MCA News Releases Archives - Page 4 of 4

On-farm 4R Nutrient Stewardship Data Collection Continues to Expand with New Partners and Crops

mca2022dev on August 9, 2021

By Fertilizer Canada

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 09, 2021

Ottawa, ON – The Canadian agriculture industry is a leader in implementing on-farm sustainable practices. To demonstrate 4R Nutrient Stewardship – Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place® adoption on Canadian farms – Fertilizer Canada is pleased to announce the expansion of the Fertilizer Use Survey to include additional crops: wheat, flax, sunflowers, and corn in Western Canada.

“The data from the Fertilizer Use Survey provides us with critical information on the current state of fertilizer management in Canadian crop production and assessing grower awareness and adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship,” said Karen Proud, President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada. “The survey shows us how agri-retailers and farmers across Canada are implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship, which is an approach that has been demonstrated to increase crop production while protecting our environment.”

The Fertilizer Use Survey provides comprehensive, best available data for commercial fertilizer use and management practices. Since 2014, the Fertilizer Use Survey has provided a credible source of information on fertilizer practices and trends across Canada. The survey also examines the adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship related to crop type, region, soil practices, and farm size. Additionally, the survey offers a comparison of science-based practices shown to reduce environmental impacts, comparing the adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship with crop performance and environmental stewardship. These comparisons utilize statistically significant metrics that support our organizations in our achievements and aid in keeping both grower members and decision-makers informed and aware.

Fertilizer Canada and our partners – Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA), Christian Farmers of Ontario (CFFO), Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Manitoba Crop Alliance, Saskatchewan Wheat, and Alberta Wheat Commission – will continue to work with Status Ag Research to facilitate the survey utilizing their robust, unbiased grower database and vast experience doing agricultural market research. Their team has extensive experience working in this multi-faceted market by applying collective agri-business knowledge to generate the best possible information. Stratus does a great job of transforming reams of complex research data into helpful information that Fertilizer Canada, and our partners, can put into action.

“The Fertilizer Use Survey highlights the great work growers are currently doing to implement 4R Best Management Practices,” said Mike Weddel, President of Stratus Ag Research. For example, 4R practices such as banding Phosphorus fertilizers are being implemented by over 90% of canola growers in Western Canada. In Ontario, we are also seeing an increasing trend for corn growers applying their Nitrogen Fertilizer in-crop moving from 50% in 2015 to 60% in 2020.”

“Manitoba Crop Alliance is proud to partner with Fertilizer Canada and the other organizations involved in the Fertilizer Use Survey,” says Fred Greig, Chair, Manitoba Crop Alliance. “The Fertilizer Use Survey is an indicator on the good work our producers are doing, and with the expansion to include additional crops in Western Canada (wheat, flax, sunflowers and corn), we have an even better benchmark to work towards our goal of having 30 million acres implementing 4R Practices by 2025.”

“Grain Farmers of Ontario is a long-time supporter of the 4R program. The fertilizer use survey is an important tool to help us understand Ontario grain farmers’ awareness and adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship, while also shedding light on some of the advancements the agriculture industry has made with technology, research, and agronomy to manage nutrients on the farm,” said Crosby Devitt, CEO, Grain Farmers of Ontario.

“The data from the survey will allow us to gain a further understanding of how wheat farmers in Alberta are managing fertilizer decisions, plus help direct future extension and research initiatives. We view this as an opportunity to grow and further increase fertilizer efficiencies in wheat production, as well as limit our environmental footprint,” said Todd Hames, Alberta Wheat Commission Chair.

“The Fertilizer Use Survey documents sustainable practices canola farmers are using currently and provides a benchmark to measure improvement over time,” says Mike Ammeter, Chair of Canadian Canola Growers Association. “The resulting knowledge can enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of canola farming in the future.”

