Industry Partners & Guest Articles Archives

The 13-Year Lag: Why Today’s Wheat Breeding Success Depends on Yesterday’s Investment

Coles Ag on June 8, 2026

Wheat varieties are performing better than ever, but a “slow drip” of budget cuts means the next generation of innovation is at a critical crossroads.

Wheat varieties that deliver high yields, exceptional quality and strong disease packages are available in abundant choice to Manitoba farmers. This choice and performance are thanks to an often-overlooked wheat breeding innovation system.

“Wheat is one of my favourite crops to grow; it can withstand whatever the year throws at it,” says Jocelyn Velestuk, chair of the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC). “In past decades that hasn’t always been the case.”

There’s lots of variables driving the success of wheat in Western Canada, but Velestuk is adamant that the foundation of that success is our wheat breeding programs. “We can’t take that system for granted and right now, it’s at risk,” she says.

While the varieties available today are excellent, the process of plant breeding means those successes are built on efforts made over 10 years ago. The average time from initial cross to commercialization for a wheat variety is 13 years. Wheat breeding is a long-term process and takes stable investment.

The CWRC has been studying the current plant breeding system and has identified some significant gaps and risks, which are outlined in a report that was released in February 2026.

“Our largest breeding program has seen a slow drip of budget cuts going back nearly two decades,” Velestuk says, referencing the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) wheat breeding program. “The latest budget cuts exasperate an already compromised system. It’s really clear that the status quo is not an option.”

A perfect storm

The long cycle of plant breeding and the budget cuts at Canada’s largest breeding program have prompted significant concern. In the past 20 years, there have been two significant government funding cuts:

2012 Deficit Reduction Action Plan (DRAP) saw the AAFC budget cut by 12 per cent and resulted in closures of several stations and an overall loss of 60,000 plots.
2025 Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) will see a 15 per cent cut at AAFC within the next three years, with $112 million cut in 2026-27. Closures of research stations and job losses were recently announced.

These cuts create three distinct eras of funding for plant breeding: The pre-DRAP era when AAFC breeding programs were well funded resulted in the top varieties planted today. The post-DRAP era saw fewer crosses and fewer plots; the results of this era are just starting to be seen now. Looking forward to the post-CER era, the impact on the AAFC breeding program is unclear.

When you place the crossing dates of top performing varieties within the eras of AAFC funding, it creates a concerning reality: all of today’s most popular varieties were crossed in the pre-DRAP era.

“So far, our breeding programs are meeting the needs of farmers, but how long will we keep up performance when we’ve experienced such a drain of funding in our biggest program?” Velestuk says.

“CWRC is taking the lead on behalf of farmers to secure the future of wheat in Canada. Discussions are underway with AAFC, and we’re engaging stakeholders in finding a path forward that meets farmers’ needs.”

To learn more and read the CWRC’s full report on the Wheat Breeding Innovation System, visit wheatresearch.ca.

Grains Week 2025: Farmers Take Their Priorities to Parliament Hill

Coles Ag on November 5, 2025

Every year, Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) brings grain producers to Ottawa for Grains Week, a focused day of meetings, discussions and events designed to ensure that growers’ priorities are front and centre with parliamentarians. It is one of the most important advocacy efforts we undertake each year, connecting the realities of grain farming directly to the policy decisions that shape our sector.

This year’s Grains Week featured more than 30 meetings with ministers, secretaries of state, MPs, senators and senior staff, capped off by a well-attended Parliamentary reception that drew more than 150 guests from Parliament Hill. Farmers were divided into regional groups to cover as much ground as possible, sharing how federal decisions impact operations and outlining solutions to strengthen the competitiveness of Canadian grain.

In a single day of co-ordinated meetings, GGC members from across the country met with key decision-makers, beginning with a breakfast meeting with Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald, to discuss how grain farmers and government can work together to advance shared priorities. Throughout the day, producers met with many others, including Leader of the Official Opposition Pierre Poilievre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Kody Blois and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Sophie Chatel.

