CWRC wheat breeding review sounds alarm

The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) is a central funder of wheat breeding programs, having contributed $70.5 million since 2020 to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and university wheat breeding programs. In February, the organization published its review of Canadian wheat variety innovation system. The report bluntly states, “The current wheat breeding innovation system is no longer working for Western Canada.”

Securing the Future of Wheat in Canada deems AAFC programming in this area is integral to variety development. An average of 80 per cent of Canadian wheat fields are annually sown to AAFC varieties, and the top four varieties of 2025 were developed at AAFC’s Swift Current Research and Development Centre. Two of the top four durum varieties were developed at the same facility.

The review also concludes the nation’s breeding system is at risk, especially at the pre-market evaluation and variety development stages. Decisions made today, it notes, will impact agriculture for decades.

Grain Exchange recently discussed the review’s conclusions with Jocelyn Velestuk, a Saskatchewan farmer who serves as chair of both CWRC and SaskWheat.

Grain Exchange: Why did the CWRC conduct this review?

Jocelyn Velestuk: Farmers have increasingly been asked to fund more of the wheat breeding system in Canada. We needed to take a look at the current landscape of the system and get a really good snapshot of what’s going on to identify gaps and risks that we should be concerned about.

GE: The review notes federal funding has been shrinking in this area for two decades. Do its findings take on greater urgency given the cuts announced in March to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) staff and facilities?

JV: Absolutely. The report looks back at 2012 where there was a big decrease in federal funding. We lost around 60,000 plots and some of the early breeding lines. We’re just feeling the results of those cuts now. We now see more cuts, and we know these will be felt in another 13 years. The issue is being compounded. We’re losing plots again, potentially, and we don't want that, because wheat breeding is a numbers game. The wheat breeding system has been so successful because of the regional plots we have across the Prairies that have produced fantastic varieties. I’m very happy as a farmer to be able to grow those varieties, because they produce yield stability. We trust that these wheat varieties will deliver yield and quality and we’ll be able to market them.

GE: How would you describe the crossroads now faced by the Canadian wheat breeding system?

JV: We’re at a tipping point, and we know the status quo is not an option. Change is needed, and we look forward to the next steps, at transforming the wheat breeding sector completely. Farmers, through check-off dollars, are now funding almost half the expense of wheat breeding in Canada. We need to highlight this. It’s important the system works for farmers and that we have a say in it.

GE: CWRC is now studying options to reinvent the Canadian wheat breeding system and is in discussion with AAFC and industry stakeholders. What does this entail?

JV: Collaboration will be important. Four key drivers will form the framework we use to drive decisions and move forward. One is to fill the critical gaps in risk outlined in the report. Two, we must deliver superior field-ready varieties to give farmers choice in the market. Third is marketable yield, which means high quality and profitability. And the influence must be proportionate to farmer investments. The fourth is to protect the long-term investments farmers have already made in wheat breeding.

Our conversations with AAFC are important for these next steps. It’s a time of change, but it’s also an exciting time in wheat breeding. Farmers are the ones to lead the transformation of the wheat breeding innovation system in Canada.

GE: How concerned should farmers be about the state of variety development?

JV: As a farmer, I am very concerned about the future of research and wheat breeding in Canada. And farmers know there’s a positive return on investment for the levy dollars invested in research and variety development. If we don’t have good varieties to grow, that affects each farm’s sustainability. While farmers should be very concerned, we look for opportunities and we’re willing to invest—we’ve shown this in the past.

GE: What is at stake if the industry doesn’t get this right?

JV: That question keeps me up at night. We have a delicate balance with Canadian-branded quality wheat, especially with CWRS. Our markets know our wheat is the best in the world. This reputation starts with getting varieties right. Farmers know we must continue to produce and deliver quality wheat, and that starts with the seed.

To read the CWRC review, visit wheatresearch.ca.