Dr. David Feindel, director, Plant and Bee Health and CDC North site director, Agriculture and Irrigation, and Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Tara Sawyer

Dr. David Feindel, director, Plant and Bee Health and CDC North site director, Agriculture and Irrigation, and Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Tara Sawyer

Since its beginnings in 1951 when it took root as a tree nursery, Alberta’s Crop Diversification Centre North (CDC North) has been a nucleus for collaborative research and crop health surveillance. It has expanded from just 18 acres on a former federal government fur farm just outside of Edmonton, to 340 acres that is home to nine greenhouses, the Alberta Plant Health Lab, the Bee Health Unit and Western Canada’s only seed potato repository.

CDC North has evolved and grown to keep pace with changes in the agriculture sector, collaborating with industry and post-secondary institutions on research, diagnostics and more to provide farmers with the information they need for long-term planting success to continue what they need to thrive and continue Alberta’s legacy as a global agriculture powerhouse.

“From strengthening crop health to fighting diseases and helping protect Alberta’s farmland, CDC North has been leading the way in agriculture research, crop health surveillance and more. For 75 years, the work done on this site has had an outsized impact on Alberta’s ag sector, and it’s worth celebrating. Congratulations to everyone who played a key role in making CDC North such a massive success, and all the best in the next 75 years.”

Tara Sawyer, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Some notable successes from CDCN include a provincial tree nursery, which at its peak distributed 3.5 million seedlings every year for farmers across the province for shelterbelts; the Alberta Plant Health Lab, which provides diagnosis for Dutch Elm Disease, protecting nearly a billion dollars worth of elms; and an on-site clubroot disease nursery in collaboration with the University of Alberta.

“Crop Diversification Centre North has supported Alberta agriculture for 75 years. With the potato repository and Alberta Plant Health Lab located on site, CDCN has a strong connection to Alberta’s potato industry. We are proud to be part of its history and look forward to its continued role serving the province’s agricultural sector.”

Stacey Bajema, director, government relations, Policy and Seed, Potato Growers of Alberta

“CDC North is a valuable partner in advancing crop research at the University of Alberta by providing a collaborative environment, essential facilities and expert guidance critical to our program’s success. Our faculty members have worked closely with CDC North for several years, continuing a long tradition of joint agricultural research in the province. Working together is imperative as we develop resilient crops capable of withstanding emerging diseases, pests and growing climate variability.”

Rickey Yada, professor and dean, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta 

Quick facts

  • Alberta is home to two Crop Diversification Centres: CDC North in northeast Edmonton and CDC South near Brooks.
  • CDC North is a 340-acre base of operations for plant health surveillance and diagnostics.
  • It is also home to:
    • the Alberta Plant Health Lab
    • disease isolation plots
    • Alberta’s apiculture/Bee Health Unit
    • Alberta’s Seed Potato Repository
    • research plots used by collaborators like the University of Alberta and Western Crop Innovations
    • nine greenhouses

Related news