$6.8M expansion completed at P.E.I. research farm

Improvements include spectrometer and new labs

Image | Harrington

Caption: MPs Lawrence MacAaulay and Wayne Easter stand with scientists at the new, expanded Agriculture Canada greenhouse in Harrington, P.E.I. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay joined researchers in Harrington, P.E.I., on Wednesday to celebrate the completion of major upgrades at the Agriculture Canada research farm.
The federal government invested $6.8 million in improvements at the facility.
The upgrades included $3 million for 10 new and renovated laboratories, a $1.3 million nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for soil research, and $2.5 million to double the size of the greenhouse to 392 square metres.

Image | Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay at podium

Caption: Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay outlines the upgrades to the Agriculture Canada research farm at a news conference Wednesday. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)

MacAulay, the MP for Cardigan, was joined by a number of recently hired researchers at the facility.
"This government is committed to innovation through world-class science and to helping farmers have access to the most current tools and knowledge," said MacAulay in a news release.
The news release said agricultural research is a key component in its goal to increase agri-food exports to $75 billion by 2025.