Alberta Wheat Commission investing $150,000 into research

Mar 23, 2015

Projects will be focused on winter wheat

Without research and development initiatives, the world might look like a slightly different place.

If Martin Cooper and his team didn’t research, develop and ultimately invent the first cellular telephone, we wouldn’t be able to communicate as efficiently as we do today.

If German engineer Nikolaus Otto didn’t do the research and development to invent the internal combustion engine most cars run on, transportation might look much different.

The Alberta Wheat Commission is investing $150,000 into winter wheat research and development projects to help farmers get better returns with better agronomic practices.

“Winter wheat is already a high yielding class with good milling properties, but the amount of acres grown in Western Canada do not reflect the market potential,” said Kevin Auch, Vice-chairman, Alberta Wheat Commission in a press release. “By building on the agronomic groundwork of this class, farmers will have added incentive to grow winter wheat because of the returns it will offer,” Auch added.

Other partners in the research endeavours include Ducks Unlimited Canada, Winter Cereals Manitoba and Western Grains Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission and others. The total investment amount from all the partners will equal about $2.2 million.

The projects will focus on allowing farmers to gain more agronomic know-how to tap into some otherwise abandoned markets when it comes to winter wheat. They will include such topics as pest control, managing input, and expanding their seeding windows.

Dr. Brian Beres, at the AAFC Lethbridge Research Station in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited Canada will lead the research.

“In recent years, winter wheat has consistently been one of the highest net income producing crops in Prairie Canada,” said Paul Thoroughgood, Regional Agrologist of Ducks Unlimited Canada in a press release. “Agronomic research conducted in this study, including fertility, disease and weed management, stand establishment and lengthening the fall seeding window, will help more farmers realize the benefits of including winter wheat in their cropping system.”

Join the conversation and tell us some of the things you hope this research uncovers.

Alberta Wheat Commission

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That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.