Agriculture bracing for ‘seismic shift’ in wheat breeding

The future of wheat breeding in Canada is on uncertain ground.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) may be moving away from field-ready wheat development and towards upstream research, attendees heard during Edmonton’s Crossroads Crop Conference Jan. 29.

The event featured a round table of four prominent wheat breeding figures, with an eye to what the future would look like if their field isn’t getting the federal support industry is used to.

WHY IT MATTERS: Climate-heavy federal research funding has come under fire in the agriculture sector, which points to other crop development priorities farmers say also need support.

The discussion included Todd Hyra, western business manager for SeCan; Stuart Smyth, an agricultural economist at the University of Saskatchewan; Robert Graf, science advisor with SeedNet and retired AAFC wheat breeder; and Dean Hubbard, Alberta farmer and chair of the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC).

Graf, a veteran breeder who developed or helped develop many of Western Canada’s varieties, said AAFC needs to be straightforward with its intentions. All he’s heard to date is the possibility of a three-year phase-out of AAFC’s wheat breeding activity.

“What we really need to get is some straight answers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on what exactly is the plan right now. It’s quite vague,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to come up with a good plan if we don’t know what we’re moving towards, and so I think there needs to be some real, honest discussion amongst the entire industry on ‘what is the plan?’”