Within our Strategic Plan, Fertilizer Canada member companies have set a target goal of having 30 million acres implementing 4R practices, measured through the Fertilizer Use Survey by 2025. Fertilizer Canada is looking forward to continuing this work with our partners to collect crop-specific fertilizer use data, supporting our shared economic and environmental sustainability goals.

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Fertilizer Canada represents manufacturers, wholesale and retail distributors of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur fertilizers. The fertilizer industry plays an essential role in Canada’s economy, contributing $23 billion annually and over 76,000 jobs. As the unified voice of the Canadian fertilizer industry, Fertilizer Canada works to promote the safe, responsible, and sustainable distribution and use of fertilizer. Please visit fertilizercanada.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Brittany Thibaudeau

Communications Specialist

bthibaudeau@fertilizercanada.ca

(613) 786-3043

Manitoba Crop Alliance and University of Manitoba advancing Canadian agriculture through new research facility

mca2022dev on May 11, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 11, 2021 (Carman, MB) – Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is contributing $500,000 to the University of Manitoba (UM) towards the building of the Prairie Crops & Soil Research Facility (PCSRF). The PCSRF will further strengthen the UM’s already well-recognized agronomy and crop production teaching and research programs. Construction of the new facility will begin next year.

“I thank our research collaborators at MCA for their leadership and vision in the support of the new PCSRF, one of the Faculty’s most significant renewal strategies for research in crop production. This gift represents investment in agricultural research by Manitoba’s farmers that will foster the development of integrated and resilient agronomic systems to the benefit of Western Canadian producers,” says Dr. Martin Scanlon, Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, UM.

The PCSRF will increase the capacity for crop research and allow scientists to better integrate soils, crop, entomology and livestock research to make crop production in Manitoba more sustainable. Farmers in Manitoba will benefit from research topics including agronomic and cropping systems for optimized performance and longer-term sustainability, weed management, advanced crop protection, new cultivars and crops, profitability of nutrient strategies, and carbon benefits of crop production practices.

“MCA wishes to express our gratitude for the UM’s continued commitment to the improvement of facilities and equipment that are so essential for advanced modern research and the training of highly qualified personnel,” says Fred Greig, Chair of MCA. “We anticipate this expansion and modernization of research capacity at the UM will accelerate the growth and health of our industry by putting innovative solutions in the hands of our farmer members.”

MCA values the partnership with the UM and are currently supporting 30 projects totaling approximately $500,000 per annum. MCA will continue to work together with the UM to address research priorities and communicate research results to our members.

For more information about MCA research investments, please visit mbcropalliance.ca/research/projects. For more information about the UM, please visit https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/.

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About Manitoba Crop Alliance:
Manitoba Crop Alliance is a non-profit organization established August 1, 2020 representing over 9,000 farmer-members. Manitoba Crop Alliance puts their farmer-members first and strives to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of all crops represented by the organization by focusing on four main areas: research, agronomy, market access and development, and communications. It is through investment in these key areas that Manitoba Crop Alliance can ensure wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax are sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

About University of Manitoba:
The University of Manitoba is home to a community of more than 29,000 students, 5,000 academic staff and 3,900 support staff. Recognized as Western Canada’s first university and located in the city of Winnipeg, the University is committed to advancing Indigenous research and achievement, recognizing the significant contributions of Indigenous peoples in Canada. UM is one of the U15, ranking among Canada’s top research-intensive universities and is Manitoba’s only medical-doctoral post-secondary institution. Providing high-quality liberal arts, science and professional programs of study, the University inspires undergraduate and graduate students to positively impact their communities as globally-engaged citizens.

