Winter Wheat Claims Adding Up

 

Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) has received about 90 winter wheat claims so far this spring.

 

Manager of Claim Services David Koroscil says that totals just over 30,000 acres.

 

He explained what may have caused the damage.

 

"I think it was just the harsh weather conditions. These areas were also areas of the province that didn't have a lot of snowfall throughout the winter. We saw it a couple of years ago as well, that winter wheat was severely impacted and it seems to be the same. A lot of plant material from last year fall, so the plants were growing well heading into the winter and just basically were killed due to the extreme conditions, the prolonged cold period throughout the spring as well."

 

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?