MFGA Aquanty Project Accelerates for Assiniboine River Basin

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MFGA Aquanty Project Accelerates for Assiniboine River Basin Province of Manitoba officially signs on to flood and drought planning model Winnipeg, Mb (Sept 7, 2016)--- The pieces are all falling into place for the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) Aquanty modelling project for the Assiniboine River Basin. Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler recently signed the province’s commitment to the $1.7 million project, adding his signature to Agriculture Canada Minister Lawrence MacAulay’s on the project. “The Manitoba government is a proud partner on this project,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. “This work will enhance the scientific understanding of how the landscape is affected by flooding and drought, as well as the practices available to farmers that may prevent or minimize these challenges.” Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Growing Forward 2, AgriRisk Initiative is the primary funding partner committing $1,145,800 while Manitoba Agriculture is the secondary funding partner, committing $180,000 to the two-year project through Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The remainder of the $1,732,300 total project funding will be provided by partners and supporters via a combination of in-kind and cash contributions. The official signings, says Henry Nelson, MFGA’s vice chair and Aquanty project lead, mark a watershed moment for the project going forward. “Recent flood events in the Assiniboine River Basin have resulted in significant crop losses, property and infrastructure damage, leading to unprecedented Agri-Recovery claims above and beyond crop insurance,” says Nelson. “This project seeks to develop new risk management tools to reduce the impact of extreme flood or drought events for the agricultural industry within the Basin by identifying preventative measures, implementing risk prevention and mitigation activities, all with the intention of lessening the need for government disaster programming in response to such events.” The MFGA’s Aquanty project will encompass the Assiniboine, Qu’Appelle and Souris sub-basins, as well as a more detailed drill down on the Birdtail watershed located in the upper reaches of the Assiniboine sub-basin. The project has two key objectives – (1) to develop the customized, user friendly integrated hydrologic model for the Basin, and (2) to develop a detailed model-based assessment of how perennial forages, grasslands and wetlands influence the hydrologic characteristics of the Basin under conditions ranging from flood to drought, and may play a key role in moderating/mitigating the risks of flooding and drought. At the end of the project’s two year term, MFGA will be one of two licence holders for the final model, the other being AAFC. MFGA is currently developing a strategy that will ensure that all the key stakeholders are aware of the opportunity to access the model for their best decisions going forward. “It is anticipated that the model could become a standardized platform for a number of different stakeholders, including multiple levels of government, research institutes, and NGOs who want to perform targeted hydrologic analyses and research across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales within the ARB,” says Nelson. “Individuals such as primary agricultural producers and/or the business sector such as the oil and gas sector, may utilize the model on a much smaller scale, right down to individual fields or properties.” -30-

MFGA interacts with tens of thousands of Manitobans through our communications, collaborative projects, and outreach that promote the importance and well-being of Manitoba`s forages and grasslands. On a national scale, MFGA proudly partners with like-minded groups across Canada.

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For More information: Duncan Morrison, MFGA Executive Director P: 204-770-3548, e:[email protected] website: www.mfga.net MFGA Aquanty Project Backgrounder August 2016 Funding for the MFGA’s Aquanty project is chiefly provided by an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Agri-Risk Initiatives (ARI) Program – Research and Development Stream funding commitment of $1,145,800 and Manitoba Agriculture’s commitment of $180,000 to the two-year project. The remainder of the $1,732,300 total project funding will be provided by partners and supporters via a combination of in-kind and cash contributions. Term of the Project: March 1, 2016 -March 31, 2018 Applicant/Recipient: Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) Primary Funder/Program: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Growing Forward 2, AgriRisk Initiative Secondary Funding Partner: Manitoba Agriculture, Growing Forward 2, federal-provincial-territorial Initiative. Key Partner: The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI) Core Contractors: 1. Aquanty Inc: Aquanty Inc.’s core technology is the hydro geosphere (HGS) hydrologic simulation software. Aquanty Inc. uses a range of high performance computing resources to run physically complex simulations of water movement through surface water and groundwater flow systems. 2. ISM/IBM: ISM, sub-contracted to Aquanty Inc., will develop a web based data analytics system (based on the Cognos platform) to interpret the output from the HGS model for the ARB and its major subbasins,and will provide user friendly interfaces for multiple stakeholders to interact with the HGS output. Steering Committee: Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS), Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP), Manitoba Conservation Districts Association (MCDA), Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District (UARCD), Brandon University (BU), Assiniboine Community College (ACC), Manitoba Sustainable Development, Manitoba Infrastructure, Manitoba Agriculture, City of Minot, North Dakota, Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI) Aquanty Inc. Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) Letters of Support International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC), Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA), Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC), and Prairie Improvement Network (PIN). Governance: Project Management Team comprised of MFGA and ARBI will oversee project. Steering Committee of key supporters will provide feedback and liaison to their organizations.

Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association

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