Research continues in effort to diversify Midwest crops

Jul 13, 2023

While none of three recent next-big-thing crops have had runaway success, research continues with hopes their contributions to profitability, soil health, diversity and sustainability will benefit Midwest growers and consumers.

For crops like camelina, hemp and Kernza, slow progress is being made with the collaboration of researchers, support associations and farmers.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” says Silvia Secchi, a natural resource economist at the University of Iowa.

There has been talk of camelina’s potential for oil and feed use over the years. An annual in the brassicaceae or mustard family originating in Europe and grown successfully in some parts of the U.S. and Canada, its potential in the Midwest, particularly Minnesota, is being studied. Its benefits include drought tolerance, resistance to pests, a short growing season and its suitability in a crop rotation, Secchi says.

But yields are low and there is a need for more management knowledge.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?