Wheat grows on farms across the country, but the dollars available to breed better wheat are far from evenly spread. In the latest episode of On the Brink, Josh Cowan, Director of Research and Innovation at Grain Farmers of Ontario, argues that Eastern Canada plant breeding needs more investment, and that the public sector has to carry much of that load.
Speaking from the Elora Research Station of the University of Guelph, Cowan points to a structural imbalance that shapes where breeding gets funded. Wheat production in Western Canada is roughly ten times higher than in Eastern Canada, which means far fewer producer dollars are available to support breeding programs in the East. For small-acre cereals in particular, that smaller production base makes a private-sector business case difficult to build.
Why Eastern Canada plant breeding leans on public investment
The private sector plays a real role in larger-acre, higher-return crops where the economics work, Cowan says. But for smaller-acre cereal crops and high-value non-GMO soybeans, producer and public investment remain essential. Without a strong public breeding system, the varieties that keep these crops viable in the East simply would not get developed.
That matters well beyond any single crop. Keeping small cereals competitive in rotation improves farm resilience and risk management, something Cowan argues becomes more important as weather risks continue to grow. Pull back the breeding investment and farmers lose rotation options that help them manage those risks.
Eastern Canada plant breeding is about relevance, not duplication
A common critique of regional programs is that they duplicate effort. Cowan pushes back on that directly. “Regional breeding is not about duplicating effort, it’s about ensuring that farmers have access to varieties that work where they farm,” he says. Even within southwestern Ontario, soil types, environments, pests, and diseases vary enough that a variety bred elsewhere may not perform.
The path forward, in his view, runs through partnership. Provincial research stations owned by Agriculture Research and Innovation Ontario and operated by the University of Guelph, alongside Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research stations, each have a part to play in keeping breeding regionally relevant. The goal is a competitive seed sector, both public and private, that can keep delivering variety improvements to farmers across multiple crop types.
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On the Brink is a cross-country storytelling project about plant breeding in Canada. The goal is to spark an open, multi-perspective, ongoing conversation about what’s possible, what’s at stake, and how to seize opportunities ahead. On the Brink releases new episodes every Wednesday. Watch Episode 6 featuring Andrew Campbell and subscribe to have future episodes delivered directly to your inbox.
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