Dr. Dean Spaner’s Impact on Prairie Wheat Will Be Felt for Generations

Apr 14, 2026

A leader in plant breeding and mentorship, Spaner helped develop more than a dozen wheat varieties while strengthening Canada’s agricultural research capacity.
The Prairie farming community has lost one of its quiet giants. Dr. Dean Spaner (wheat breeder, professor, and mentor) passed away leaving behind a legacy that is deeply rooted in Western Canadian agriculture.

For many farmers, the name may be most familiar from the varieties they’ve seeded. But Dr. Spaner’s impact goes far beyond plant breeding plots; his work helped shape the productivity, resilience, and future of wheat farming across the Prairies.

A Breeder Who Delivered for Farmers
Over a career spanning decades, Spaner played a leading role in developing wheat varieties that farmers could rely on. At the University of Alberta, he helped build a once-modest breeding program into a major contributor to Canadian agriculture.

He was instrumental in releasing:

15 Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat varieties
One Canadian Prairie Spring (CPS) variety
Special Purpose (SP) wheat lines

His varieties were bred with Prairie realities in mind: short growing seasons, disease pressure, and the constant need to balance yield with reliability. One standout example is Thorsby, an early-maturing, disease-resistant variety that found a home on farms in northern Alberta.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.