The benefits of sex-free agriculture

With crop breeding by apomixes, seed-saving could change up the seed industry

Apomixis is a disruptive technology.” These was the oft-repeated phrase of Tim Sharbel, Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) research chair in Seed Biology, at the recent Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation annual conference in Saskatoon. Sharbel was speaking on the topic “Eliminating sex from agriculture to feed the world,” an overview of his research at […] Read more

New advances in chickpea breeding

New advances in chickpea breeding

Chickpea breeder Bunyamin Tar’an explains what breeders’ goals in variety development


Farming is all about colours: staying in the black and avoiding the red to keep your business in the pink of health. That’s no small feat, which is why genetic improvement and variety development in chickpeas is needed to keep farmers on the cutting edge and keep those greenbacks coming in. “For any crop you […] Read more


Bayer’s objective is to produce wheat hybrids that help farmers be more competitive in the market place and also help feed the world.

Bayer brings hybrid spring wheats to Saskatchewan

Bayer hopes to have its new spring wheat hybrids in farmers' fields in six to eight years

On a blustery June day, officials cut the ribbon on Bayer CropScience’s new wheat breeding centre near Pike Lake, Saskatchewan. But the wheat varieties coming out of that research station south of Saskatoon will be unlike other varieties grown in Western Canada, as the company is developing hybrid spring wheat varieties in Saskatchewan. Today’s wheat […] Read more

Rick Stamp of Stamp Seeds checks out the 2016 hybrid rye seed crop.

New fall ryes have all the features

Bake it, drink it, or feed it to livestock – it's high quality and high value

Get ready for a new generation of fall rye varieties that are high yielding, have high milling quality and perform well across a wide range of soil types and moistures conditions. Hybrid fall rye varieties that promise much more yield and market potential than the traditional open-pollenated varieties have become available to Western Canadian farmers […] Read more


Farmer in wheat field

Perennial wheat more than a pipedream

It's still years from commercialization, but early perennial wheat research is promising

Doug Cattani is working on a long-term investment that will pay dividends down the road. The University of Manitoba plant sciences professor is currently in year five of a now much-publicized 15- to 20-year perennial wheatgrass breeding project. Perennial grain is something of a holy grail in plant breeding: a cereal crop that delivers high […] Read more

Recommended malt barley varieties

Recommended malt barley varieties

Tired of the same old thing? Try a new malt barley variety this spring

Last year, 73 per cent of Prairie acres that grew two-row malt barley were seeded with AC Metcalfe or CDC Copeland. Because both of these varieties have been available for quite a few years, Michael Brophy, President and CEO of the Brewing and Malt Barley Research Institute (BMBRI), would like farmers to have more options. […] Read more


Find the right cereal variety for your farm

Agronomy tips... from the field

Variety selection in cereals, like every crop in your rotation, is one of your first and most important management decisions. Each variety is unique, as are the growing conditions on your farm. A variety’s performance is going to vary across environments due to many factors, including soil type, precipitation, fertility, temperature, planting date, pest infestations, […] Read more

As more oat varieties become available to growers and premium niche markets continue to develop, there is more oat agronomy research underway.

New oat varieties on the horizon

New oat varieties focus on yield, milling quality and oat disease resistance

Since 2011 there has been an increase in the frequency of registration of new oat varieties, says Dr. Aaron Beattie, professor and oat breeder at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC). Breeding programs continue to focus on increasing yields and improving disease resistance. They’re also trying to address the needs of millers who […] Read more


Researchers are still learning about how plants communicate. One day, research looking at modifying plant behaviour could be used to increase crop yields or combat weed growth.

New research shows plants talking

Plant researchers are finding a surprising amount of unseen communication among plants

Farmers know well the issues that can arise with their crops. One of the biggies is insects eating plants. What’s interesting, though, is that recently more studies are being done on how plants communicate with and to the environment around them. While research on plants has been happening for thousands of years, says Dr. James […] Read more

Forbes has a variety of products for sale at the market.

Seabuckthorn berries — nutritious and tasty

Just ask Betty Forbes at Saskatoon’s Farmers’ Market

Have you ever tried seabuckthorn berries?” is the first question you will likely hear as you enter Saskatoon’s Farmers’ Market. Betty Forbes, who operates the first booth at the market, will then likely tell you that if you travelled to Saskatoon by vehicle, you’ve probably passed numerous seabuckthorn bushes without even knowing it. This bush […] Read more