Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 Grains West 12 THE FARMGATE corporate business plan. “The strength of the Lacombe team has always been on the feed barley side,” said Kabeta. The plan calls for malting barley activi- ties to be wound down in favour of feed and forage varieties. The program will fo- cus on the four main attributes of disease resistance, grain yield, lodging resistance and kernel quality, especially plumpness and test weight. “Having the focus on feed and forage barley allows us to make a greater impact,” said Kabeta. Further industry collaborations include agreements with Lakeland College, Olds College and the University of Calgary to share projects and resources. In co-oper- ation with the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatch- ewan, WCI also launched a three-year project in April 2025. The initiative will work to build and streamline genotyping capacity. SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS Trevor Sears joined WCI as executive di- rector in spring 2025 having spent more than three decades in the pork industry. “FCDC released more than 50 varieties over the years,” he said. “We owe FCDC a legacy of excellence. We can retain that world class capacity, germplasm and experienced staff who have been here a long time.” Sears credits the organiza- tion’s first-year interim leadership, which was headed by executive director Mark Olson, with building its infra- structure from scratch. Functions such as finances and HR had previously been overseen by Olds College, which admin- istered these operations starting in 2021 when it assumed control of FCDC from the Province. Another fundamental step, in January of 2025, agronomy manager and researcher Laura Bony was tasked with the creation of WCI’s agronomy program. The organization now employs 26 full-time staff supplemented with contract and seasonal positions. Prior to the establishment of WCI, many in the ag industry felt that two very successful western Canadian crop breed- ing centres—the University of Saskatch- ewan Crop Development Centre (CDC) and the Brandon Research and Devel- opment Centre—produced adequate malting barley varieties. This considering very few malting barley varieties are ever adopted. However, Western Canada did not previously have a breeding centre focused solely on feed and forage, the destiny of most Prairie-grown barley. “It made sense, instead of targeting malting qualities very early in the pipe- line, we can target the feed and forage side,” said Sears. “Hopefully we can improve those varieties even more.” He emphasized that the promising selection of malting barley breeding projects now in the WCI pipeline will not be aban- doned but seen through to completion. Sears is confident the organization is on the right track. “We’re in a stable po- sition, but we will work with the govern- ment and producer organizations to seek sustainable solutions for the breeding industry in Canada.” INDUSTRY SUPPORT Alberta Grains was the first organization to supply financial support of approxi- mately $375,000 for the FCDC-to-WCI transition. Mike Flynn, the commission’s executive director, gives WCI interim leaders credit for taking time to absorb feedback from stakeholders as they worked up a sustainable budget and business plan. “There is a need for such a facility in our province,” he said. “We want to be able to support it the same way in which we support CDC, and it’s a rich opportu- nity for collaboration with the provincial government and post-secondary institu- tions.” He noted Alberta Grains is proud to have two of its own on the WCI board. Kevin Bender is a former Alberta Grains chair, and Harvey Hagman serves as a director on both boards. Flynn is also confident in WCI’s leader. “Given his industry experience, Trevor Sears is an excellent choice for the executive direc- tor position. I have enjoyed working with him, and look forward to tackling the significant challenges ahead.” Alberta Beef Producers was on board early, and committed to a three-year, $300,000 funding agreement with WCI in June 2024, said Karen Schmid, the group’s beef production and extension lead. “We felt it was important, as one of the largest users of forage and feed bar- ley, to demonstrate our support for the organization and to ensure that Alberta continues to be a leader in this area.” She is pleased to see support has since grown considerably. “We are excited to watch WCI grow into its full potential, utilizing new approaches and strengthening collabo- rations,” said Schmid. “It has a unique opportunity, with the feed and forage fo- cus, to be able to adjust relatively quickly to producer needs and market pressures.” She added that Alberta Beef strongly believes in the value of WCI but that its pre-existing programming required significant changes. WCI will continue to align its pro- gramming with industry needs. A third-party scientific review of WCI pro- grams was recently completed. Results will be used to craft the organization’s strategic plan and to update and modern- ize its breeding programs, boost effi- ciencies and potentially draw additional funding. To learn more about WCI and its breeding program, visit westerncropinnovations.com. “It made sense, instead of targeting malting qualities very early in the pipeline, we can target the feed and forage side.” —Trevor Sears