For more information, please contact:

Pam de Rocquigny

Chief Executive Officer

Manitoba Crop Alliance

204.745.6661 | pam@mbcropalliance.ca

Brooke Karlaftis

Donor Relations

University of Manitoba

204-474-7835 | Brooke.Karlaftis@umanitoba.ca

CWRC commits $2 million to the University of Alberta in wheat breeding activities

mca2022dev on May 3, 2021

May 3, 2021 (Calgary, AB; Saskatoon, SK; Carman, MB) – The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) – a collaboration between the Alberta Wheat Commission, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and Manitoba Crop Alliance – has committed $2 million over five years towards a core breeding agreement with the University of Alberta (U of A). The investment will fund research activities through the U of A’s wheat breeding program with a specific focus on developing new Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canadian Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat varieties. The agreement came into effect on May 1, 2021 and will expire December 31, 2025.

A top objective of the agreement is for the U of A’s wheat breeding program to develop three to five registered wheat varieties focusing on the traits of early maturity, shorter straw stalk, and resistance to stripe rust and Fusarium Head Blight, all of which are key priorities of northern Alberta’s Parkland region where the program is located. The program is led by principal investigator and well-known wheat breeder, Dr. Dean Spaner.

“This agreement with the U of A is a natural fit as the CWRC recognizes the importance of having a strong breeding network across Western Canada,” says Fred Greig, CWRC chair. “Dr. Spaner and the U of A wheat breeding program have a history of successfully developing and commercializing wheat varieties with strong agronomic packages for prairie farmers.”

Since 2013, the U of A breeding program has registered 13 CWRS varieties and one CPSR variety for a total of 14 varieties.

“This funding from the CWRC provides tremendous solidification of our breeding capacity at the University of Alberta,” says Dr. Spaner. “Plant breeders have been at the forefront of feeding the world, and wheat production is an economic backbone for the western Canadian and Alberta economies, which makes this commitment from wheat producers to support our vital research a much-appreciated vote of confidence.”

In addition to delivering wheat varieties, the agreement specifies other key objectives including delivering one to three germplasm distributions, growing the infrastructure and breeding capacity at the U of A, and training a minimum of three graduate students. The U of A has the only CWRS wheat breeding program in Alberta, and is the only program that can grant graduate degrees in plant breeding in the province.

Today’s announcement with the U of A marks a significant increase from the previous agreement through the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) which will conclude on May 7, 2021. The increase is due to significant progress and potential growth of the wheat breeding program.

Quotes

“As a farmer in northeastern Alberta, early maturity traits in wheat give me more flexibility when faced with adverse weather, particularly during seeding or harvest. This investment shows promise and is directly attributed to farmers setting research priorities and establishing needed traits in Canadian wheat varieties.”

Todd Hames, Chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission

“My farm and thousands of others have benefitted from the work of wheat breeding programs such as the one at the University of Alberta. I’m proud that Sask Wheat is able to collaborate in this investment through the CWRC, as it will lead to new varieties that improve the profitability of growing wheat for farmers across the Prairies.”

Brett Halstead, Chair of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission

“Not only are new wheat varieties important for Manitoba producers, but growing the infrastructure and breeding capacity at the U of A is a significant step in the continued growth and success of wheat breeding for Canadian farmers.”

Robert Misko, Vice Chair of the Manitoba Crop Alliance

Media Contacts:

Erin Tateson

Interim Communications Manager

Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions

etateson@albertawheatbarley.com

403-219-7902

Dallas Carpenter

Communications Manager

Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission

dallas.carpenter@saskwheat.ca

306-801-2643

Pam de Rocquigny

Chief Executive Officer

Manitoba Crop Alliance

pam@mbcropalliance.ca

204-745-6661

Bev Betkowski

Communications Associate

University of Alberta

beverlyb@ualberta.ca

780-293-1592

Manitoba Crop Alliance Launches New Whole Farm Research Program And Calls For Letters Of Intent

mca2022dev on March 18, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, March 18, 2021 (Carman, MB) – The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is now accepting letters of intent (LOI)s for the newly developed Whole Farm Research Program. The Whole Farm Research program is a whole-farm, cross-commodity approach to research. It is not crop-specific and leads to innovative solutions for the benefit of Manitoba producers now and into the future.

