Randy Kutcher is the Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program (SRP) Chair in Cereal and Flax Crop Pathology at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). Kutcher completed both his BSc and MSc degrees in Agriculture at the University of Manitoba (UM). His master’s degree focused on blackleg of canola. Kutcher then moved west to complete his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan on barley diseases, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, between Regina and Saskatoon, focusing on biological control of weeds using plant pathogens.

Where did you work before U of S?

Before joining the U of S, I worked in private industry for four years at Northern Sales Co. in Winnipeg and then after my PhD, as a Federal Government Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for approximately 15 years. I joined the Crop Development Centre (CDC) in the Department of Plant Sciences at the U of S in 2011.

What got you interested in this area of work?

I grew up in rural Manitoba (my grandparents and relatives farmed) surrounded by crops, where agriculture is top of mind. I always liked science, and having that interest, it was logical to get into agriculture.

When I went back to graduate school, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a plant breeder, but I enjoyed working with fungi, bacteria and viruses (to a degree). I like fungi because you can see them growing in plates and you can trap the spores; they’re really neat organisms to work with. Once I started shopping around for a masters program I got along really well with Roger Rimmer (UM) and I’ve been enthusiastic ever since.

Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at the U of S.

My mandate is cereal and flax pathology, with a cereal focus on Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat and barley. Our priority at the CDC is to develop new varieties. In terms of FHB, my crew and I support the breeding program by managing the disease nurseries and evaluating the material in order to provide information to breeders, allowing them to make informed decisions on which lines should go forward. For any disease, relying on one strategy is probably not going to last in the long term so an integrated management plan is needed. The Manitoba Crop Alliance has contributed towards our Canadian Agricultural Partners program where we are looking at the impact of the crop sequences grown prior to wheat or barley on diseases such as FHB and the leaf spotters.

We do a lot of applied plant pathology work in terms of crop rotation, fungicide timing, and use of clean seed; in addition, we look at agronomic aspects of disease mitigation, for example, the impact of seeding date. Recently we have looked optimizing fungicide timing to improve FHB mitigation, and how that fits into an integrated pest management program. Things like trying to decide if and when fungicide will be of benefit, and determining the response to a fungicide application.

Another disease we are looking at (one which I like working on but we have not had severe problems with in the last few years, in Saskatchewan at least) is stripe rust. In 2011 we had a stripe rust epidemic in Saskatchewan. It was the first time a lot of people had seen it so there were a lot of questions about what varieties might be less susceptible and should we spray a fungicide? When should we spray? Is it too late to spray? Should we spray next year? We support the breeding program by looking for new sources of resistance for stripe rust and other management strategies. Unfortunately, because the rusts generally blow in from further south, rotation is not effective so that is why we have looked at fungicide control as another option when resistant varieties are not available.

One other disease we’re working on is bacterial leaf streak in barley. Over the last few years, we’re seeing it pop up across the prairies more and more, with some growers in Manitoba having issues with it last year.

What can you say about the value of farmers providing funding and support to your organization?

Farmer funding is critical. The Ministry of Agriculture provides a set amount of funding for the CDC, but to expand our research endeavors it is critical we have outside funding. Most of the funding for the applied plant pathology work comes from the grower groups to deal with issues on the farm. We’re very grateful for the funding and support we receive from them. We’re doing the best we can to provide the results as fast as we can to help improve farming operations.

How does that farmer funding and support directly benefit farmers?

The benefits to growers might be quickly applied, such as improved manage of diseases from fungicide timing studies (stripe rust epidemic in 2011, and FHB more recently), to delayed benefits, where we’re looking for new sources of resistance that won’t be available to growers for another ten years when the new varieties become available. Therefore, there are a wide variety of benefits that growers can use almost immediately to results that are going to take some time down the road before they see the benefits.

Breeding for genetic resistance to diseases is perhaps a little behind the scenes and longer term, but very important, while sometimes results from integrated disease management research can be given to growers within a year or two of starting the research. After three years of research, we usually have a pretty good idea how to improve management of a disease with fungicides, or possibly even the impacts of crop sequence, as opposed to fundamental knowledge, which usually takes longer to develop. It may take time to diagnose a new or uncommon disease and determine if it is due to a new pathogen or new race of an existing pathogen, or if a previously uncommon disease has become more of an issue due to changes in weather or agronomic practices. We need resources to develop an understanding of the pathogen and the disease, what conditions they need to become a problem, figure out why a disease has suddenly become a problem, and then figure out how to deal with it.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

I have too many hobbies! I really enjoy music, I recently volunteered at the Jazz Festival, and travelling – previously as a student and occasionally through my research collaborations.

What gets you excited about the work you do?

