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Photo: Bayer CropScience
WHEATGOESPRIVATE
AS GLOBAL MARKET ACCESS FOR
agriculture and agri-food amplifies, Marcus
Weidler hopes a new wheat breeding facili-
ty will boost Canada’s competitive edge.
“It’s critical we provide producers with
crops that are stable with high yield in
today’s competitive global market,” said
Weidler, vice president of seeds opera-
tions at Calgary-based Bayer CropScience
Canada.
Early September 2014 marked the
groundbreaking of Bayer’s new Wheat
Breeding Centre near Pike Lake, SK.
The site was chosen “solely based on the
soil” in the region, Weidler said.
“Nothing is more crucial than hav-
ing the right nursing conditions for the
wheat,” he explained, adding that Bayer’s
team finalized the deal after taking
numerous soil samples and comparing
multiple sites for two years.
He said the site is a perfect fit because
all types of wheat are represented in
Saskatchewan.
The Wheat Breeding Centre is a contin-
uation of Bayer’s ongoing ag investment,
following the expansion of its Canola
Breeding Centre of Innovation in 2009,
according to Weidler.
“We’ve seen canola grow in places
that we never thought possible,” he said.
“That’s because di erent breeds were
made. So we thought, ‘Why not do that
with wheat?’”
Once the facility is built, about 15 to
20 full-time and seasonal sta members
will work on everything from planting to
genetic analysis.
In particular, technicians will look at
breeding the best germplasm, or genet-
ic variability, in the wheat. The more
variable the wheat variety’s genetics, the
likelier a better crop will be produced,
said Weidler.
“Developing a certain type of wheat has
to have high yield and yield stability,” he
explained.
Once a new wheat variety is developed
and approved, Bayer will partner with
other companies that will produce seeds
under tight quality control. The seeds will
then go to market for farmers.
The groundbreaking of the new facility
marks the possibility of wheat becoming
a “big player” in the agricultural market,
said Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister
Lyle Stewart.
“My hope is that Bayer will be at the
forefront,” said Stewart. “We are proud
to have this facility, and I hope the best
things come from it.
“The days of government funding all re-
search are long gone. Government should
do some research while the private sector
does some as well. We would like to see
more private companies do research—tax-
payers shouldn’t have to completely foot
the bill.”
Bill Gehl, chair of the Saskatchewan
Wheat Development Commission, also
noted the shift in the landscape of the
wheat breeding industry, where private
companies can now share the pie with the
government that once funded all research.
“I don’t think we have to jump up and
down and be afraid, nor jump up and
down and say, ‘Hooray,’” said Gehl, who
also farms near Regina, SK. “I’d like to
hope plant breeding worldwide is a shared
vision. The more wheat breeding that’s
done in Western Canada, the better—
whether that’s through the government or
private companies. We just want to make
sure we maximize farmers’ net returns on
investments.”
As the landscape changes, Levi Wood
hopes the facility will be the first of many.
“I think getting facilities like this is
great,” said Wood, president of the West-
ern Canadian Wheat Growers Association,
who farms near Pense, SK. “I hope we get
a bunch of varieties out of it to maintain
competitiveness with other markets.
Research like this will ultimately create
varieties with higher yields and better
germplasm that can handle potential
hazards.”
Completion of Bayer’s new facility is
slated for July 2015.
(From le to right): Kamel Beliazi, president and CEO of Bayer; Gerry Ritz, federal agriculture minister; Lyle Stewart,
Saskatchewan’s agricultureminister; Rick Turner, global market head of oil seeds andwheat at Bayer; Sally Clayshulte,
North American wheat breeding director at Bayer; Marcus Weidler, vice president of seeds operations at Bayer; and
TomZatorski, wheat breeding centremanager at Bayer, dig the first patches of soil, marking the groundbreaking.
Winter
2015
grainswest.com
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