Norman Bradner’s dedication to private soybean breeding sparked the evolution of soybeans from a late maturity crop for Southwestern Ontario to a rotational crop that could be grown across the country.
Upon meeting the soft spoken and humble Norman Bradner for the first time you might not suspect he is one of the most influential soybean breeders in Canadian history—but don’t be fooled.
There was a time soybeans in Canada were considered a late maturity crop for Southwestern Ontario alone. However, due in part to the extraordinary breeding efforts of Bradner, since 1970 the development of varieties adapted to shorter growing seasons has expanded the acreage outside this traditional district. Today, soybeans have grown into a rotational crop that can be grown throughout the main corn and soybean production zones across Canada. No small feat.
Sometimes referred to as the father of private soybean breeding in Canada, Bradner’s outstanding contribution to Canada’s soybean industry has landed him the 2010 Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award, sponsored by the Canadian Seed Trade Association and Germination magazine.
“Norman, through his dedicated efforts and with great humility, played an integral if not pivotal role in the development of the soybean industry in Canada and in the growth of soybeans as a crop in early maturity areas of the world, most notably Western Europe,” says nominator Stephen Denys, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Pride Seeds.
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