As announced at the Alberta Grains Regional Meeting hosted in Lacombe, November 20, Alberta Grains (AG) and Western Crop Innovations (WCI) have signed a three-year Breeding and Technician Chair agreement. AG has committed $600,000 over the agreement term at a dispersal rate of $200,000 per year to fund one Breeder position and one senior Technician position to support continued research and development for feed barley breeding in Alberta.
Cereal breeding in Canada has traditionally been a publicly funded endeavour. Recently, agricultural research and development; particularly, public plant breeding, has become a topic of interest within the industry. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has introduced a plan for Seed Regulatory Modernization, while farmers and industry partners are urging Prime Minister Carney’s government to recognize agriculture’s significant contributions to the Canadian economy -- both now, and in terms of future growth potential. At the same time, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is facing budget cuts and has announced plans to exit variety development, shifting its focus to pre-breeding. These developments have raised important questions about the future of public plant breeding in Canada.
Formerly operating as the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC), WCI began its transition from public breeding to the not-for-profit sector in April 2024. The organization is operating under a new funding model supported by both public and private partners and strengthened through collaborations with post-secondary research institutions.
“WCI is developing a funding model that hasn’t been seen in the plant-breeding industry before,” said Kevin Bender, Board Chair of Western Crop Innovations.