The very nature of the job. Every morning when I come in there is always something to do and it is often very different from the previous day. At the University, I get to work with young, enthusiastic students and I often get phone calls from growers to hear what issues they are facing. These are the kind of things that really make my job interesting. There are some routine aspects to science, but generally there is always something new happening.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Tenacity. Not everything is going to work out, but if you give it a good try and if you stick with it, things will work out in the end. Really, that is what research is all about, looking at the problems from different angles and talking to many people; there’s always some aspect of plant disease control you can improve to make a difference.

Yvonne Lawley is an Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba (UM), and has been working with the University for ten years. She obtained her PhD from the University of Maryland in Natural Resource Management specializing in soil science, an MSc from the University of Saskatchewan in plant science, and has an undergraduate degree from the UM in agronomy. Lawley now lives in Winnipeg with her family.

Where did you work before UM?

Before joining the UM, I was a Research Agronomist with North Dakota State University in Carrington, North Dakota for two years.

What got you interested in this area of work?

I grew up in Winnipeg and always had an interest in going to visit my grandparents’ farm near Manitou, Manitoba. My interest in agriculture really grew in high school where I thought, if I can learn how to be an engineer, I can learn about agriculture, and off I stormed into my undergraduate degree. I started off in agronomy and then moved into plant science and that took me over to soil. The more I was learning about plants the more connection I saw between plants and soil management.

Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at UM.

I have had a good relationship with many of the organizations that now make up the Manitoba Crop Alliance and I feel connected to their membership. I have several projects (current and past) that have received funding from MCA. Most of them fall within the general area of crop and soil management. One unique part about the research I’ve done with MCA is that we’ve done both traditional small plot agronomy experiments as well as on farm experiments.

Some of my research has focused on corn and wheat agronomy as well as residue management including vertical and strip tillage. One of my current projects is focused on managing lodging resistance for high yielding wheat, kind of ironic to be working on lodging management in times of drought. I’m also doing a lot of work relating to cover crops. This involves a survey, on-farm experiments, and a crop rotation study at sites across the Prairies where we have some of the crops represented by MCA as part of the rotation. The rotation study is looking at how cover crops influence crop productivity, nutrient cycling, soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and soil carbon over time. For the extreme moisture project, we’ve been looking at the management of overwintering cover crops like rye to utilize water when it is wet in the spring and then later in the season how the residue from that cover crop could help conserve soil moisture during times of drought.

One thing that excites me about working with the MCA is the Whole Farm initiative. I’m a ‘whole farm thinker’ when I approach my research so I’m excited to see how the Whole Farm initiative grows and evolves. I think this new MCA initiative is going to enable researchers like myself to look not at just commodity specific questions, but whole systems wide projects.

What can you say about the value of farmers providing funding and support to your organization?

It is really enabling to have farmer funding. It’s motivational and it’s essential. Funding from farmer organizations like MCA enables me to pursue important research questions that other funders may not be interested in. It also allows me to train graduate and undergraduate students, which brings value back to farmers. These students are the ones who end up being future agronomists and researchers.

Another thing that’s really enabling is the interaction that comes with having funding from farmer organizations through extension events. They provide a ready venue for researchers like me to connect with farmers, or the graduate students I am training. These events inform me because I get to have conversations with farmers. Those conversations inspire new questions and also help me stay current in the classroom as I can gather feedback, questions and ideas to take back to campus when I’m talking with students.

How does that farmer funding and support directly benefit farmers?

Our aim and hope is that the research questions we’re asking in our projects are relevant to the questions farmers are asking on their farm. I also think there is value to farmers in investing in research that makes its way into the classroom. Having research at universities is important for training, and students get to learn about current research that is happening right now while they’re studying. Whether its at the diploma, undergraduate, or graduate level, new information and ideas go with those students when they graduate.

Government funding is now looking to organizations like MCA to match dollars invested in research and I think this helps gives farmers a voice. These check-off programs are going to be essential for funding agriculture research in the future. As government funding pulls back, that check off is going to be the way farmers have voice in directing funds to the research that matters to them.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

Research and family life have kind of crowded out most of my hobbies over the past ten years, but the ones that have survived are my interests in nature, food, music and travel. My husband and I are both professors at the UM and we have two enthusiastic school age kids that keep us pretty occupied after work!

What inspires you?

The conversations I have with students and farmers are very inspiring. It has been hard to stay excited and inspired in times of COVID, but the conversations I’ve been able to have with students and farmers really keep me grounded and connected. They motivate me to keep moving forward with research under difficult conditions because you can hear the impact and value that new information and ideas bring in these conversations.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?

When I was starting out as a new professor, a colleague said to me that you have to trust your gut. If you have an instinct about a project or you observe something that doesn’t seem right, you have to trust it, go after it and pick it apart. Life and research are full of surprises, you have to have confidence in what you’re seeing to be able to ask yourself, why did that happen?

Follow @yvonnelawley_um on Twitter!