Meetings also included influential voices such as Finance Committee Chair Karina Gould, Secretary of State for Rural Development Buckley Belanger, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance Ryan Turnbull, as well as critics and committee members from across party lines. In the Senate, we met with long-standing agricultural advocates, including senators Rob Black and Mary Robinson.

Across every meeting, our message was consistent: producers are ready to be part of the solution, but they need government to remove the barriers holding the sector back.

Our advocacy focused on four key issues. Farmers emphasized the need to reset Canada’s trade relationships and defend tariff-free access to key markets like the United States and China. With more than 70 per cent of Canadian grain exported, trade disruptions and new tariffs have a direct impact on farm incomes. Attendees urged the government to make agriculture a top priority in trade negotiations and to actively defend CUSMA in the upcoming 2026 review.

The second focus was trade-enabling infrastructure. Canada’s grain supply chain is under pressure, with the Port of Vancouver already at capacity and chokepoints like the Second Narrows Rail Bridge leaving the system vulnerable. Farmers made it clear that without urgent federal investment in ports, rail and bridges, delays will continue to erode both income and market confidence.

The third issue was the urgent need to reinvest in agricultural research and development. Total public spending in research has declined by nearly $200 million over the past decade, putting farmers at a disadvantage globally. We called for renewed federal support for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s breeding and innovation programs, along with stronger partnerships that keep farmers directly involved in setting research priorities.

Finally, farmers reinforced the need to protect family farms by permanently reversing the capital gains tax increase. While government has signalled a possible reversal, the hike remains scheduled for January 2026, leaving uncertainty for farm families. For producers, their land and equipment are their retirement savings, and this tax would make it harder for the next generation to take over.

Beyond meetings, our message was visible throughout Ottawa. Advertisements downtown and in The Hill Times, along with targeted digital outreach, reinforced farmers’ priorities for trade, infrastructure, research and fair taxation.

The week concluded with GGC’s board of directors meeting and participation in stakeholder receptions, where members connected with industry partners and set advocacy priorities for the year ahead. To cap off the week, we were able to celebrate the association’s first ever recognition, receiving a Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) Award of Excellence for our Protect Family Farms campaign that opposed the capital gains tax hike.

Grains Week is about ensuring farmers are heard where it matters most. By bringing producers face-to-face with decision-makers, we are making sure the future of Canadian grain farming is shaped by those who know it best.

Photo Gallery

: Sally Parsonage with Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald.

: Sally Parsonage with MP Emma Harrison.

: Leigh Smith with Finance Committee Chair Karina Gould.

: Sally Parsonage with Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Sophie Chatel.

: Leigh Smith with MP Adam Chambers.

: Leigh Smith with Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Kody Blois.

A Combine to Customer experience

Coles Ag on September 9, 2025

By Andrew Hector, Agronomy and Extension Specialist – Cereal Crops

Annually, during the winter months long after the combines have finished rolling, Cereals Canada offers a one-of-a-kind program called Combine to Customer. This program connects farmers to how their grain is used in the global marketplace. Canadian cereal grains are some of the highest-quality grains produced in the world and are used in numerous goods, such as breads, noodles, pastas, crackers and more. This program illustrates why.

Taking place at Cereals Canada’s facilities in Winnipeg, this hands-on course provides insights into the quality requirements end-users are seeking, the impact of wheat grading factors on end-use quality, the variety development and registration system, and much more. It really helps provide context to why your elevator or grain buyer needs a specific falling number minimum or other quality requirements. It also answers questions around why common farm management practices are used in western Canadian production systems.

Additionally, the program showcases the Cereals Canada facilities and how much work and technology goes into the evaluation of grain and end-use product quality. There are demonstrations of technical equipment that measures variables relating to flour quality, dough strength and bread structure. The Canadian grain market outlook and major export markets are also covered through in-person classroom projects.

