It was announced Friday that the federal government will contribute $988,000 to a study that will explore the use of new and innovative technology to track hay and pasture production.

The research is being headed by by Dr. Lysa Porth in the Warren Centre for Actuarial Studies and Research at the University of Manitoba’s I.H. Asper School of Business.

Working with the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, the project consists of collaborative research with Alberta Beef Producers to use new satellite-based technology to reliably estimate forage growth at the farm level in each province.

“This project provides a tremendous opportunity to bring together leaders in agricultural risk management and insurance, both within Canada and internationally, across academia, the private sector and government," said Porth. "Satellite-derived approaches show promise for improving forage insurance, based on improved design that is cost-efficient, representative and reliable, however, more research and development is needed. Our team looks forward to working with the project partners and discussions with Canadian producers in order to help develop improved risk management for forage based on state-of-the-art technology.”

The goal is to develop a forage production index, which would form the basis for the development of new insurance tools.