plant breeding Archives

Canada could become a major grower and exporter of poppy seed or, perhaps, we could explore its oilseed and feed or food potential for the Prairies.

Poppy crops for Western Canada

Could this be an opportunity for Prairie farmers?

By Ieuan Evans July 6, 2023

My interest in this topic was piqued by the fact that I purchased a pound of poppy seed at an Edmonton grocery outlet and it cost me more than $10. I checked the internet and the literature on poppy seed growing and was surprised to find that Australia, Turkey, the Czech Republic and even Britain […] Read more

File photo of Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaking to media in Winnipeg in March 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Crops

Bibeau says government committed to federal plant breeding

Seed royalty consultations stalled

By Allan Dawson, GFM Network News December 17, 2020

The Canadian government is committed to plant breeding, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told members of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation on Tuesday. Some farmers and seed industry officials suspect Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) variety development work, along with many other programs, will be on the chopping block post-COVID-19 as the government tackles its […] Read more

Tests of potato genetic material, loaded onto an agarose gel, show the presence of an experimental gene. (Ken Hackman photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Crops, Reuters

USDA limits review requirements of some biotech farm products

By GFM Network News May 15, 2020

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday a rule that will simplify or waive agency reviews of certain biotech farm products, including plants and seeds that have been genetically modified or engineered. As a result, some products could be sold to farmers without a USDA review — a move that […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Features

POGA speaks out on Value Creation

The Prairie Oat Growers Association have a plan to provide more funds to seed breeders

By Shawna Mathieson January 7, 2020

The Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA) would like to provide comments on the Grainews editor’s column titled “Paying for seed breeding.” In this article, Leeann Minogue suggested that “We’re already electing farmers to commodity boards across the Prairies, and these boards are already investing our money into research and development. These elected reps are studying […] Read more

Crops, Features

Make your own seed initiative enters its ninth year

Manitoba’s Participatory Plant Breeding program turns farmers into plant breeders

By Angela Lovell December 10, 2019

[UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2019] The University of Manitoba’s Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) program, now in its ninth year — brings together farmers and plant breeders as partners in the plant breeding process. The program is particularly useful in crop production systems that traditional breeding programs aren’t always geared for, like organic or under unique growing […] Read more

If we can take it as given that we need to pay more for seed, how should we do it?

Editor's column, Wheat & Chaff

Editor’s Column: Adding value to value creation?

By Leeann Minogue April 16, 2019

“Value creation” has been a hot topic at farm meetings this season. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many farmers so eager to get to a microphone and share an opinion. “Value creation” is one name for the idea of farmers paying more to fund Canadian wheat breeding. The meetings I’ve seen cover […] Read more

Crops, Features, Oats

It’s a good time to be breeding oats

Oat research and development continues despite industry and government funding cuts

By Angela Lovell March 15, 2019

Despite a few stumbling blocks, the Canadian oat industry continues to advance and offer good opportunities for oat growers. The good news is that researchers are looking at new, value-added products that provide increased health benefits to consumers. Thanks to improvements in oat breeding and agronomic practices, Canadian oat yields have increased by 18 per […] Read more

A Prairie farmer who pays provincial wheat and barley check-offs or ships grain by rail is already paying a de facto end point royalty for variety development in Western Canada.

Crops, Features

Bring back the Western Canadian Deduction

Ensuring producer funding for variety development is fair, transparent and market driven

By Sarah Hoffmann January 25, 2019

I attended the value creation meeting in Edmonton on December 6, 2018. I went as a farmer, seed grower and a person deeply interested in the policies that shape the success of the cropping industry in Western Canada. As a professional writer, I am used to reporting what other people have to say about an […] Read more

Wheat seeds spilling from hand, close-up

Crops, News

Paying more, getting more

As we sign up to pay more for seed, we must make sure we get a return on our investment

By Vicki Dutton January 23, 2019

The discussion around seed royalty is now official. The question is not, “Will we have a seed royalty?” The question is, “Which system is going to be implemented?” The options have been defined and the choice is between two payment plans, which will likely boil down to one: EPR, or end point royalty, a charge […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Features

No short-term fix for fusarium heard at Durum Summit

Farmers looking for fusarium-resistant durum seed will have to keep on waiting

By Leeann Minogue February 27, 2018

When farmers packed a meeting hall in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, for the 2018 Durum Summit, they were hoping to find a solution to their fusarium problems. Unfortunately, there’s nothing new on the horizon for the next few years. Curtis Pozniak, a wheat breeder and geneticist at the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon, says they are […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle markets up ahead of report

U.S. grains: Soybean futures fall after Trump-Xi call

Prairie Wheat Weekly: Western Canadian bids slightly decline

GFM Network News