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Winter
2018
grainswest.com15
BY NATALIE NOBLE
crops for everyone is what we need to do
to respond to market needs and demands,”
he said.
As research dollars are crucially inte-
gral to the advancement of Canadian ag,
priority setting is essential to maximizing
value by aligning strategies and elimi-
nating duplication of projects. As GF2
wraps up at the end of March, AWC will
have invested approximately $1.25 million
into the current Wheat Cluster led by the
Western Grains Research Foundation
(WGRF). The total cost of the research
program over the last five years was $25
million, with 50 per cent of the funding
received from WGRF, the Canadian Field
Crop Research Al-
liance and AWC,
and the other 50
per cent matched
by AAFC.
One key differ-
ence in the new
Wheat Cluster will
be representation
from the Saskatch-
ewan Wheat Devel-
opment Commis-
sion (Sask Wheat)
and the Manitoba
Wheat and Barley
Growers Associ-
ation (MWBGA). When the GF2 Wheat
Cluster was initiated, Sask Wheat and
MWBGA were not yet formed. The CAP
Wheat Cluster will unite the Prairie wheat
commissions that founded the Canadian
Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC), and
administration will now transition from
WGRF to CWRC.
AWC director Terry Young was an-
nounced as inaugural chair for CWRC in
October, with Sask Wheat director Laura
Reiter elected vice-chair and MWBGA
director Cale Jefferies serving as secre-
tary-treasurer.
“At the committee level, each of the var-
ious groups that have expressed interest in
the next Wheat Cluster have been working
for over a year in order to prepare for it,
building on the success of what’s been
done in the past,” said Steve.
The Wheat Cluster will take input from
the commissions and organizations across
the country to decide where to focus
research efforts. “It allows a concerted
effort to consider issues such as improv-
ing yields, which is always a priority, but
also focusing on disease and pest-related
issues,” he said.
Priorities are both national and regional
in nature. For example, Fusarium head
blight (FHB) is a concern across Western
Canada and focus will remain on produc-
ing wheat-midge-tolerant varieties. For
the northern Prairies, research efforts
will aim to develop earlier-maturing
varieties to avoid frost damage, whereas
in the southern Prairies, more focus on
drought tolerance
is needed.
“Because we
have collective
reviews by organ-
izations across
the country, it
allows us to com-
pare notes with
other provinces
as opposed to
funding projects in
isolation. We need
to take a Canadian
approach,” said
Steve.
He added that sustainability and envi-
ronmental concerns are always guiding
priorities, and that instituting the separate
Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster, led by
WGRF, will allow for significantly more
work to be done on agronomy, including
environmental issues.
“The Alberta crop commissions have
worked actively on sustainability over
the years, looking at best management
practices—how we can make better
use of our water resources and improve
soil health,” said Steve. “We are doing
whatever we can to ensure we make
the most efficient use of crop protection
products. That also folds into the public
trust side of things where consumers are
increasingly scrutinizing the way crops
are produced.”
Sask Wheat general manager Harvey
Brooks said his organization is excited to
become a proponent of the next Wheat
Cluster and that joint coalition representa-
tion for all wheat farmers from across the
Prairies is key. “It represents the matura-
tion and financial capacity of the various
member commissions to take on this
larger goal of strategic investment in na-
tional wheat research priorities,” he said.
He added that the Wheat Cluster has been
evaluating research proposals from across
Canada, covering everything from varietal
development to agronomics to any aspect
that might affect the net profitability of
wheat production.
The barley industry also has much to
gain from the upcoming CAP program.
Barley Council of Canada chair Brian
Otto said priorities and direction for the
Barley Cluster were developing as mem-
bers approved projects and sourced funds.
Comprising contributions from Alberta
Barley, the Saskatchewan Barley Develop-
ment Commission (SaskBarley), MWBGA,
the Brewing and Malting Barley Research
Institute and WGRF, funding is estimated
to be between $10 to $12 million.
Priorities for the Barley Cluster are
strongly based on environmental sustain-
ability. “That’s the target and focus in the
way we develop our research priorities,”
said Otto.
As with the Wheat Cluster, disease
resistance is also a priority focus for the
Barley Cluster, particularly around FHB,
which has become a prominent challenge
for farmers across Western Canada.
Variety development efforts centring on
standability and abiotic stress resistance
are also prioritized.
The development of higher-yielding
varieties will always be considered as well,
but Otto said there must be a correlation
between research goals and industry
needs. “The best part of these national
programs is that they bring everyone to-
gether, and there’s collaboration and input
going both ways between all the industry
players,” said Otto. “Everyone is pushing
in the right direction. This avoids people
working at cross purposes. Collaboration
and communication are key to ensuring
that money is not wasted. Research dollars
are crucially important.”
“The best part of these
national programs is that
they bring everyone together,
and there’s collaboration
and input going both ways
between all the industry
players.”
–Brian Otto