Swift Current Research and Development Centre

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Post Office Box 1030
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
S9H 3X2

Telephone: 306-770-4400

Indian Head Research Farm
Post Office Box 760
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
S0G 2K0

Telephone: 306-695-5105

Email: aafc.swiftcurrentrdc-crdswiftcurrent.aac@canada.ca

Latitude: 50.280989
Longitude: −107.757953

The Swift Current Research and Development Centre was established in 1920 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in the semi-arid prairie region. The region where the Centre is situated encompasses 20 per cent of the arable land in Canada (the Brown soil zone). In addition, Swift Current Research and Development Centre research extends across the Dark Brown and Thin Black soil zones via the associated research site at Indian Head.

Canada is known worldwide for producing high performance and quality wheat, which researchers located at Swift Current have played, and continue to play a key role developing. Long-term-rotation field experimental plots have been in place at Swift Current for more than 40 years and at Indian Head for more than 50 years.

The Centre's mandate is to address severe drought, erosion, frost, pests, and crop disease related problems, and to provide support to the expanding settlements in the region characterized by a semi-arid climate.

Facilities at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre

• Research land base of 930 hectares in Swift Current. Forage researchers use about 575 hectares for forage and pasture, of which 140 hectares are native grasslands
• Research land base of 483 hectares in Indian Head
• Facilities for analytical chemistry, biotechnology, plant pathology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, soil chemistry, soil physics and salinity research
• Greenhouse and growth facilities, design and maintenance shops, field services laboratory, and animal husbandry facilities

Current research activities

New products, new users, new markets

• Breeding and developing common wheat and durum varieties that can adapt to dry land prairie conditions
• Developing the end-use quality of cereal varieties to meet the rigorous demands of domestic and export markets
• Identifying species that will diversify crops, reducing production risks associated with a single-product use of land
• Developing native plant materials for pasture and animal grazing

Improving production and management practices for sustainable growth

• Conducting research in sustainable practices for cereal, oilseed, pulse and green manure production
• Developing best management practices for specialty and alternative crops
• Conducting research in pasture and grazing management systems for beef that contribute to conserving and protecting the environment
• Conducting research in the management of tame and native pasture and grazing lands
• Developing land management systems to enhance soil and water quality

Protecting the environment and stimulating biodiversity

• Conducting studies on climate change and how it affects prairie agriculture
• Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle
• Determining the effects of pasture and grazing lands on the containment of carbon dioxide
• Determining the impact of agriculture on biodiversity, in particular native grasses, legumes and shrubs

Sector support and competitiveness through research

• Conducting genetic research to accelerate the breeding of new cereal products with desirable traits
• Conducting research and identifying the genes in grain that confer resistance to insects, diseases and weather, and that control grain quality
• Conducting research on specialty and alternative crops for Canada's prairies and determining how well they will adapt to their environment

Results of our research

Cereal and pulses

• Developed over 75 new varieties of wheat and durum. The Swift Current Research and Development Centre plays a key role in wheat breeding, which contributes to the strong market share of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-developed cultivars planted in Canada
• Developed rotational practices to enhance crop yields of cereals and pulses and reduce disease pressures

Forages and beef

• Developed dryland forages grown in the southern prairies and saline regions; generated ecological varieties for native species
• Demonstrated that seeding native species and diversifying seeding mixtures benefit livestock
• Supported research on environmental issues (biodiversity, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gases)
• Improved rangeland nutrition for cattle while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving rangeland health

Agro-ecosystem resiliency

• Developed minimum and zero tillage practices (cereals, oilseeds and pulses) increase yields, conserve soil moisture, enhance soil organic matter and soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gases, protect soils from wind and water erosion, and increase energy use efficiency and economic returns
• Developed methods to conserve surface crop residue, to protect soil from erosion, increase soil water conservation (snow trapping), and maintain/enhance soil organic matter and environmental sustainability
• Improved fertilizer management techniques (fertilizer rates, timing, nutrient sources, application methods) enhance grain yield and protein content, minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize economic returns
• Used long-term-rotation plots to assess sustainable production, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, net returns/risk and energy use, and the impacts of climate change; influenced Canadian GHG reduction targets/international negotiations
• Developed riparian buffers to protect fish habitat from agricultural chemical run-off
• Evaluated, improved and propagated over 50 tree and shrub species; genetic collection for breeding, climate change adaptation and preservation
• Developed and validated soil and crop models and decision support systems for the Prairies

Related information

• Improving Field Peas Yields in Western Canada (2016-10-12)
• Soil Nutrients and Phosphorus: The Molecular View (video) (2015-12-03)
• Pulses in Western Canadian crop rotations (2016-03-16)
• Long-term Study of Legacy Phosphorus (2015-07-30)
• Natural Resistance to Spots and Rots (2014-05-14)
• Wheat Breeding and Molecular Genetics: A Needle in a Haystack (2015-11-26)
• Foraging into the Future (2015-11-26)