The pending commercialization of one of its hybrids is a milestone for the Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), the commodity group that represents the province’s sunflower growers. The organization has invested in its own sunflower breeding program. In October last year, the MCA said it had put licences for two Manitoba-developed hybrids out to tender. U.S. farmer-owned co-operative CHS has opted in for one of those hybrids, the MCA has confirmed.

Why it matters: Locally developed genetics could make confection sunflowers more attractive to growers.

A limited amount of seed is expected to hit the market for growers to access for the 2026 growing season.

It’s a major milestone for the group’s breeding program. It marks the first time a homegrown confection hybrid will be broadly accessible to Prairie growers.

“It’s a win for farmers and for the MCA,” said Katherine Stanley, the group’s research program manager for special crops.

Road to seed market

The MCA has registered two hybrids so far, after more than a decade of research and farmer investment: MCA 359239 and MCA 359306. CHS has chosen to produce MCA 359239, marketing it under the simplified name MCA 359.

The second hybrid is still available if other seed producers show interest but, for now, Stanley is just thrilled to have reached this milestone.

“We’re super excited to see one of our hybrids that performs really well under Manitoba conditions making it out into the field,” she said.

CHS’s sunflower division, based in North Dakota, will handle seed production and marketing. While seed volumes will still be scaling up next year, Stanley said interest from Manitoba producers has already been strong.

Made in, and for, Manitoba

Confection sunflowers are a crop that has long struggled with outdated genetics. The most widely grown confection hybrid in recent years has been Nuseed’s 6946 DMR. It was registered more than a decade ago and developed primarily for U.S. conditions. It also lacks herbicide resistance traits.

Manitoba is Canada’s biggest producer of confection sunflower seeds, but in recent years, through a combination of marketing and agronomic challenges, the edible varieties have taken a backseat to sunflower varieties produced for oil.

The new MCA-developed hybrid is designed to change that. MCA 359 carries Group 2 herbicide resistance and early maturity. The breeding program also focused on disease tolerance and wind resistance — traits that matter in Prairie fields vulnerable to lodging and disease pressure.

“Manitoba farmers who are interested in growing confections, now have a crop that can perform for them,” Stanley said. “That’s our No. 1 outcome.”

According to MCA performance trials published in the Seed Manitoba 2025 guide, MCA 359 yielded 109 per cent compared to the check variety, Nuseed’s 6949 DMR. It also matured about two days earlier and stood roughly two inches taller than the check, offering growers a small but practical edge.

Unlike oil-bound sunflowers, confection crops are also sold with minimal processing. Appearance and flavour are critical.

“There’s a lot more things that need to be considered,” Stanley said. “Even things like the seed colour and the number of stripes, whether it is black or gray-black, never mind all the flavour profiles and the per cent nut meat.”

Because Manitoba’s confection sunflowers are typically shipped to North Dakota for processing and often blended with U.S. product, Canadian hybrids must visually match their American counterparts. That adds another layer of complexity to breeding work.

MCA’s goal, Stanley said, was to give farmers a variety that could compete agronomically, while meeting the strict aesthetic standards of the confection trade.

With MCA 359 poised for commercial release, Stanley said the alliance will keep refining its breeding efforts as long as farmers see value in the crop.

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“Her dedication to advocating for farmers and her deep understanding of association governance will help guide the organization as it continues to address the challenges and opportunities facing producers,” GGC said in a news release today.

Sawyer, a farmer from Acme, Alberta, is the first woman to hold the role, GGC said.

Scott Hepworth, a farmer from Assiniboia, Sask., and a director with the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, was elected first vice chair. Sally Parsonage, a grain producer from Baldur, Manitoba and the secretary of Manitoba Crop Alliance, joins the executive as Second Vice Chair.

“With Tara Sawyer, Scott Hepworth, and Sally Parsonage at the helm, GGC is well-positioned to address critical issues in 2025 and beyond, such as advocating for fair tax policies, advancing trade opportunities, and securing reliable transportation networks,” said Kyle Larkin, Executive Director of GGC.

Andre Harpe is the outgoing chair. William van Tassel and Brendan Phillips were first and second vice chair, respectively.

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Alberta Grains, SaskWheat, Manitoba Crop Alliance and Grain Farmers of Ontario will contribute $13.4 million to the project known as Gate.

All are members of Cereals Canada, which has proposed the $102 million building to advance Canada’s position as a leader in innovation and food security. So far, $18.4 million has been raised with a contribution from Cereals Canada’s coffers.

JoAnne Buth is the capital campaign chair.

“High-quality Canadian wheat starts with the growers, so it is fitting that this capital campaign starts with their commitment,” she said in a news release.

She added that farmers understand the need to stay competitive in a global market.

Gate is to contain state-of-the-art equipment for milling, baking, pasta and noodle making, malt and brewing and oat processing.

Fundraising was delayed earlier this summer. Several members of Cereals Canada had also decided to leave around that time.

Some farmers on social media said after the funding announcement that they opposed the contributions because levies should not be used to construct buildings.

