SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN – Four international technology companies have traveled to Saskatoon to showcase their agriculture innovations as part of SREDA’s first annual Agriculture Technology Harvest Program (HARVEST). HARVEST is a competition for agriculture technology companies to travel to Saskatoon and bring agriculture advancements from all corners of the globe to Saskatchewan farmers.
“Saskatchewan is known for its strong agriculture roots so the tremendous response to our first-ever HARVEST program was not surprising. We received 27 applications from companies in 12 countries applying to be a part of the program,” said Alex Fallon, President and CEO of SREDA. “This interest from global technology companies speaks volumes about Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector and Saskatoon as a hub for ag-technology and innovation.”
The four winning companies will be in Saskatoon from July 17-20 to attend and exhibit at Ag in Motion, network with industry leaders and showcase their technologies.
2017 HARVEST Winners
Beef Improvement Opportunities (BIO) is an Ontario based company presenting BioTrack, a data capture technology which provides insights for farmers, including pedigree, movements, health, scoring, etc. of beef, sheep, goats, and bison. A key feature of BioTrack is that it can be used on all smart phones and maintains usability outside of cell range. http://www.biooffood.com/
PBD Biotech Ltd. is a U.K. based company with proven technology for diagnosis of bacterial infections in animals. PBD Biotech’s technology enables the rapid detection and characterization of mycobacterial infections such as bovine tuberculosis in animals. The technology has applications in terms of disease control, herd movement, food safety, and epidemiology. http://www.pbdbio.com/
PlantArcBio Ltd. is an Israeli based company with a unique IP protected gene discovery platform. Currently discovered genes can improve drought tolerance and yield in main crops, such as Canola. Plant Arc Bio aims to bring productivity and performance to crops for the advancement of Global Food Security. www.plantarcbio.com
Simpson Biotech Co. Ltd. is a Taiwanese based company presenting innovative technology in the production of dietary supplements by fermentation and biotransformation. Their technology includes innovations in bacteria detection systems, fermentation of medicinal fungus, and the development and production of recombinant proteins and industrial enzymes. http://www.simpsonbiotech.com/?lang=2
“We are thrilled to be chosen as one of SREDA’s 2017 HARVEST program winners. We are looking forward to bringing our technology to Saskatchewan farmers, connecting with potential partners in the Saskatchewan agriculture industry and learning more about investing in the Saskatoon Region,” said Dror Shalitin, Founder and CEO of PlantArcBio Ltd.
The applicants were reviewed by the HARVEST Selection Committee. This committee consists of representatives from Saskatchewan organizations: Ag in Motion, Ag-West Bio, Farm Credit Canada, Innovation Saskatchewan, Morris Industries, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy and Westcap Mgt. Ltd.
“The selection committee was very impressed by the quality and scope of this year’s HARVEST applicants. The four winners each have innovative technologies that may benefit the Saskatchewan agriculture industry,” said Brad Bly, Director of Commercialization at Ag-West Bio.
HARVEST is an extension to SREDA’s EXPLORE program, held this past April, geared towards mining technologies. SREDA plans to continue these types of programs to globally promote the Saskatoon Region and support business attraction and investment to the Region.