“The Whole Farm Research Committee delegates have been busy building the objectives and priorities for an exciting way of working together,” says Lori-Ann Kaminski, Research Program Manager at MCA. “It’s exciting bringing the information we received from Manitoba farmers and other MCA delegates together to develop the program and call for research projects to bring the Whole Farm Research priorities to life.”

Whole Farm Research priorities include crop rotation innovation, soil health: organic matter, cover crop and intercropping, pest management: weeds, diseases and insects, as well as water. General principles for MCA funded Whole Farm Research projects are:

Innovative and forward-thinking.
Designed to answer farmers questions or resolve issues.
Solution-oriented with actionable outcomes and an emphasis on end goals that producers can implement in their operations.
A pathway to assess and integrate new/next technology into Manitoba cropping systems.
Another channel to communicate and collaborate with other organizations in Manitoba and across Canada.
An opportunity to enhance communication channels with consumers and the public.

“The Whole Farm Research Program is a unique opportunity for Manitoba,” says Warren McCutcheon, farmer, delegate on the Whole Farm Research Committee and director with MCA. “It’s a chance for researchers, commodities and organizations across the country to collaborate on initiatives to increase profitability for grain farmers in Manitoba now and into the future. It’s also an opportunity to share success stories to the public.”

LOI’s will be accepted until Thursday, April 15, 2021 for projects to begin in 2022. MCA will consider 3–5 year proposals related to grain production and value‐added processing. An overriding priority is improving the profitability for Manitoba’s barley, corn, flax, wheat or sunflower producers.

For more information about MCA’s Whole Farm Research Program or to review the LOI eligibility criteria, please visit mbcropalliance.ca/research/projects or contact Lori-Ann Kaminski at loriann@mbcropalliance.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Lori-Ann Kaminski

Research Program Manager

Manitoba Crop Alliance

204.745.0366 | loriann@mbcropalliance.ca

Manitoba Crop Alliance Celebrating 40 Years Administering Advance Payments Program (APP)

mca2022dev on March 2, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 2, 2021 (Carman, MB) – This year, Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is thrilled to celebrate 40 years of being an administrator of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Advance Payments Program (APP). The APP is a federal loan program administered by MCA. It offers Canadian farmers marketing flexibility through interest-free and low interest cash advances.

“Celebrating 40 years of being an APP administrator is a big milestone for MCA”, says Pam de Rocquigny, Chief Executive Officer, MCA. “We’re proud to celebrate this milestone and will continue to provide the high level of personalized, friendly, small town service our clients expect and deserve when they contact our office regarding APP now, and well into the future.”

MCA provides cash advances on over 30 different crop kinds, including the major crops such as wheat, canola, soybeans, and grain corn. MCA’s interest rate on interest-bearing cash advances is a competitive rate with major banks and credit unions.

MCA is currently accepting applications for the 2021 program year with funds to be issued starting April 1, 2021 and will continue to accept applications for short term financing needs under the 2020 program year.

“MCA has recently published APP Service Standards on our website defining the high level of service our customers can expect when they contact us. As we celebrate 40 years of being an APP administrator, we recognize producers have the choice of administrators and we’d like to thank our loyal customers for their continued support,” adds de Rocquigny.

MCA’s staff will continue to work closely with partners at AAFC to deliver the APP and provide administrative options to serve Manitoba farmers. For more information about the APP or to review the APP Service Standards, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Pam de Rocquigny

Chief Executive Officer

Manitoba Crop Alliance

204.745.6661 | pam@mbcropalliance.ca

Manitoba Crop Alliance Announces Results For Crop Committee Delegate Nominations

mca2022dev on November 5, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, November 5, 2020 (Carman, MB) – Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) announces the results and next steps in the nomination and election process for the positions of Crop Committee delegates. The nomination period took place starting September 1 and ending October 30, 2020.

