Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced a $6.3 million dollars in Federal/Provincial funding for 24 livestock and forage related projects.

The money is dispersed through the Province’s Agriculture Development Fund.

Stewart says research project vary from studies around feed efficient beef cows and being able to select those traits in females for breeding to work relating to pink eye:

"Research around new vaccines strategies to prevent, pink eye, which would mitigate the significant cost to the industry, plus eliminate a lot of anti-biotic usages to cure pink eye."

Stewart says, also, both levels of government are contributing $2 million over two years to the new Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence at Clavet for operating funds.

Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart added that he is extremely pleased that Canada is involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

An agreement in principle has been reached with everything expected to be finalized sometime in March.

Stewart says this is good news for Saskatchewan’s agricultural exports:

"Were at an equal footing with all of our competitors in a market of 500 million people, and generally in a very fast growing economies with quickly improving standards of living, it's huge for us."

Federal Ag Minister Lawrence MacAulay says the agreement will provide new market access opportunities for a wide range of Canadian products, including meat, grains, pulses, maple syrup, wines and spirits, seafood and agri-food products.