When a barley breeder spends more than a decade developing a new variety, it’s easy to assume the work begins in a greenhouse or a laboratory. In reality, it often starts with a conversation in a field.
A producer wants stronger standability. Better disease resistance. Improved forage quality. Higher yields in a dry year. Those challenges become the questions researchers spend years trying to answer.
That’s the thinking shaping the next chapter at Western Crop Innovations (WCI), where the organization is putting producers at the centre of its breeding and research priorities while modernizing the tools it uses to develop the next generation of Alberta crops.
“It’s making sure that we’re better connected with producers and understanding their needs,” WCI executive director Trevor Sears told attendees during the WCI Field Day as part of Alberta Crop Diagnostic Days last week. “It also includes modernizing our breeding program, bringing in new tools to make us more effective and provide more value to producers.”
The message reflects a broader shift taking place across crop research. New technologies — from genomic tools to digital agriculture — are accelerating plant breeding, but researchers say success still depends on solving practical problems growers face every season.
For WCI, that means combining modern science with local knowledge.
“We’re bringing the science into practical use for producers every day,” Sears said. “Please ask questions, get engaged. The presenters love to take your questions and talk about what they do.”
Click here to see more...