Corn Committee: Carl Bangert (Beausejour), David Boerchers (Laurier), Dean Toews (MacGregor), Emile Morin (Otterburne), and Hubert Preun (St. Andrews) were nominated for the four available crop committee delegate positions. With five nominees for four positions, an election will take place where farmer members in good standing with MCA’s corn group will be eligible to vote.

Flax Committee: Dean Buchanan (Crystal City), Jack Hodgson (Roland), Lance Bierens (Winnipeg), and Lorne Johnson (Arborg) were nominated for the four available crop committee delegate positions and are thereby elected by acclamation. They will join Andrew Harris (Winnipeg), Eric Fridfinnson (Arborg), Garry Froese (Winkler), and Nick Matheson (Stonewall) to form MCA’s Flax committee.

Sunflower Committee: Edgar Scheurer (Dugald), Korey Peters (Randolph), Myles Kubinec (Holland), and Sally Parsonage (Baldur) were nominated for the four available crop committee delegate positions and are thereby elected by acclamation. They will join Gilbert Sabourin (St. Jean Baptiste), Gregg Fotheringham (Reston), Mark McDonald (Virden), and Roger Vaags (Dugald) to form MCA’s Sunflower committee

Wheat and Barley Committee: Boris Michaleski (Ashville), Fred Greig (Reston), Josee Saquet (Laurier), Rauri Qually (Dacatoh), and Sheila Elder (Wawanesa) were nominated for the five available crop committee delegate positions and are thereby elected by acclamation. They will join Doug Martin (East Selkirk), Drew Baker (Beausejour), Robert Misko (Roblin), Ryan Hueging (Woodlands), and Wilfred Harder (Lowe Farm) to form MCA’s Wheat and Barley committee.

Avenue 4 Communications will be the returning officer for the Corn Committee delegate elections. The election will be conducted by mail-in ballot. Ballots will be mailed to eligible corn group members mid-November with voting closing on December 15, 2020.

The acclaimed and elected delegates will be installed at the first Crop Committee meetings to be held in January 2021. At the meeting, the four crop committees will make their director appointments to the Manitoba Crop Alliance board. The MCA board will be announced prior to the annual general meeting being held virtually on February 11, 2021.

Manitoba Crop Alliance extends its sincere appreciation to out-going delegates Allan Olinyk, Cam Laxdal, Charlene Lewandoski, Chris Raffard, Dennis Thiessen, Devin Toews, Hugh Drake, Luc Remillard, Patrick Friesen, and Reginald Johnson and for their service and contribution to Manitoba wheat, barley, corn, sunflower, and flax farmers.

About Manitoba Crop Alliance:

Manitoba Crop Alliance is a non-profit organization established August 1, 2020 representing over 9,000 farmer-members. Manitoba Crop Alliance puts their farmer-members first and strives to continuously improve the competitiveness and profitability of all crops represented by the organization by focusing on four main areas: research, agronomy, market access and development, and communications. It is through investment in these key areas that Manitoba Crop Alliance can ensure wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax are sustainable production choices for Manitoba farmers. For more information, visit mbcropalliance.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Pam de Rocquigny
Chief Executive Officer
Manitoba Crop Alliance
204.745.6661 | pam@mbcropalliance.ca

Rej Vermette
Returning Officer
Avenue 4 Communications
204.961.1213 | rej@avenue4.com

CBRC Commits Over $1.5 Million to AAFC Barley Breeding Activities

mca2022dev on October 26, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 26, 2020 (Calgary, Saskatoon, Carman) – The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC), a collaboration between Alberta Barley, the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), and Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), has committed more than $1.5 million over five years to a core barley breeding agreement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

The agreement ensures that western Canadian farmers will have continued access to premium barley varieties from AAFC for years to come.

CBRC was officially formed earlier this year, with the goal of facilitating long-term investments aimed at improving profitability and competitiveness for western Canadian barley farmers. CBRC also assumed responsibility for farmer funding of barley varietal development from the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), which includes working with AAFC to ensure adequate funding is in place to deliver improved genetics and profitability for barley farmers.

