A multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign for a centre proposing to tell the story of modern crop production in Canada was kicked off at Tourism Yorkton's headquarters at an event on Friday.
The new Western Canadian Crop Technology Interpretive Centre is planned to be a 6,000 square-foot facility containing interactive displays on agricultural technology and sustainability. It is to be built on city-owned land adjacent to the visitor centre south of Yorkton within about two and a half years.
Plans for the interpretive centre have been in the works for more than two years. The idea grew out of Tourism Yorkton's Crops of the Parkland walking tours, which have proven popular among visitors to Saskatchewan from around the world.
After a number of inquiries from local schools and the public, the organizers of the crop walking tours decided to "investigate taking it one step further," according to interpretive centre steering committee chair Thom Weir. They envisioned a year-round indoor facility that would operate in parallel to the summer tours, providing a more complete perspective on modern agriculture.
Development on the project had come far enough to be presented to the public this month. The contents of the interpretive centre are still under discussion, but Weir said that it will likely feature displays on modern seed varieties, pest management, food processing, designer crops, environmental sustainability, and precision technologies such as GPS and variable rate application. The business side of the industry will also be a subject discussed at the centre.
While the project's steering committee has received a small amount of provincial funding over the last two years to develop their idea, planners expect to rely exclusively on private sponsors for the facility's construction. At least two million dollars must be raised.
"We think that it's a big enough and a good enough story that hopefully agribusiness will be able to fund the whole thing," said Weir.
The fundraising campaign is anticipated to last about one year. Once the centre opens another year and a half later, it will require a budget of between 150 and 175 thousand dollars annually.
The centre, Weir believes, will be unique in Western Canada for its focus on modern approaches to agriculture. He therefore hopes it will draw tourists from a wide area.
The committee believes Yorkton is an ideal location for the interpretive centre because of its placement on the Trans-Canada Highway, its historical connection to agriculture, and its status as a modern centre of agribusiness.
Additionally, said Weir, the interpretive centre might get "lost" in a larger city, "but here's it's going to be the major attraction."
A website for the Western Canadian Crop Technology Interpretive Centre is planned to launch this week at www.westerncropcentre.ca.
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