Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 Grains West 6 AAFCcutsareashockbutnosurprise THE RECENT CUTS TO AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD Canada (AAFC) staff and the closure of three research centres and four satellite research farms have been strongly criticized by industry groups. Announced in late January, this round of federal cuts will eliminate approximately 665 staff positions. AAFC employed approximately 5,690 people as of March 2025. The cuts will include the shutdown of the Lacombe Research and Development Centre, but AAFC will continue to operate 17 research centres across the country. Shocked by this aggressive move, ag groups struggle to find logic in the bloodletting. It’s a shock, but not a complete sur- prise. Shrinkage has long been the trend. Trims to federal and provincial agricultural research programs and personnel have affected Alberta for years. The Agriculture Union represented 2,500 AAFC staff when the federal cuts were announced, 494 of these lost their jobs. In a Jan. 26 press release, the organization noted AAFC staffing had previously shrunk 14 per cent between 2012 and 2025, while the rest of the federal workforce has grown by 30 per cent in recent years. “These cuts will sabotage important gains we’ve made in ag- ricultural research and set research on Canadian food products back by decades,” said Milton Dyck, the Agriculture Union’s president. “We have been warning the federal government for months about cutting an already decimated department. There is simply no more room to cut.” In a letter to the federal ag minister Heath MacDonald, Alberta Grains expressed deep concern with the loss of research capacity, facilities and staff. It notes much of the $5 million the organization invests in research annually is delivered in partnership with AAFC. “Once lost, this research capacity is ex- tremely difficult—if not impossible—to rebuild,” the letter stat- ed. It requests the government’s rationale in making the cuts as well as alternative models and priorities it is now considering in support of “a strong, co-ordinated research system.” A press release from the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) also responded to the cuts. Quoted in the statement, Jocelyn Velestuk, chair of CWRC and SaskWheat, shares the concerns of the other groups. “These staffing cuts, and related impacts at AAFC research stations, represent a tremendous loss for Canadian agriculture,” she wrote. “It is a loss of not only expertise and people who have contributed to farmers’ success, but also of agricultural research capacity that is crucial to fuelling innovation and maintaining progress throughout the industry.” CWRC noted it relies upon a three-year, $19.9 million AAFC contribution to its core breeding agreement with the EDITOR’S MESSAGE Industry groups fear the latest cuts to federal agriculture research capacity may impact critical areas such as variety development. federal department. CWRC is now conducting a review of the Canadian wheat breeding innovation system. Considering the latest round of cuts, this initiative takes on added urgency. How will the pullback of government resources impact critical research areas such as variety development? More than ever, the agriculture industry is forced to wrestle with this dilemma. CLARIFICATION: In the winter issue of GrainsWest , the com- munication channels of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) were misidentified in The Malthouse column. CMBTC shares crop data and industry information through The Barley Brief newsletter and its New Barley Crop Webinar series.