“This new phase of funding will allow the continuation of ‘core’ activities for AAFC’s barley breeding programs, which aim to design new varieties that have the best sources of disease and insect resistance, are designed for western Canadian growing conditions and will deliver high quality traits for end users,” says Jason Skotheim, Chair of the CBRC and SaskBarley.

“This funding will support the development of new two-row malting varieties that are adapted to Western Canada and have improved yields, stronger straw, and higher kernel plumpness, test weight and kernel weight,” Skotheim says. “They will also have improved disease resistance, including for fusarium head blight and traits specifically designed to appeal to the evolving needs of the malting industry.”

Quotes

“Public barley breeding is crucial to Canada’s agriculture sector and the barley varieties AAFC has produced to date are a tremendous return to the farmer investment in this program. This next round of investment will further leverage our check-off investments by developing varieties that will allow our farmers to stay competitive globally, especially in the malting barley world, and reduce farmer business risk.” – Jason Skotheim, SaskBarley Chair

“Manitoba Crop Alliance knows how important it is to continuously work on the improvement of barley varieties so that western Canadian farmers are able to remain competitive. We’re excited to invest in
this collaboration and are looking forward to learning about the varieties that are developed out of this funding agreement.” –Fred Greig, Manitoba Crop Alliance Chair

“We are pleased to be collaboratively investing with our fellow Prairie barley commissions and AAFC in varietal development. This investment ensures western Canadian farmers future access to improved, high-quality barley varieties. This core breeding agreement will attribute to new barley varieties providing farmers with stronger agronomic packages, plus superior end-use quality traits for the malting sector.” – David Bishop, Alberta Barley Chair

For more information, contact:

Pam de Rocquigny
Chief Executive Officer
Manitoba Crop Alliance
204-750-0217
pam@mbcropalliance.ca

Delaney Seiferling
Communications Manager
SaskBarley
306-250-1099
dseiferling@saskbarleycommission.com

Erin Tateson
Interim Communications Manager
Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions
403-219-7902
etateson@albertawheatbarley.com

CWRC commits over $22.6 million to AAFC wheat breeding activities

mca2022dev on October 19, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2020 (Calgary, Saskatoon, Carman) – The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC), a collaboration of the Alberta Wheat Commission, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, and Manitoba Crop Alliance, has committed more than $22.6 million over five years to a core breeding agreement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the development of wheat varieties. The agreement ensures that farmers will benefit from new premium wheat varieties and associated genetics from AAFC’s breeding program for many years to come.

The CWRC assumed responsibility for producer funding of wheat varietal development from the Western Grains Research Foundation, which includes working with AAFC to provide the capacity needed to deliver improved genetics and profitability to producers. The $22.6 million commitment of producer funding is an increase of $2.6 million over the previous agreement. The funding will provide further support for plant breeders, technicians, and specialists who are working to deliver field-ready wheat varieties to western Canadian farmers.

“The activities being conducted by Canadian researchers and wheat breeders such as those at AAFC have led to major innovations over the past few decades, including the development of several new wheat varieties with improved genetics and more desirable traits,” said Fred Greig, CWRC board chair and a director with the Manitoba Crop Alliance. “Building on the work funded by farmers through organizations such as the Western Grains Research Foundation, this investment will ensure Canadian farmers benefit from new wheat varieties that improve and enhance the competitiveness of their farming operations while maintaining Canada’s reputation for providing quality wheat for markets around the globe.”

This agreement will contribute to the development of wheat cultivars that provide farmers with greater yield potential, resistance to priority diseases such as fusarium head blight, rusts, and common bunt, and resistance to pests such as the orange wheat blossom midge and wheat stem sawfly. AAFC will be concentrating on the development of wheat varieties in the Canadian Western Red Spring, Canadian Western Amber Durum, Canadian Prairie Spring Red, Canada Western Soft White Spring, and Canada Western Red Winter classes.

