Alberta, in an area of ​​the province where dry and irrigated agriculture is practiced
• 25,000 square metres of laboratory/office complex and 500 hectares of adjacent land
• Insect-microbial containment facility
• Greenhouse and controlled climate growth facilities
• Facilities for sheep and beef cattle, including a research feedlot and feedmill
• Weather station with over 100 years of climate records
• Research farm at Vauxhall with 190 hectares under irrigation and drainage research

Current research activities

• Conducting research in new technologies to advance the efficiency, profitability and environmental sustainability of beef production
• Gaining additional knowledge of the health and welfare of cattle
• Conducting integrated crop management research to produce crops that are suitable for dry and irrigated lands, and are sustainably adapted to the Canadian prairies
• Breeding crop varieties (dry beans, forages, potatoes, triticale, wheat) with improved yield, quality, and disease and insect resistance
• Conducting research on soil fertility and conservation of soil and water resources
• Discovery research in plant and animal microbiomes, health and breeding tools
• Conducting research on new management strategies to control weeds, crop and livestock pests, while maintaining environmental quality

Results of our research

Forages and beef; dairy, pork, poultry and other livestock

• Conducted research on composting as a safe and economical method for disposing of specified risk material has led the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to consider changing the policy and modifying the present recommendations to allow composting to be used as a method for the disposal of specified risk materials
• Beef production today produces 14% less greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of beef, including 14% less methane, compared with 30 years ago as a result of increased efficiency in production
• Influenced and improved practices in the industry: the cattle sector has adopted recommendations and best management practices in cattle welfare and transportation based on our research
• Developed new products and processes to meet consumers' expectations of food safety regulations which have led to proper identification of food-borne human pathogens, epidemiology and tracking of confirmed contaminations along the food chain, from feedlots to retailers

Agro-ecosystem resilience

• Developed novel tools to measure enteric methane and ammonia production (and their mitigation by diet), pesticides and other residues in soils and water
• Developed remote sensing methods and sustainability metrics modeling, for example HOLOS
• Improved agronomic systems and techniques that decrease crop loss to insects and diseases and reduce pesticide use to increase sustainability
• Established biological control of invasive plants (weeds) and insect pests as a recognized method to reduce pesticide use
• Developed best management practices for reducing pesticide contaminants at the farm level and for protecting water quality

Cereal and pulses − oilseeds − horticulture

• Developed adapted Winter Wheat, Soft White Spring Wheat and Canada Prairie Spring wheat varieties, many adopted by the industry
• Released dry bean germplasm adapted to dryland and irrigated production systems through public-private partnership (3P) breeding initiative
• Potato improvement and pest management through development of integrated resistance and biocontrol
• Developed best management practices for tracking and mitigating late blight and new potato diseases