The news comes just months after the facility’s program director said stable funding was a concern for staff and stakeholders.
Last summer at AgSmart in Olds, Alta., Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) Program Director Kofi Agblor told Seed World Canada that a stable source of funding was a concern for the facility and its staff in the months ahead, as the three years of funding it was provided after its move to Olds College was nearing its end.
Right now it’s unclear exactly what the long-term future holds for the facility and its staff, but news that broke yesterday with an announcement by Alberta’s ag minister offers a possible clue.
The Alberta government has announced the FCDC, based in Lacombe, has been relaunched as Western Crops Innovations (WCI), a non-profit corporation with an interim board.
A new structure will revitalize this organization, promote a renewed vision, and better position Alberta to meet the agriculture industry’s needs, according to Alberta’s agriculture minister R.J. Sigurdson.
“It’s an exciting time for crop research in Alberta. Western Crop Innovations will carry on the Field Crop Development Centre’s substantial legacy, ensuring its work is addressing the issues farmers are facing in the fields,” he said in a news release.
Officially starting up on April 1, WCI will carry on the FCDC’s important research, including its well-known barley breeding program, the province said. Its current programming will undergo a review, and where necessary, will be transitioned to ensure crop innovations support Alberta’s farmers’ needs now and into the future, according to the province.
The anticipated cost of WCI’s first year is $3.5 million, the province said. Government will be contributing $3.2 million, with industry support to be determined.
What is now known as WCI has had a long history, beginning in 1973 when it was established by the province as the FCDC. In 2020 it moved to Olds College, and was provided with three years worth of funding.
In 2023, the FCDC held its annual Field Day for the first time as a part of AgSmart, held at Olds College. At the time, Agblor told Seed World Canada that a stable source of funding was needed to allow the facility to continue its vision for cereal breeding in the West, specifically barley and triticale.
“Breeding involves both people and capital. It’s resource intensive and long term, and so you need that. The transition to Olds College is for three years, and is an interim plan to get into the system, get our feet wet,” he said at the time. “The next step is how we get investment to ramp up the college’s plan and deliver value to growers.”
Sheri Strydhorst of Sheri’s Ag Consulting is just one person concerned about the future of the research capacity at the facility. Historically, her primary interaction with the FCDC/WCI has been as a trial cooperator for the Alberta Regional Variety Trials (RVTs).
Staff of the FCDC have been instrumental in generating seed guide data for barley, wheat, and triticale RVTs since Strydhorst’s leadership of the RVT program began.
“As the coordinator for these trials, their contribution has been significant, comprising 8% of barley trial capacity, 6% of wheat, and 11% of triticale trial capacity. Their high-quality contributions, supported by favourable soil conditions and reliable rainfall, ensure valuable and consistent data for the RVTs,” Strydhorst says.
Their involvement constitutes 17% of silage RVT capacity as well, Strydhorst notes. Beyond her immediate needs as they concern the RVTs, the WCI plays a critical role in registration trials for barley, with implications extending across the Prairies.
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