CWRC core breeding agreements are funded proportionally by province based on the previous year’s production with 53 per cent coming from Saskatchewan, 32 per cent from Alberta, and 15 per cent from Manitoba based on the 2018-19 production year.

Quotes

“The research and plant breeding conducted by AAFC over the past few decades brought needed innovation and economic benefits to Canadian grain farmers. Farmer funding committed by Sask Wheat and our fellow commissions in Alberta and Manitoba through the core breeding agreement will help support AAFC’s ability to bolster their technology and attract and retain top researchers and breeders. Public wheat breeding is crucial to Canada’s agriculture sector and the wheat varieties AAFC has produced are a tremendous return to the farmer investment in this program.” – Brett Halstead, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Chair

“Manitoba Crop Alliance is proud to be a part of this collaborative initiative with our sister organizations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This is an investment that will benefit our western Canadian wheat producers by providing them with competitive new varieties.” – Fred Greig, Manitoba Crop Alliance Chair

“This is an exciting and historic investment by Prairie wheat farmers. Investing collaboratively in this core breeding agreement ensures that farmers will continue to have access to wheat varieties with desirable traits, higher yields and strong disease packages, further enhancing our long-term profitability.” – Todd Hames, Alberta Wheat Commission Chair

For more information, contact:

Erin Tateson
Interim Communications Manager
Alberta Wheat Commission
403-219-7902
etateson@albertawheatbarley.com

Dallas Carpenter
Communications Manager
Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission
306-801-2643
dallas.carpenter@saskwheat.ca

Pam de Rocquigny
Chief Executive Officer
Manitoba Crop Alliance
204-745-6661
pam@mbcropalliance.ca

CBRC commits $2.7 million to USask CDC barley breeding activities

mca2022dev on September 15, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15, 2020 (Saskatoon, SK) – The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) announced today it will invest $2.7 million over five years in the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC) through a core breeding agreement to develop barley varieties with improved agronomics, disease resistance and end-use quality.

The CBRC is a collaboration among the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), Alberta Barley and Manitoba Crop Alliance (formerly the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association).

“The agreement with the CDC ensures that western Canadian barley farmers can expect new and improved barley varieties from a world-class, multi-million dollar breeding program over the next five years,” says CBRC Interim Chair Jason Skotheim and SaskBarley Chair.

“This investment into the CDC breeding program will produce deliverables that will allow our farmers to stay competitive,” Skotheim says. “The last round of producer funding provided to the CDC saw the registration of two new malting varieties, one feed variety and one hulless variety. In the next five years we expect another three varieties to be released. This will have major benefits to our farmers.”

The CDC, which is known for research excellence in developing high-performing crop varieties, is uniquely set up to deliver effective results for western Canadian agriculture. The new agreement will enable the program to expand and capitalize on new opportunities.

“The keys to past success within the CDC barley breeding program have been the skilled staff, the in-house malt and molecular marker labs and the ability to evaluate large numbers of breeding lines,” Skotheim says. “This CBRC funding will support these pillars moving forward.”

Investment in CDC plant breeding activities has helped create new markets and opportunities for a wide variety of crop producers, said CDC barley breeder Aaron Beattie.

“We are very pleased with the long-term funding from the CBRC and appreciate the confidence they have in our program,” he says. “We look forward to continuing to deliver improved varieties to the Canadian barley industry and providing value to all within the value chain.”

Finalizing this agreement with the CDC was the first order of business for the CBRC, officially formed earlier this year, and is in line with the organization’s goal of facilitating long-term investments aimed at improving profitability and competitiveness for western Canadian barley farmers.

The organization will also provide funding for qualifying regional projects that align with variety development and agronomic priorities.

