This year, the Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Awards (CPBI) program awarded five scholarships to some very deserving plant breeding students at the University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, Laval University and McGill University.
Each year, the CPBI Plant Breeding and Genetics Award winner has the privilege of presenting scholarships to students enrolled at a masters or PhD level in plant breeding or plant genetics.
A variety of sponsors make it happen, and we talked to them all about why they chose to be a part of the scholarship program in 2022. Here’s what they had to say about why they wanted to be a sponsor. It might make you want to be a sponsor, too.
“One of our strategic priorities is to support the development of the next leaders in agriculture. Investing in scholarships to help shape the experts who will provide innovation to farmers is a way to achieve this objective. The CPBI scholarship is one of many we invest in. What sets it apart is that it specifically rewards and encourages talent in plant breeding and variety development. Farmers are the end users of this genetic technology and benefit greatly from it.”
—Tom Steve, General Manager, Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions
“Our shareholders provide their customers with leading varieties and expertadvice so that growers have the right seed and seed additives for their farms. We can’t do that without ensuring a steady stream of bright young people enter the plant breeding profession. That’s what scholarships like this help to do.“
—Chris Churko, CEO, FP Genetics
“Finding good breeders is important for us. We need new genetics, and only plant breeding experts can get those into a seed. For example, from a blackleg perspective, we are dealing with clubroot as rotations get tighter, so it’s always good to support breeders in their careers so they can do their jobs even better.”
— Ryan McCann, Director of North American Seed, Nutrien Ag Solutions
“Everyone is familiar with ‘Thank A Farmer For The Food We Ate Today’ bumper stickers. But those farmers are also thanking plant breeders for their dedication to the breeding and development of new crop varieties. These new varieties and their key value-added traits are essential for an innovative, competitive and sustainable agri-food sector and for ensuring Canada’s food security. CSGA-Recognized Plant Breeders and Associate Plant Breeders produce Breeder seed, which provides the original parent seed for all other classes of pedigreed seed. Plant breeders are a vital part of CSGA’s membership. They have made significant strides in improving the crops we grow.”
— Doug Miller, Executive Director, Canadian Seed Growers’ Association
“This is about more than just our organization being a sponsor. It’s really about the foundation of the success of western Canadian agriculture, whether you’re dealing in forage crops or annual species. They’re really the building blocks for all of the rest of the industry. Having successful plant breeders based here at home who can develop innovative traits for farmers to benefit is crucial. Those ripple effects are felt beyond seed and into grain handling and food processing. The entire roots of the Canadian ag system are based on successful plant breeders working here in Western Canada.”
— Todd Hyra, Western Business Manager, SeCan
“Feeding the world is no small task. It takes dedicated people who care deeply about what they do. I can’t think of a better description for a plant breeder, or a better reason to be a part of the Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Scholarship program.“
—Shawn Brook, Publisher, Germination
“At an industry level, we need to support new innovations in technology, which are the lifeblood of our industry. Universities are incubators for that, but also for teaching the professionals who will ultimately join our industry and provide their expertise to the various breeding companies that that we rely on. It’s only through those breeders that Richardson can bring bigger, stronger, faster products to the market.”
—Peter Entz, Assistant VP of Seed and Traits, Richardson
“Our objective is to ensure that wheat is a highly profitable and sustainable crop for Saskatchewan farmers. Our top strategic focus is research and maximizing direct financial benefit to Saskatchewan producers through yield gains, improved quality characteristics and agronomic efficiencies. Providing funding to the next generation of plant breeders and support scientists through scholarships like this will benefit our breeding programs in Western Canada and bring many long-term advancements that will positively impact the bottom lines of Saskatchewan wheat producers.“
—Blair Goldade, Executive Director, Sask Wheat
“We need breeders to continue to deliver varieties that help grow our business. Fertilizer efficiency, drought tolerance, pest management — these are all traits that help wheat growers to farm sustainably and grow a big crop. We need more students studying plant breeding and choosing this as a profession. Just like any other industry, we need to attract talented new people.“
—Adam Dyck, Canadian Program Manager, Warburtons
“We are pleased to be one of the sponsors of the CPBI scholarships. WGRF believes there is great value in helping attract the best minds to crop research through scholarships to generate improved technology and productivity for western crop producers.”
— Garth Patterson, Executive Director, Western Grains Research Foundation
“We want to do whatever we can to bring bright young minds into the seed breeding space. That’s where everything starts. Our members include plant breeders and seed developers and having that connection to universities is important to our members and to the industry as a whole. It’s a win-win.”
— Krista Erickson, Director of Member Strategy & Solutions, Seeds Canada
https://germination.ca/5-young-plant-science-innovators-honoured-as-2022-cpbi-scholars/