At the end of the experience, this program provided me and other participants with a much deeper understanding of what happens after grain leaves the farm and why Canadian cereals are viewed as a premium product around the world.

For more information about the program, visit combinetocustomer.ca.

Connecting the Farm Gate to Parliament Hill

Coles Ag on September 8, 2025

By Kyle Larkin, Executive Director of Grain Growers of Canada

The parliamentary summer recess left many questions unresolved as issues of trade, taxation and economic competitiveness took centre stage. While Ottawa was quiet, Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) was active in the field, using the summer months to connect directly with producers and show policymakers the real-world impact of federal decisions on grain farming.

In August, we travelled from Manitoba through Saskatchewan and into Alberta on the annual GGC Summer Tour. Over five days and over 2,000 kilometres, the tour provided an opportunity to walk fields, see crop conditions firsthand and visit the operations of directors and members. Each stop highlighted both the diversity and the shared challenges of grain farming, from crop rotations and new varieties to high input costs, weather extremes and market volatility.

The tour also created a platform to connect with local Members of Parliament and the media. MP Colin Reynolds joined us near Steinbach. MB, for a tour of Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) delegate Korey Peters’ farm. This was followed by a tour of MCA and GGC vice-chair Sally Parsonage’s operation with a reporter from Reuters. In Saskatchewan, MP Cathay Wagantall met producers near Churchbridge, while MP Fraser Tolmie toured a farm near Davidson. In Alberta, additional tours were hosted in Killam and Smoky Lake. These conversations reinforced the importance of grounding policy debates in the realities faced by farmers.

The tour brought into focus the issues that will shape the fall: current volatility in Canada’s key trade relationships, trade-enabling infrastructure at capacity and taxation uncertainty. These challenges mirror the concerns producers have been raising for months and will define the policy debates as Parliament reconvenes.

Trade remains central to Canadian agriculture. More than 70 per cent of Canadian grain is exported, making access to markets essential for farm incomes and rural communities. Yet, access to certain markets is getting increasingly difficult. The 2026 CUSMA review raises questions about the future of tariff-free trade with the United States, while tensions with China continue to restrict opportunities for Canadian products. With $45 billion in exports at stake, we will continue to push for policies that defend existing access and open new markets.

Market access, however, is only as strong as the infrastructure that delivers it internationally. Canada’s railways and ports are already stretched, leading to delays that raise costs and undermine Canada’s reliability as a supplier. Bottlenecks threaten contracts, international relationships and competitiveness. As government prioritizes economic growth, we will advocate for trade-enabling infrastructure to be a central part of that plan.

Inside the farm gate, taxation uncertainty remains a major concern. Proposed increases to the capital gains tax risk placing additional burdens on succession and retirement, threatening the viability of family farms already under financial pressure. While government has signaled the increase will not proceed, no formal withdrawal has been made, leaving the change deferred to January 2026. With hundreds of family farms lost each year, we continue to call for permanent removal of the tax increase.

Carbon pricing is another file where clarity is needed. Although the tax on propane and natural gas used on-farm is currently set to zero, the legislation remains in place, leaving farmers exposed to future increases. These fuels are essential for grain drying and barn heating, with no viable alternatives available. A permanent exemption is needed to provide farmers with the certainty to plan, invest and innovate.

The summer provided an opportunity to listen, reflect and prepare. Now, as Parliament reconvenes, we will carry those conversations into Ottawa. The focus this fall will be on securing investment in infrastructure, defending trade access, protecting farm succession and ensuring fairness on carbon pricing. The voices of Canada’s grain farmers will be brought to Parliament Hill with one goal: to strengthen the sector, enhance competitiveness and secure the future of Canadian farming.

From Prairie to pint: Canada-China Barley Seminar strengthens trade relationship

Coles Ag on July 8, 2024

As member of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC), Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) participated in the 2024 Canada-China Barley Seminar in Qingdao, China, from June 19-20. This CMBTC-hosted seminar aimed to strengthen relationships with a key market for Canadian barley by connecting the Canadian barley value chain with Chinese maltsters and brewers.

