Glacier FarmMedia — Stakeholders say they hope the federal government will replace wheat breeder Richard Cuthbert, who has resigned his position at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Swift Current, Sask., effective the end of the month.
Cuthbert has been at the centre since April 2011 after taking over from well-known breeder Ron DePauw.
SaskWheat chair Jake Leguee said the resignation was a surprise and is a loss for producers.
“The work that he’s done has been really tremendous,” Leguee said in an interview with Golden West radio in Swift Current. “These are big shoes to fill and for our part that’s not something we can control. We’ll be monitoring this news and seeing where things go from here.”
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Canada requires a strong public breeding program, and Leguee said SaskWheat has long advocated for openings to be filled.
“We need these positions,” he said.
“They’re absolutely critical to the entire breeding program in Western Canada.”
The Wheat Growers Association said it’s worried Cuthbert’s departure is a sign of things to come as Agriculture Canada is forced to make cuts.
Executive director Darcy Pawlik said Cuthbert was “one of our best and brightest wheat breeders who all of western Canadian farmers really rely on for the genetics that get planted every year.”
He said the apparent absence of a succession plan could be a problem.
In an op-ed piece issued Jan. 12, Pawlik said the 15 per cent federal budget cuts come on top of nearly 10 years of funding pressure on public wheat breeding. Grower commissions have stepped up to fill the gap, indicating they know what’s at stake, he said.
There is no indication at this time that Cuthbert’s resignation is due to budget cuts.
