Faba Bean Breeding Grows in Saskatchewan

Jun 04, 2025
By Jean-Paul McDonald
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

New Pulse Breeding Program for Farmers

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and J4 Agri-Science (J4) have partnered in a new breeding program aimed at advancing faba bean production in Saskatchewan.

The goal is to develop faba bean varieties with improved yield, early maturity, disease resistance, and low vicine/convicine levels. These improvements will help address farmers’ biggest challenges and offer a viable crop rotation alternative, especially in areas affected by root rot.

This collaboration brings a commercial focus to local pulse breeding and is designed to increase innovation and competition in the province.

The breeding program will be entirely based in Saskatchewan, benefiting local producers. “SPG is excited about this latest new collaboration on faba bean breeding in Saskatchewan. Faba beans are a promising crop for farmers and offer an alternate pulse crop to extend rotations in certain areas experiencing root rot pressures. Additional new eyes to challenges around maturity, yield, and disease will create competitive varieties for growers” said Winston van Staveren, Chair of SPG Board of Directors.

J4’s breeding headquarters is in Saskatoon, with testing in Northeastern Saskatchewan and across the Prairie region. Jodi Souter, J4 Co-Founder, highlighted the company’s commitment to under-developed crops and its close relationship with farmers. Founded by farmers, J4 ensures grower priorities are central to the breeding process.

The partnership includes shared germplasm, funding from SPG, and a royalty model on new varieties. SPG will guide the breeding priorities to ensure farmer needs lead the project from start to finish.

This is SPG’s second major breeding partnership in Saskatchewan. It supports the shift from royalty-free models to grower-funded innovations. It complements SPG’s other initiatives with Limagrain for pea and lentil breeding and the Crop Development Centre’s work on chickpeas and peas under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP).

“Growers have told us that they see significant value in investments in pulse crop variety development. We are pleased to launch another new breeding collaboration to deliver competition and improved varieties for pulse growers in Saskatchewan”, said Carl Potts, Executive Director with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

Video: Why Port Infrastructure is Key to Growing Canada's Farms and Economy

Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) knows that strong, modern port infrastructure is vital to the success of Canada’s agriculture. When our ports grow, Ontario grain farmers and Canadian farms grow too—and when we grow, Canada grows.

In this video, we highlight the importance of investing in port infrastructure and how these investments are key to growing Ontario agriculture and supporting global trade. The footage showcases the strength of both Ontario’s farming landscapes and vital port operations, including some key visuals from HOPA Ports, which we are grateful to use in this project.

Ontario’s grain farmers rely on efficient, sustainable ports and seaway systems to move grain to markets around the world. Port investments are crucial to increasing market access, driving economic growth, and ensuring food security for all Canadians.

Why Port Infrastructure Matters:

Investing in Ports = Investing in Farms: Modernized ports support the export of Canadian grain, driving growth in agriculture.

Sustainable Growth: Learn how stronger ports reduce environmental impact while boosting economic stability.

Global Trade Opportunities: Improved port and seaway systems help farmers access new global markets for their grain.

Stronger Communities: Investment in ports means more stable jobs and economic growth for rural communities across Ontario and Canada.

We are proud to support the ongoing investment in port infrastructure and to shine a light on its vital role in feeding the world and securing a prosperous future for Canadian agriculture.

Special thanks to HOPA Ports for providing some of the stunning port footage featured in this video.