Plant breeding capacity in Canada is changing. Investment is concentrating into fewer programs and fewer locations — a shift supporters frame as an opportunity for collaboration, efficiency, and focused funding. But the trend raises a question for anyone growing in specific conditions: can you truly breed for unique local conditions if the breeding doesn’t happen locally?
In this episode of On The Brink, Eastern Ontario agronomist Paul Sullivan makes the case for local.
Genetics are the Foundation
Sullivan is a CCA and co-owner of P.T. Sullivan Agro, which he runs with his wife Jean. He’s worked in the business for close to 30 years and advises more than 100 customers across corn, soybeans, winter wheat, spring wheat, and forages. He frames crop management around three components — genetics, environment, and management — and he’s clear about which one comes first.
“The foundation to me is good genetics that are developed and are adapted to the area that they’re being grown in,” he says.
Built in Ontario, for Ontario
His example is Ontario’s winter wheat program, which he credits in part to research done at the University of Guelph. The result, in his words, is winter wheat developed for Eastern Ontario with the winter survival that has made the crop a bigger part of his customers’ rotations. The traits he wants breeders to keep improving are practical ones: yield, fusarium tolerance, and winter survival.
For Sullivan, the argument for local breeding isn’t sentimental — it’s tied directly to funding and outcomes.
“If we’re going to continue to move the bar, then the breeding programs need to be based in Ontario, need to be properly funded and supported,” he says. “And without that support, then we just aren’t developing genetics that are suitable for conditions that we have.”
That’s the tension at the heart of the consolidation debate. Centralizing breeding promises efficiency and scale. Sullivan’s point is that efficiency at the program level doesn’t guarantee relevance at the farm level — and that the genetics best suited to a region tend to come from breeders working within it.
Paul Sullivan is a CCA and co-owner of P.T. Sullivan Agro in Eastern Ontario. Watch his full conversation in Season 2, Episode 5 of On The Brink at [LINK].
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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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