Every year, Canada’s pulse and special crops industry singles out one person who’s changing the game. This year, that person is Dr. Tom Warkentin — a University of Saskatchewan researcher who’s quietly reshaping how the world thinks about plant protein.
At the Crop Development Centre (CDC), Warkentin leads the Field Pea and Soybean Breeding and Genetics program — a hub where conventional breeding meets genomics to deliver the next generation of crops built for the Prairies and northern U.S. His mission: make peas and soybeans tougher, smarter, and higher-quality as the global appetite for plant-based protein skyrockets.
Warkentin’s work goes beyond yield. He’s designing peas with higher protein concentration — a small genetic tweak with massive implications for meat alternatives, protein drinks, and sustainable nutrition. He’s also taking on one of the Prairie’s biggest yield killers: root rot in peas. By breeding resistance into future varieties, he’s protecting both farmer profitability and food security.
And while peas get much of the spotlight, Warkentin’s also advancing short-season soybeans — a key breakthrough for colder regions once considered too risky for the crop. His recently released varieties, backed by a growing breeding pipeline, point toward a more resilient, diversified farm economy.
Since joining USask in 1999 (and earning full professorship by 2008), Warkentin has become one of the country’s most influential voices in pulse innovation — proving that the future of food doesn’t start in a lab or a factory. It starts in the field, with a seed built to do more.
