How Farmers Can Help Keep Wheat Innovation Alive: Listen to Our CrossRoads Panel Discussion

Feb 04, 2025

The funding model for plant breeding in Canada is at a crossroads. The impending withdrawal of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) from commercializing field-ready cultivars has sparked a conversation about how to fill the resulting gap without losing decades of investment in infrastructure and expertise.

That was the premise of a panel discussion held today at the CrossRoads Crop Conference in Edmonton and facilitated by Alberta Seed Guide editor Marc Zienkiewicz. Panelists were Todd Hyra, western business manager for SeCan; Stuart Smyth, agricultural economist at the University of Saskatchewan; Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) chair and farmer Dean Hubbard; and SeedNet science advisor and retired AAFC wheat breeder Rob Graf.

Key points included AAFC’s shift towards upstream research, the need for collaboration with universities and private sectors, and the importance of maintaining a robust innovation pipeline. Metrics showed that 75% of wheat varieties come from AAFC, with 21-25 million acres of wheat production in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The discussion emphasized the need for new funding models, public-private partnerships, and the role of farmers in advocating for continued investment in agricultural research.

“If the federal government truly wants to exit [the development of field-ready cultivars], what fills that gap? How do we ensure we don’t lose a century’s worth of resources and investment? This is about having meaningful discussions with the federal government and industry stakeholders to collaboratively determine where responsibilities begin and end,” Hyra said.

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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.