High-return research investments

Jeremy Boychyn | Director, Research, Agronomy & Extension

The value of breeding investment for wheat and barley farmers in Alberta 

It was November when I pulled out the old winter jacket from my downstairs closet. As I wrestled to refamiliarize myself with the confines of its seams, buttons and zippers, I reached deep into an obscure pocket and found a $20 bill. As Queen Elizabeth II stared at me with her ambiguous grin, I couldn’t help but wonder how much less this $20 bill was worth compared to when I thoughtlessly placed it there to be forgotten. I told my wife it would have been nicer if it had turned into a $50 while in there.

While my $20 sat idle, farmer investment through levy dollars in plant breeding has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to grow and deliver strong returns. Reports from the early 2020s show a return on investment of 33 to 1 for wheat and 26 to 1 for barley. That’s more like leaving $20 in your pocket and finding $500 to $650.

Alberta Grains invests a large portion of levy dollars into plant breeding for both wheat and barley. As a member of the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) and the Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC), Alberta Grains invests in four wheat breeding institutions and two barley breeding institutions for the development of superior field-ready varieties through core breeding agreements. These agreements fund the foundational pieces that allow a breeding program to operate.

Recently, CWRC invested $19.9 million in the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) breeding program over three years (2025 to 2027). In April, CWRC also invested $11.8 million over five years in the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre (CDC) breeding program. These are in addition to ongoing investments in the University of Manitoba and University of Alberta breeding programs, totaling $5.5 million over five years. These investments support the continued advancement of high-quality spring wheat, winter wheat and durum genetics right into the hands of farmers. Funds from CBRC and CWRC investments come from their founding members: Alberta Grains, Sask Wheat and Manitoba Crop Alliance.

In the case of barley, CBRC invests in the AAFC and University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre breeding programs. The most recent agreements totaled $1.5 million into AAFC over five years and $2.7 million into CDC. Again, Alberta Grains contributes to those investments.

In addition to the core breeding agreements, Alberta Grains invests in novel research projects that further support those breeding programs. These projects can be funded through various avenues, though the majority are funded through the Canadian National Wheat Cluster, National Barley Cluster, the Agriculture Development Fund or the Agriculture Funding Consortium.

One example of such a project is Improving the value and environmental impact of barley through breeding, led by Dr. Aaron Beattie from the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre and funded through the Barley Cluster. Objectives of this project include improving barley disease resistance, improving malt germplasm quality and developing a genomic selection model for yield that will increase selection efficiency for breeders.

On the wheat side, Cultivar enhancement through the application of biotechnology, led by Dr. Firdissa Bokore from AAFC Swift Current, is exploring novel approaches to accelerate breeding program efficiencies. Funded through the Wheat Cluster, Bokore is using tools such as marker-assisted selection and double haploid production to develop new molecular markers for various desirable wheat traits. These markers can then be used to increase breeding selection and efficiency. 

For a full list of cluster-funded projects, visit the CBRC and CWRC websites:

wheatresearch.ca

barleyresearch.ca

What it means for your farm 

Based on the report, which showed a 33 to 1 return for wheat and a 26 to1 return for barley, the primary driver of return on investment is long-term yield increases. Breeding investments typically take about 10 years to deliver returns, reflecting the time needed to develop and adopt new varieties. Using provincial variety trial data and adjusting for inflation, but excluding added value from traits like disease resistance or Canada’s market reputation, the study calculated return based solely on yield gains over time.

Alberta Grains keeps this top of mind when making research investments in breeding. Each new variety carries years of investment and research. Adoption of those varieties is what turns innovation into income. Trying new varieties every year is the action that helps realize the return on breeding investments.