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The Smithers Farmers' Institute has taken a leading role in agriculture research in the Bulkley Valley. 

Partnerships with government and non-government organizations include:
  • Ministry of Agriculture
  • University of Northern BC
  • Young Agrarians
  • Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
  • Bulkley Valley Cattlemen's Association
  • BC Forage Council

The SFI is interested in playing a lead or collaborative role in agriculture research that assists local producers with challenges they face directly related to the environmental and economic climate in the Bulkley Valley.
The Smithers Farmers' Institute contributed to a project that: 1) documented current, available information with respect to  alternative finishing strategies for beef cattle in the Bulkley Valley, 2) conducted a gap analysis, and 3) proposed a study design for future work.  The project was spear-headed by the Pleasant Valley Cattlemen.

The gap analysis identified the following areas of interest:
  • introduction of genetic lines relatively uncommon in the Bulkley Valley to improve forage-finishing characteristics;
  • experimenting with the number of days on feed required to produce a high quality carcass using local forages;
  • development of local production protocols specific to this area;
  • trials run in cooperation with the local abattoir to investigate chilling, aging and processing techniques that maintain or enhance carcass quality of locally forage-finished cattle; and
  • conduct brassica and forage corn trials to determine the potential for pasturing on these types of high energy feeds in the fall.