Lacombe County responds to sudden closure of Lacombe Research and Development Centre

Lacombe County is expressing deep concern and disappointment following the federal government’s sudden announcement that the Lacombe Research and Development Centre will be closed. This long‑standing agricultural research station has been a cornerstone of innovation, scientific advancement, and community identity in Central Alberta for more than a century.

Impact on the Community
The County is deeply concerned about the immediate human impact. More than 100 employees and their families are affected, along with industry partners and research collaborators who rely on the Centre’s unique infrastructure, land base, and scientific expertise.

“It is disappointing to hear about the potential closure of the Lacombe Research Station. The Station has served as a centre for agricultural innovation for 120 years and has benefited not only Central Alberta but all of Western Canada,” said Lacombe County Reeve John Ireland.

“The Research Station holds a proud legacy, but the key concern is the loss of the current trial program, which could help keep Canada at the top of global agricultural production. Lacombe County, and the agriculture community as a whole, hopes that this decision will be reconsidered, given the irreplaceable benefits of the institution.”

Impact on Research Capacity
The loss of long‑term research capacity is particularly troubling. Across the Prairies, agricultural research programs with decades of continuous data — including organic research plots in Saskatchewan maintained for nearly 20 years — are being abandoned due to similar federal cuts. Closing the Lacombe Research and Development Centre will mean losing more than a century of continuous agricultural research, work that cannot simply be restarted elsewhere. At a time when food security, climate resilience, and innovation are more important than ever, dismantling this infrastructure is short‑sighted.

“We are a proud agricultural region, and the work done at this station has shaped farming practices not just here, but across the Prairies. Closing it sends a troubling message about the value placed on rural communities and the producers who feed this country,” said Reeve Ireland.

The closure also creates significant uncertainty for agricultural organizations and producer groups that depend on the Centre’s laboratories, greenhouses, research plots, and technical expertise. Other provinces are already reporting uncertainty about how their programs will continue without federal support — concerns shared by Lacombe County.

Loss of Independent Research
The loss of unbiased, public‑interest research capacity will be one of the most significant consequences of this closure. For decades, the Lacombe Research and Development Centre has provided producers with independent, science‑based information that is not influenced by commercial interests. This work has supported informed decisions on production practices, emerging technologies, crop and livestock management, and long‑term sustainability.

The County worries that once federal, arm’s‑length research capacity is diminished, producers will be left with fewer trusted sources of information — a gap that cannot be easily filled by private industry or short‑term project funding. Losing this centre creates a serious gap in trusted, independent support for farmers at a time when innovation and resilience are more important than ever.

Next Steps

Lacombe County is calling on the federal government to pause this decision, engage in meaningful dialogue with local governments and agricultural stakeholders, and fully assess the long‑term economic, scientific, and community impacts before proceeding.

“For more than a century, this research station has been a fixture of agricultural advancement in Western Canada. You cannot easily replicate 119 years of research history, specialized land, and long‑term trials elsewhere. Once this site is lost, it’s gone forever,” said Reeve Ireland

The public may also voice their concerns by contacting the Minister of Agriculture and Agri‑Food at: aafc.minister-ministre.aac@agr.gc.ca.

Losing this historically undisturbed research land — with its unique long‑term data sets, specialized infrastructure, and nationally relevant research programs — would represent a permanent setback for agricultural innovation in the region.