By News – d2127

Alberta Grains pens three year agreement with Western Crop Innovations

Dec 19, 2025 | 3:19 PM

Alberta Grains (AG) has committed $600,000 over three years to Western Crop Innovations (WCI) under the Breeding and Technician Chair Agreement.

The contribution will fund one Breeder position and one senior Technician position to support continued research and development for feed barley breeding in Alberta.

Cereal breeding in Canada has traditionally been a publicly funded endeavour. Recently, agricultural research and development, particularly public plant breeding, has become a topic of interest within the industry.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has introduced a plan for Seed Regulatory Modernization, while farmers and industry partners are urging Prime Minister Carney’s government to recognize agriculture’s significant contributions to the Canadian economy — both now, and in terms of future growth potential.

At the same time, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is facing budget cuts and has announced plans to exit variety development, shifting its focus to pre-breeding. These developments have raised important questions about the future of public plant breeding in Canada.

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Formerly operating as the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC), WCI began its transition from public breeding to the not-for-profit sector in April 2024.

WCI Board Chair Kevin Bender said the organization is operating under a new funding model supported by both public and private partners and strengthened through collaborations with post-secondary research institutions. He said this hasn’t been seen in the plant-breeding industry before.

“One hurdle we had to overcome was finding sustainable ways to fund salaries — particularly for senior research and leadership roles,” Bender added. “That’s where we’ve asked industry organizations to step up. We are pursuing Core Breeding agreements and Chair agreements to support this work.”

Bender said WCI and Alberta Grains share a common goal: supporting producer success.

“One way we achieve that is by developing top-performing barley varieties; and this Chair agreement will help us to achieve just that. But it isn’t the only area where we’re innovating. If we can demonstrate that this new funding model is sustainable; that it truly works, we may see other breeding institutions adopt it. We’re grateful to Alberta Grains for their continued support and for being an early partner in this venture.”

AG Board Chair Scott Jespersen said this is why Alberta Grains has come forward.

“It ensures farmers continue to benefit from leading-edge genetics and research that address the agronomic challenges they face every season,” Jespersen said. “We’re proud to be an early partner in a model that puts farmer success at the forefront.”

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com