“The seminar provided a unique platform for the Canadian barley value chain to engage directly with Chinese maltsters and brewers to cover critical aspects of Canadian barley supply and quality, production practices and sustainability,” says CMBTC chair Jon White. “China is a key market for Canadian barley. This event was pivotal in showcasing our superior quality to our end users.”

Farmers, as well as representatives from Canada’s world class barley breeding programs and grain suppliers, represented the Canadian barley value chain at the seminar.

Meetings were held at Tsingtao Brewery and Hyaline Malting Co., with a concurrent conference. Tsingtao Brewery was founded in 1903 and is ranked in the top five global brewers. Hyaline Malting, a former naval air base turned into a malt processing plant, has supplied Tsingtao Brewery with malt since 2005.

MCA director and wheat and barley crop committee delegate Sheila Elder travelled to Qingdao to represent MCA. She joined two other farmers and a representative from Richardson on a panel discussing the sustainability of Canadian grain production.

Elder was asked about Manitoba’s “much wetter” climate compared to the other two Prairie provinces. “Although the last couple of years have not felt so wet, this year is a different story,” she says.

“This led me to talk about how yield is not our only objective when choosing a variety; we need a variety that has resistance to Fusarium and is not as prone to lodging as earlier varieties were. Fortunately, thanks to our world-class breeders, we have great options to choose from.”

On the theme of collaboration, Elder also highlighted some of the resources farmers have access to in Canada to help them make the best management decisions throughout the growing season. These include access to highly trained experts, such as crop pathologists, entomologists, weed specialists, crop specialists and agronomists, as well as commodity organizations like MCA who have agronomists on staff.

The importance of farmer participation in the seminar was evident. Farmers like Elder could address Chinese maltsters and brewers’ specific questions and concerns about barley production, fostering trust and strengthening the relationship between our two countries.

Sheila also talked about how much pride farmers take in growing the best crops possible, as well as the importance of collaboration within the industry.

At one meeting with brewers, glyphosate came up as a concern. White, who in addition to being chair of CMBTC is also a merchandiser with Viterra, addressed this by explaining how malt barley samples are probed and tested at many different stages, reinforcing how well malt barley is tested for glyphosate.

It was evident to Elder that having many parts of the barley value chain represented at the seminar was important for the Chinese maltsters and brewers. “It was quite clear they value building relationships through face-to-face meetings and would like to see those from the value chain more often.”

With China’s doors open to trade with Australia, the seminar arrived at an important moment. Canada’s barley is well known for its high quality, but that quality comes at a premium, partly due to longer shipping distances and related costs when compared with Australia, for example.

“In today’s competitive global market, seizing opportunities to foster trusted and mutually beneficial relationships at home and around the world is crucial” says CMBTC managing director Peter Watts.

“End users are keenly interested in the systems and standards that distinguish Canada’s barley supply, quality and performance. This seminar was tailored to address the evolving needs and interests of international end users, who seek products that will meet their current and future needs, as well as insights into the Canadian system.”

From left to right: Jon White (Viterra), Sheila Elder (farmer, MCA), Roy (Leroy) Newman (farmer, Alberta Grain), Peter Schutz (Richardson), Peter Watts (CMBTC), Aaron Beattie (University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre), Hayley Stacey (CMBTC), Yueshu Li (CMBTC), Cody Glenn (farmer, SaskBarley), Jackie Oakes (Cargill), Al Morris (independent grain buyer) and Matt Enns (farmer, SaskBarley).

Qingdao (home to Tsingtao Brewery) is where the sailing events were held for the 2008 Olympics. This large, red sculpture symbolizes the Olympic flame.

