Canadian food sovereignty isn’t an abstract political goal — it starts with funding the programs that keep crops in the ground. That’s the argument Quentin Martin, of Cribit Seeds, makes in Season 2: Episode 2 of On The Brink.
Martin’s case is specific: the Ottawa Oat Breeding Program is the only source of oat genetics in all of eastern Canada. Nearly 65,000 acres of Ontario oats grown for grain depend on it. And that figure doesn’t include the thousands of additional acres grown for forage or cover crops.
Crown Rust and the Demand for Continuous Canadian Oat Breeding
In Ontario, crown rust is the single biggest yield threat facing oat growers — and it’s a moving target. “Resistance in current varieties is often short-lived,” Martin notes, “usually only lasting a couple years before crown rust adapts and starts decreasing the performance in oats.” That’s not a static problem. The pathogen evolves, and without a constant pipeline of new genetics, growers have no way to keep pace.
This is precisely why Martin argues a steady release of new varieties isn’t optional. It’s the floor, not the ceiling, of what’s required to keep eastern Canada’s oat acreage viable.
Canadian Oat Breeding as a Collaborative System
Cribit Seeds sits at an interesting point in that pipeline. The company works directly with public breeders, offering trial sites outside Ottawa to screen genetic material across different environments. Martin frames this not as a vendor relationship but as genuine collaboration: “We see genetic development as a collaboration, not just the role of one player in the industry.”
That framing reflects something larger Martin is arguing throughout the episode — that the returns on investment in Canadian agriculture extend well beyond the individual farm. Cereals in rotation with corn and soybeans improve yields across those crops. Winter cereals support soil health. Greater crop diversity in rotation reduces both environmental and economic risk.
The investment case is practical as much as it is patriotic.
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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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