—Updated Sept. 18

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The Manitoba Canola Growers Association has elected Warren Ellis of Wawanesa as its president for 2024-25, with Jackie Dudgeon-MacDonald of Darlingford acclaimed as vice-president and Nicolea Dow of Portage la Prairie acclaimed as secretary and named treasurer.

“The directors and staff of the MCGA work very hard for the benefit of its grower members,” Ellis said in a release. “I am pleased to be allowed to chair this talented and hardworking group.”

Chuck Fossay of Starbuck was acclaimed into the role of past president, which for the MCGA is a newly established executive position. Fossay has served on the MCGA board since 2014 and was also previously a vice-president with Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).

“We have a fantastic group of farmers leading our organization in 2024 with ideas already coming forward that build on the great work of our past board,” Delaney Ross Burtnack, MCGA’s executive director, said in the same release.

“I look forward to seeing the vision of the new MCGA board come to life as they get settled in their roles, and exploring new ways to engage our farmer members to help guide that vision.”

The Manitoba Crop Alliance, which represents the province’s wheat, barley, flax, corn and sunflower growers, announced five new board members: Doug Martin of East Selkirk, Leigh Smith of Oak Lake, Sally Parsonage of Baldur, Scott Mowbray of Cartwright and Sheila Elder of Wawanesa.

Each of the new directors was elected from their respective crop committee during meetings held earlier in February. Martin is a delegate on the MCA’s corn committee, Smith on the flax committee and Parsonage on the sunflower committee; Mowbray and Elder both sit on the organization’s wheat and barley committee.

“When different perspectives and areas of expertise are added to our board, we are always stronger for it,” MCA CEO Pam de Rocquigny said in a separate release. “This board of directors strikes an excellent balance between governance experience and fresh ideas, which will serve our farmer members well.”

MCA chair and vice-chair, Robert Misko and Jonothan Hodson, will remain in those roles. The board also elected Parsonage as its new secretary, replacing outgoing director Warren McCutcheon.

“I initially joined MCA to contribute to the agriculture sector in Manitoba and to broaden my horizons off the farm,” Parsonage said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time as a delegate and am excited to contribute further on the executive. Helping to guide the organization’s research program has been the most interesting and rewarding part of my time with MCA.”

The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association also elected new leadership in February, with Manitoba Beef Producers representative Mike Duguid of Arnes elected to the role of chair. Zack Koscielny of Strathclair was named vice-chair, while Dairy Farmers of Manitoba representative Lawrence Knockaert of Bruxelles will serve a one-year stint as past chair.

Two new MFGA board members, Paul Gregory of Fisher Branch and Zach Grossart of Brandon, were nominated and accepted to join the board for 2024-25.

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The report by the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC), in collaboration with the Manitoba Crop Alliance, says new Canadian malting barley varieties can be grown successfully in Manitoba.

With yields and quality comparable to the check variety — AAC Synergy — the study found new varieties including AAC Connect, CDC Fraser, CDC Copper, CDC Churchill and AAC Prairie are the next generation of varieties for Manitoba growers, the CMBTC said in a release Friday.

“The study showed that these new varieties offer good agronomics and the high end-use quality traits that are the hallmark of Canadian malting barley,” CMBTC managing director Peter Watts said.

According to the Manitoba Crop Alliance, total barley acres, whether for feed or malting, have declined over the last two decades on “a combination of disease concerns, market forces and difficulty to meet malting grade.”

That said, seeded acreage reports from Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp., the provincial crop insurance agency, have found Manitoba barley acres steadied in the years 2020 to 2023, at a level between 365,000 and 400,000.

Producers in Manitoba have struggled with diseases such as fusarium head blight in malting barley, but with improved disease resistance packages, better fungicide products and improved management practices, fusarium has not been a significant issue in recent years, CMBTC said.

Producers growing malting barley varieties have the option of both malting and feed markets. With a malt barley variety, farmers gain an additional 2.5 million-tonne market that they could not access with feed varieties, the centre said. As well, malt barley generally offers a premium of around $1 per bushel or more.

“Manitoba is one of the best barley producing regions in the world,” Manitoba Crop Alliance CEO Pam de Rocquigny said in the same release. “This success can be attributed to climate and geography, and our advanced farming practices.”

Barley is a good cereals crop option, as it provides many benefits when included in crop rotations. It can be planted early in the growing season and is both competitive and high yielding. Furthermore, including barley in crop rotations can provide flexibility during harvest, as it matures early, allowing harvest to be spread out between crop types, the centre said.

“In combination, these attributes make barley a great option for farmers,” says de Rocquigny.

Registrations of new malting barley varieties for producer use in Canada in recent years led to the need to evaluate those new varieties in field-scale trials, under Manitoba growing conditions, to provide data for that province’s growers on how new varieties could fit in their cropping systems.

More details from the CMBTC study can be viewed on the Manitoba Crop Alliance website.

Several companies in Manitoba source malting barley to supply domestic and international markets including CMBTC members Cargill, Richardson, Viterra, Malteurop and Boortmalt, among others.

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