Japanese delegation visits Manitoba to gain better understanding of Canadian crop production

Coles Ag on July 8, 2024

On June 27, a delegation from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) toured Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) director Doug Martin’s farm near East Selkirk, MB. In addition to Martin, MCA was represented during the farm tour by agronomy extension specialist for cereal crops Andrew Hector.

The tour was an excellent learning experience for the Japanese delegation and a great opportunity for MCA to interact directly with representatives from an important market for Manitoba agricultural products.

Members of the Japanese delegation typically communicate with grain buyers or suppliers, who provide them with information about grain quality and production practices, but they don’t often have the chance to interact with farmers. This led them to reach out to Cereals Canada, who then worked with MCA to help facilitate the event. The delegation had a desire to better understand the practices farmers are using firsthand, which is why they valued participating in the farm tour.

During the tour, members of the MAFF group asked specific and pointed questions regarding crop production practices used on the farm. They were also interested in how specific pieces of equipment work, what fungicides are used and at what frequency, and types and timings of fertilizer application. Additionally, there was a strong interest in on-farm grain storage and how the grain is transported to ports.

The MAFF is important in the Japanese market in that they set the contracts and associated terms for wheat importers that the importers then execute. They also control import regulatory tolerances for cereals.

Japan is a longstanding, quality-conscious purchaser of Canadian wheat. According to Cereals Canada, Japan imported an average of 1.62 million tonnes annually from 2018 to 2022, valued at $631 million. Meanwhile, Manitoba-specific data shows Japan is the province’s third-largest wheat export market, with an annual export average of 325,759 tonnes from 2018 to 2022, valued at $127 million.

Photo Gallery

Reflecting on a milestone Grains Week

Coles Ag on May 2, 2024

Article provided by Grain Growers of Canada

Grain Growers of Canada’s (GGC) annual Grains Week is a three-day event packed with back-to-back meetings with parliamentarians and decision-makers to advocate for agriculture policy solutions. Over 20 dedicated grain farmers from across Canada converged in Ottawa for a series of strategic meetings, including MCA directors Jonothan Hodson, who also sits on the GGC board of directors, and Sally Parsonage.

The week was filled with substantial discussions with nearly 30 key decision-makers in the agricultural sphere, including MPs, senators and top government officials. Discussions were held with prominent leaders, such as Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, Leader of the Official Opposition Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings.

“Events like Grains Week offer farmers a chance to speak directly with parliamentarians and decision-makers about issues we are facing on the farm,” Parsonage says. “We also highlight the continuous progress farmers have made towards a sustainable and productive agriculture sector in Canada.”

Our conversations were focused, productive and centered around advancing 10 key policy recommendations crucial for the sustainable growth of agriculture in Canada.

The week also featured a memorable parliamentary reception the following evening where nearly 50 MPs and senators participated, engaging in robust dialogue and forming grassroot connections with the grain growing community. Minister MacAulay’s opening remarks also set the stage for an engaging evening, which was supported by Beer Canada and Spirits Canada. Their partnership beautifully demonstrated the journey of our grain from the fields to the reception tables, emphasizing how our hard-working growers cultivate the quality of the Canadian products we enjoy.

“Grains Week is important to Manitoba farmers because it is an opportunity for MCA and other GGC member organizations to highlight priorities for our grain farming community,” Hodson says.

“Many face-to-face meetings take place with MPs, senators and their staff, who are important contacts that allow for further dialogue on important policy objectives. As a producer representative, we are there to try and relate what effect policies may have on the producers we represent.”

Such meetings and events remain crucial for maintaining direct engagement with policymakers, ensuring the perspectives and needs of grain farmers are heard and make an impact. The positive feedback from our stakeholders in Ottawa stresses the importance of our continued advocacy and presence on Parliament Hill.

“Maintaining a steady presence in Ottawa is key and will ensure that when new policy or ag-related issues arise, decision-makers will have a direct connection with the producers they are impacting,” Parsonage says.

