SPUD Unit investment will help growers access crop research and healthy plants to support sector growth

Enhancements will be made to the Superior Plant Upgrading and Distribution (SPUD) Unit in New Liskeard thanks to an investment of up to $330,000 from the governments of Canada and Ontario through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP).

The SPUD Unit supports farmers and the wider agriculture and food industry by offering testing for plant diseases and providing a stock of healthy plants to commercial growers across the province.

This investment will enable a variety of capital and equipment upgrades to the SPUD Unit facility, improving the ability to anticipate, detect, mitigate and reduce plant diseases and pests along the supply chain, benefitting potato, berry, garlic, sweet potato and hazelnut growers in the province.

The SPUD Unit is operated by the University of Guelph and funded in part by the Ontario Agri-food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, and the University of Guelph to advance research and innovation.

“The University of Guelph is proud to work with our provincial partners to provide infrastructure that enables cutting-edge research and innovation,” said Dr. Rene Van Acker, incoming Vice-President (Research and Innovation) at the University of Guelph. “We welcome this critical investment that will support Ontario’s agri-food sector.”

Read the full story: Governments Investing in Seed Facility to Support Economic Growth | Ontario Newsroom