Dependable agriculture research services that yield data where it counts.

Research Crew

Research Team

New Era Ag supports a research division that tests new varieties and crop input products under the local growing conditions.

The research team also offers contract research services for companies looking to collect data on their products in a short-season zone.

Our dedicated research staff has expertise in data analysis, local crop agronomy, field trial management and data management. Five full-time staff and a team of seasonal employees make up the New Era Ag Research team.

Our Mission

To provide the industry with a source of reliable and dependable research expertise that will aid in bringing their new and innovative products to our local farming community and abroad.

Field Trials

New Era Ag Technologies provides contract research services in the areas of product and variety evaluations. These services are offered in large field-scale plots and small plots based on individual protocols and customer needs. Cooperation from local producers allows us to test crop input products and crop varieties under a variety of soil conditions and rainfall patterns in the Swan Valley. All research fields are mapped for optimum placement of trials to reduce environmental variability. New Era Ag Research is the only contract research organization in the northern cropping zone of Manitoba.

Testimonials

“This is my third season working with the New Era research team. It is always exciting to go into a new year and plan the program. Meghan always has ideas, is flexible, and for me, sure accommodating as I change my mind on the go. Always professional, a joy to work with, and gets it done. Don’t know how she handles the workload, but I believe it is due to the cohesiveness of the team, and great leadership.”

Mike Dolinksi

Director of Science & Innovation, Taurus Ag

“Meghan and her team have been integral in helping us research our EcoTea biological line of products for the past 4 years. The thoroughness of her team’s written and video reports throughout the season, and the attentiveness her staff provide our team throughout the trial process give us great confidence in the data we get from their winter and summer trial sites.”
Dale Overton

CEO, Overton Environmental

Confidential trials can be conducted to assess the efficacy of:

  • Granular, pre-emergent and in-crop herbicides
  • Seed treatments (insecticide, fungicide, growth regulators, and micronutrients)
  • Inoculants (on seed and granular technologies)
  • Foliar fungicides
  • Foliar and granular fertilizers and micronutrient products
  • Spray adjuvants
  • Plant growth regulators

Crop input and variety evaluations of the following crops are available:

  • Cereal crops (spring wheat, barley, oats, rye)
  • Annual forages
  • Canola
  • Flax
  • Mustard
  • Soybeans 
  • Peas 
  • Faba beans
  • Quinoa 
  • Buckwheat
  • Blackbeans
Avg.* Climate Statistics
May 15 - Sept 30 (139 Days)
CHU
2100-2200
GDD (above 5°C)
1450-1500
Precipitation
230-250mm
Avg. date of last spring frost
May 25- May 28
Avg. date of first Fall frost
Sept 11- Sept 16
Frost-free days
105 - 115
Summer solstice day length
16.75

*Average represents 50% risk.

Capabilities & Specializations

The research farm is comprised of 3-5 sites per season that are chosen based on crop rotations and soil type requirements for each crop type and trial design. Disease screening for many plant pathogens native to the area is offered and includes fusarium head blight, sclerotinia, blackleg, clubroot, downy mildew, powdery mildew, phoma stalk rot, mycosphaerella, ascochyta, chocolate spot, cereal rust and leaf diseases. In 2020, a clubroot nursery was established to test new methods of disease control. Variety and breeding line evaluation services are also offered in all crop types suitable to the growing region.

Internal Research Program

As the only independent retail in the Swan River Valley, New Era Ag also conducts in house research trials under the unique conditions of the Swan River Valley to help make accurate recommendations to New Era customers. We conduct unbiased trials to test new products, compare competitive products, assess variety performance and research emerging agronomic practices. Data is presented during winter meetings hosted in the New Era Ag Boardroom. (winter meeting schedule)

Research Crew

Protocols and Reports

We provide assistance in protocol development for field and grow room trials to ensure all assessment data meets your needs.

Field trial protocols can be submitted between January and March of the growing season. Three seasons are made each year in the grow room and a lead time of up to 4 months prior to the anticipated start date may be required.

Marketing photographs and videos are available from aerial drone images, timelapse cameras and photo box photography. All statistical analysis of trial data is completed in Agriculture Research Management (ARM) Software. Final reports are provided in MS Word, Excel or ARM software formats as per client requests. Trial costs are dependent upon trial duration, treatment and assessments types, number of replications and treatments.

Grow Room

New Era Ag Research offers year-round research trials in a fully automated 385 square foot indoor grow room facility. Crops tested to date include all regional crop types as well as potato, mint, basil, tomato, cucumber, petunia, gerbera daisy. Clubroot screening, soil substrate testing, pesticide tolerance, abiotic stress screening, F1 generation seed increase and fertilizer product efficacy trials are examples of grow room projects conducted to date.

Facility Specifications

Artificial lighting in the facility is provided by full-spectrum LED Spyder light fixtures and controlled along with temperature and humidity using an automated environmental control system. The industrial vinyl floor and PVC wall covering throughout facilitate clean-up and sanitizing. Fans are adjusted to maintain adequate airflow and ambient carbon dioxide levels. The municipal water supply is ran through a Reverse Osmosis system and tested monthly. 

The grow room capacity is 58 three-gallon pots or ~711 one-gallon pots situated on fifteen independent wheeled drainage carts. Blends of peat, soil and sand substrates are offered as per crop and client requirements. There are several fertilizer programs to suit the growing needs for optimum crop development.

Cannabis Research

Licensing and Training

New Era Ag Research holds a Cannabis Research License in accordance with Health Canada’s Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations. The building meets all the necessary security requirements and standard operating procedures for cannabis research. All laboratory analysis of cannabis material is performed with A & L Cannabis Labs, Guelph, Ontario.

Our staff members have certificates from the Cannabis Production Program from Olds College and the Cannabis Industry Specialization program from Assiniboine Community College. This training partnered with years of agronomy experience makes us well equipped to help bring your products to market. 

Protocol Development

Protocols for cannabis research projects should be submitted to New Era Ag six months prior to the planting date to allow for permitting through the CTLS system. We provide assistance in protocol development to ensure all assessment data meets your needs. 

 Marketing material in photograph and video form is available as part of the data package. Project timelines are usually limited to 4 months maximum to allow for three full projects per year, although projects shorter in duration are also welcome. Efficacy and tolerance trials of new or experimental products can be carried out at various stages of plant growth from seed or clones. Both seeds and clones are obtained from licensed suppliers within Canada.

For additional information, or to request a quote, please contact:
Meghan Rose M.Sc. B.Sc. (Ag.)
204-734-5795
neweraagresearch@gmail.com