While Canadian agriculture advocacy efforts gain incredible strength from events like Grains Week, it’s important to note that its success was largely due to the dedicated grain farmers who journeyed to Ottawa. We deeply appreciate their participation, which was essential for the impactful meetings held, underscoring the crucial role they play in shaping our agricultural policies.

Let’s maintain this momentum for Grains Week 2025 and ensure our community remains at the forefront of agricultural innovation and policy development!

Photo Gallery

: Sally Parsonage and MP Rosemary Falk.

: Sally Parsonage and MP Rosemary Falk.

: Sally Parsonage and MP Rosemary Falk.

: Jonothan Hodson and MPs Warren Steinley and Leanne Rood.

: Jonothan Hodson and MP Heath Macdonald.

: Jonothan Hodson and Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development.

: Jonothan Hodson and Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development.

: Jonothan Hodson and Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development.

In the field and abroad: sharing the Canadian wheat story with global customers

Coles Ag on January 29, 2024

In November 2023, Cereals Canada released the 2023 New Wheat Crop Report and shortly after led four trade and technical missions to 17 countries to showcase the quality of Canadian wheat to customers and buyers.

The annual trade and technical missions visit key global markets for Canadian wheat to share reports on the quality and functionality of the year’s wheat crop and include information on market supply and demand. Experts from the value chain – such as commissioners from the Canadian Grain Commission, exporters and farmers – participate in these missions.

As part of the seminars during these missions, farmer participants were asked to present on key farming practices and highlight the practices they follow to grow wheat while minimizing environmental impacts.

“Each market wants to understand more about Canadian farming practices,” says Dean Dias, CEO at Cereals Canada. “Having farmer representatives speak on behalf of Canadian growers about their farming practices is critical to informing customers about sustainability.”

Grain farmer and MCA crop committee delegate Korey Peters was a farmer representative on the Asia trade and technical mission, visiting customers in Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and China from Nov. 24 to Dec. 9.

“The experience was awesome and very eye opening,” says Peters. In each seminar, Peters used photos and videos to talk about the crop types he grows on his family farm and shared information about how the 2023 growing season went.

Photo Gallery

: Korey Peters and the rest of the Canadian delegation at Japan Flour Millers Association meeting in Tokyo, Japan.

: After Korey’s presentations he was often asked questions related to soil fertility, managing wheat diseases and how he looks after the environment.

: (Left to right) Dean Dias, Norbert Cabral, Matt Bingham, Korey Peters and Lindsay Bourre at the Great Wall of China.

After his presentations, he was often asked questions related to soil fertility, managing wheat diseases and how he looks after the environment.

“Customers were very curious to hear firsthand what we do, how we grow things, and what works and what doesn’t,” he says. “I talked a lot about crop rotation and science-based solutions, and how we work with professionals like certified agronomists, for example, to help us.”

At all the seminars, Peters says customers were engaged and seemed eager to speak directly with a farmer. “They wanted to know about everything I did, but they also wanted to know about the grain and quality,” he says. “They were asking about breadcrumb structure, air pockets and how the bread was going to look.”

He adds the level of scientific detail blew his mind. “I just grow wheat, but it was interesting to hear these types of questions and discussions. It also reinforced to me the importance of having members from the whole value chain at these missions to answer all their questions and to build trust.”

Something that stood out to Peters was the relationships. “These companies want to put a face to the names of the people in the value chain. Some were on a first-name basis, or even exchanging hugs because they’ve met many times before. This showed me how important it is to our customers to have that personal connection.”

For Cereals Canada, the trade and technical missions are a way to build and maintain strong relationships, which is vital to growing the international demand for Canadian wheat. For Peters, it was a great experience, and he says he would go again in a heartbeat.

“It became very clear to me that Canada’s wheat is second to none. Every place we visited agreed that Canadian wheat is phenomenal, which makes me very proud of what we grow.”

For more information about the New Wheat Crop Report or the trade and technical missions, visit cerealscanada.ca.

Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster 2018-2023

mca2022dev on June 6, 2023

The Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster (ICAC) was designed to put focus on a whole-farm approach, it addresses critical gaps in research for farm management as a whole and does not put focus on one crop type or approach. There are seven research activities within the cluster, MCA participates in all research activities as they all bring valuable information to Manitoba producers. Each activity and a brief description are listed below, for more information, view the Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster Summary 2018-2023.

Co-ordinated monitoring of field crop insect pests in the Prairies Ecosystem

Provides funding for the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network.
Funds the activities to continue to develop tracking and trend prediction of insect pests.

Co-ordination of a crop disease monitoring network for Western Canada

Provides funding for the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network.
Funds the activities to continue to provide timely information about crop diseases and highlight effective disease management approaches.

Developing a risk model to mitigate Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in western Canadian cereal production.

Provides funds to develop a FHB risk map model that is based on data taken across the Prairies and takes into account over 500 weather stations to produce a user-friendly, online risk-mapping tool.

Management of glyphosate-resistant kochia in western Canadian cropping systems

Studied the effect of several different non-chemical ways to manage kochia, including crop rotation, row spacing, seeding rates and harvest timing.

Spray drift management under changing operational requirements

Studied how the machinery plays a role in creating spray drift.
This included quantifying drift as a function of travel speed, spray quality and boom movement.

Optimizing systems productivity, resilience and sustainability in the major Canadian ecozones

With increasing evidence that supports the benefits of diversifying crop rotations to ensure long-term sustainability, this project studied several different crop rotations at eight sites across the Prairies to determine the impact of different rotations on productivity, resilience and sustainability.

Economic and agronomic performance of emerging cropping systems for Western Canada

Looks at including soybean and/or corn in crop rotations in Western Canada (regions where this is not a traditional crop included in rotations) and the economic, agronomic and environmental impacts this will have.

First Wheat Retreat connects food influencers to Canadian wheat

mca2022dev on May 26, 2023

Consumers play an important role in agriculture, and finding new ways to reach this audience is important.

With that goal in mind, the first ever “Wheat Retreat” brought about 30 influencers in the food and nutrition world together to explore all things wheat – nutrition, functionality and sustainability.

The Wheat Retreat was hosted by the Canadian Wheat Nutrition Initiative, aka What About Wheat?, at Cereals Canada’s world-class facilities in Winnipeg on April 27-30, 2023.

Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) supports market development initiatives that provide value to our farmer members, so we sent Mallorie Lewarne, our former agronomy extension specialist – cereal crops, to add some perspective on farming in Manitoba.

The retreat included a tour of Cereals Canada’s technical facilities, a pasta sensory session, a hands-on sourdough workshop, a bannock making session and discussions about wheat farming.

Photo Gallery

“Everyone who attended had great questions – including plenty about agriculture. They asked lots about general farming practices, pesticide use, the wheat class system and more,” says Lewarne.

“These influencers are much more public facing than the typical farmer or agronomist. I think this was a great opportunity to connect and provide them with accurate information they can share with the general public.”

Sheila Elder, a delegate on our wheat and barley crop committee, and her husband Jeff attended one day of the retreat and gave a presentation that took attendees through a growing season as a farmer.

They talked about seeding, scouting, spraying and harvesting, while focusing on technological advances that allow them to be more profitable and sustainable.

“I think there is often a disconnect between the farmer and the consumer,” says Lewarne. “Any opportunity we get to share accurate information about farming practices in Canada is invaluable, and these small opportunities can add up to make a large impact on that disconnect.”

What About Wheat? is a platform for nutrition professionals to find the latest science-based information on wheat to share with their clients and consumers. The information is vetted by a Scientific Advisory Council made up of researchers and registered dietitians.

Member organizations include Cereals Canada, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Alberta Wheat Commission, Manitoba Crop Alliance, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and Canadian National Millers Association.