by the Associated Press
Officials in three Canadian provinces and six northern U.S. states are launching an effort to brand the region as the potential provider of protein to the world.
The “Protein Highway” project aims to encourage scientists to work together and share information on protein-rich crops, said Kevin Kephart, South Dakota State University’s vice-president for research and economic development.
That could lead to research that would aid farmers and also help entrepreneurs take new food products to market, he said.
“There’s no place on the globe that can produce as much protein as we can,” Mr. Kephart said.
Canadian researchers David Gauthier and Larry Sernyk estimate the demand for animal protein will double by 2040 as the world’s population increases.
High-protein crops such as lentils, dry beans and dry peas have great potential throughout the “Protein Highway” region, which encompasses Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta north of the border and the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana and Iowa south of the border, the Canadian researchers said.
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Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS, Crop of lentils in Wibaux Co., MT. Summer 2007