For more information:

Delaney Seiferling
SaskBarley Communications Manager
306-321-7533
dseiferling@saskbarleycommission.com

Erin Tateson
Interim Communications Manager
Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions
403-219-7902
etateson@albertawheatbarley.com

Kate Menold
MCA Communications Coordinator
204-807-1912
kate@mbcropalliance.ca

Victoria Dinh
USask Media Relations
306-966-5487
Victoria.dinh@usask.ca

Quotes

“Collaboratively investing in barley’s varietal development is key to keeping barley farmers competitive. This core breeding agreement with the CDC will lead to enhanced barley varieties and secures our future with access to competitive and profitable varieties. Stronger agronomic packages and higher yields combined with quality traits that meet the needs of the brewing and malting industry will be the return on this barley breeding investment.” – David Bishop, Alberta Barley Chair

“Manitoba Crop Alliance understands how important it is for breeders to secure long-term funding when developing new varieties and considers programs aimed at improving the competitiveness and profitability of barley farms in western Canada a major priority. We are thrilled to be doing our part to help make this possible through this collaboration with our sister organizations in Saskatchewan and Alberta” – Fred Greig, Manitoba Crop Alliance Chair

Manitoba Crop Alliance Officially Launches Operations

mca2022dev on August 3, 2020

On behalf of its interim board of directors and staff, Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is pleased to announce to their membership and industry stakeholders that operations officially launched August 1, 2020.

Manitoba Crop Alliance represents over 8000 farmer members who grow and market wheat (spring & winter), barley, corn, sunflower and flax. Manitoba Crop Alliance has set goals to maintain and strengthen the mandates of the five founding organizations in areas including research and agronomy, market access and development, and communication with membership.

Manitoba Crop Alliance can be found online at mbcropalliance.ca where a fresh, innovative website shares information on research projects, agronomic resources for all six field crops, market development/advocacy, recent news and events, and more. The website will be a hub for the organization, updated regularly with relevant information to keep MCA farmer members and other industry representatives engaged. Contact information for Manitoba Crop Alliance’s interim board of directors, crop committee delegates, and staff can also be found on the website.

“The MCA website is a valuable resource for our farmer members, agronomists and industry stakeholders to stay up to date on activities happening with the organization,” says Fred Greig, MCA chair. “In addition to our website, we also are working to build up Manitoba Crop Alliance’s following on popular social media platforms, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to help keep members informed.”

Members of the agriculture community who use any of the above-mentioned social media platforms are asked to please follow @mb_cropalliance on Twitter and Instagram, and like/follow Manitoba Crop Alliance on Facebook. Farmer members are also encouraged to sign up for MCA’s e-newsletter – Heads Up. There will be monthly agronomic updates to provide subscribers with timely agronomic information such as scouting activities and risk of pests for wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax crops. This local, unbiased, science-based information is very important to aid members in making crop production decisions. MCA will also use e-newsletters as a resource to inform subscribers on recent news and events that are relevant to MCA and the crops represented by the organization. There is a link to sign up to receive MCA’s Heads Up e-newsletters at the bottom of the page at mbcropalliance.ca. MCA is also looking forward to sharing several other initiatives, including factsheets, research magazines, and bi-annual newsletters with the agriculture community in the coming months.

Manitoba Crop Alliance will be holding the first delegate elections at the crop committee level this fall with the nomination period opening September 1, 2020. Information on the roles and responsibilities of MCA crop committee delegates, eligibility requirements for nominees, the nomination procedure and election process can be found under About/Governance at mbcropalliance.ca.

“I encourage farmer members to consider running as a delegate with one of the four committees, which are wheat & barley, corn, sunflowers, and flax,” states Robert Misko, MCA’s vice-chair. “Having the crop committees within the MCA governance structure ensures crop specific focus and allows farmer members with an interest and passion for a specific crop type to be involved in the organization,” adds Misko.

With the amalgamation process into Manitoba Crop Alliance completed, the board and staff recognize that there will continue to be a transitional phase over the next few months but are excited to start this new chapter off strong. MCA is looking forward to better serving their farmer members with a more streamlined, quality approach to meet the goals laid out in their mandate.