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As Canada scales back public agricultural research, young scientists are facing questions that extend beyond their next job. Is there still a place for them to build a career here—or will they have to look elsewhere? In a new episode of the Seed World podcast, Ben Erickson reflects on that uncertainty and what it could mean for the future of Canadian plant breeding. See, he wasn’t planning on going back to school. After graduating from the University of Guelph with distinction, Erickson joined the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) soybean breeding program in Ottawa, Ont., spending two years working on food-grade soybeans, climate-smart cropping systems and genomic breeding tools. Then, in 2025, major cuts to AAFC research facilities were announced to meet federal budget saving targets. “This was the event that influenced me to return to my studies,” he says. For Erickson, the cuts ultimately led to a new opportunity. But his experience also raises a larger question: when early-career researchers encounter fewer paths forward in Canada, where will they go to pursue their work? Today, Erickson is pursuing a master’s of science at McGill University, tackling one of soybean breeding’s most persistent problems: developing durable resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot. White mould is among Canada’s most economically damaging diseases in soybean, canola and pulse crops, with severe outbreaks causing yield losses of 50% or more. For breeders, the challenge is finding plants that remain resistant against genetically diverse pathogen populations. Rather than screening soybean lines against a single fungal isolate, he is evaluating 34 lines against 10 genetically distinct isolates collected across the country. Combined with genomic data, the work could identify stable resistance and provide breeders with useful parent lines, candidate genes and improved screening methods—the kind of expertise Canada will need to retain as agricultural challenges grow more complex. When Tanya Copley hired him at the Centre de recherche sur les grains inc. (CÉROM), she knew about his extensive field experience but was struck by how quickly he adapted to laboratory work. McGill professor Jacqueline Bede sees broader potential in his work. She says Erickson’s “matrix” approach — testing soybean resistance against multiple pathogen isolates from across Canada — could generate insights useful not only for soybean breeding, but for disease-resistance research in other crops. Whether researchers like Erickson will be able to build their futures in Canada remains an open question. In the podcast, he speaks candidly about the changing research landscape, what continues to draw him to public plant breeding and how far he may be willing to go to find his next opportunity. Listen to the full Seed World podcast episode to hear Erickson’s perspective on what Canada stands to lose—and what might convince the next generation of plant breeders to stay.
YouTube Video UEx5LUpRNkFVTVNjOFVOYlBYQjBac1BvSDZMd1I2VmJRUy5GQzY2NjMwQzk5QkYwRTM0
Wheat Pete (Peter Johnson) explores wheat breeding, yield, and Great Lakes YEN in On The Brink, Season 3, Episode 2. “We have always done it this way.” These are the most dangerous words in agriculture. After 41 years fighting to get wheat the recognition it deserves, Pete explains why better genetics are only part of the equation. From breeding for yield and fusarium resistance to exploring new possibilities in drought tolerance, Pete sees enormous potential for wheat. But what growers do with those tools matters. Through initiatives like the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN), farmers share information, compare results, and learn where they can still improve. Pete’s message to Canadian agriculture is simple: the work you do matters. Keep innovating. Keep testing. Keep getting out of your comfort zone. Watch What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There, On The Brink, Season 3, Episode 2. #OnTheBrink #CanadianAg #PlantBreeding 📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on the latest in the seed industry!   📌   📌 About Seed World Group (SWG): Seed World Group is a handpicked team of strategists, storytellers and marketers. We’ve been serving the seed industry since 1991 and today have staff spread across North America Europe, LATAM and beyond. With our two divisions — Seed World CREATE and Seed World Media – we are able to deliver highly focused consulting, strategic solutions, digital tools and content shared via a suite of global seed sector media channels. Our goal is to connect people to people across the seed sector, locally, regionally and globally. Interested in learning more? Visit www.seedworldgroup.com. ▬ Website & Social Media ▬▬▬▬▬ ► Website: https://seedworldgroup.com/ ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seedworldgroup ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/seedworldgroup ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeedWorldGroup
YouTube Video UEx5LUpRNkFVTVNjOFVOYlBYQjBac1BvSDZMd1I2VmJRUy5FNDgyRjU5ODVFMTBBN0VG
Canada has spent months discussing the future of plant breeding. Shawn Brook says the next step is action. Season 3 asks what a system built to thrive actually requires. After months travelling across Canada, On The Brink has heard from voices across the agriculture value chain about why plant breeding matters, what is changing and what needs attention. In the Season 3 opener, Shawn Brook, President of Seed World Group, explains why the series is now moving from possibility to action. Brook does not offer one finished answer. Instead, he asks what conditions, parameters and shared strategy need to be in place for Canadian plant breeding to thrive, not simply survive the next few years. Season 3 continues the conversation with the people who will help shape that plan. Topics covered • Moving Canadian plant breeding from ideas to action • Building a system designed to thrive • Perspectives from across the Canadian agriculture value chain Guest credit Shawn Brook, President, Seed World Group On The Brink is a cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada. Each episode features voices from across the industry in an open, ongoing conversation about innovation and long-term investment in Canadian agriculture. #OnTheBrink #PlantBreeding #CanadianAgriculture #cdnag 📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on the latest in the seed industry!   📌   📌 About Seed World Group (SWG): Seed World Group is a handpicked team of strategists, storytellers and marketers. We’ve been serving the seed industry since 1991 and today have staff spread across North America Europe, LATAM and beyond. With our two divisions — Seed World CREATE and Seed World Media – we are able to deliver highly focused consulting, strategic solutions, digital tools and content shared via a suite of global seed sector media channels. Our goal is to connect people to people across the seed sector, locally, regionally and globally. Interested in learning more? Visit www.seedworldgroup.com. ▬ Website & Social Media ▬▬▬▬▬ ► Website: https://seedworldgroup.com/ ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seedworldgroup ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/seedworldgroup ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeedWorldGroup
YouTube Video UEx5LUpRNkFVTVNjOFVOYlBYQjBac1BvSDZMd1I2VmJRUy4xRjcxOEFDOTNDQUMxNjMz
Artificial intelligence dominated the official agenda when plant breeders gathered at Texas A&M University in June for the annual meeting of the National Association for Plant Breeding. But beneath the conversations about genomics, phenomics and machine learning was a more human question: What kind of people will be needed to turn those technologies into better products for farmers? In a special Texas-themed edition of the Seed World Podcast, Corteva Agriscience corn breeder Zachary Jones offers an answer rooted in teamwork, communication and a clear sense of purpose. Jones, who received the NAPB Early Career Scientist Award in 2025, works with genomic prediction and other tools designed to improve breeding efficiency and accelerate product development. He has already experienced one of the defining moments in a breeder’s career: seeing products he helped develop reach the commercial market. “You get this really cool opportunity to see all the hard work that you put in across years actually deliver for the customer,” he says. For Jones, that work is deeply connected to his upbringing on approximately 50 acres of red soil in Spring Garden, Alabama. Plant breeding gave him a way to use science in service of rural places like the one that raised him. “When I think about my passion for this industry, it’s a way to use science to help people in rural communities,” he says. One of the most influential moments in his career happened long before he encountered genomic prediction. In seventh grade, agricultural science teacher Dennis Tierce asked Jones and his classmates to stand and recite part of the FFA Creed. Tierce’s encouragement helped Jones develop the confidence to speak publicly—a skill that now allows him to explain complex science to growers, policymakers and the public. “The science, honestly, is table stakes,” Jones says. “The thing that really makes a difference in modern plant breeding is being able not only to understand the science, but to communicate it.” In the podcast episode, Jones discusses the mentor who changed his trajectory, the feeling of seeing his first commercial hybrid in farmers’ fields and why the graduate students he met at NAPB give him confidence in the profession’s future. The technologies transforming plant breeding may be new. The qualities needed to use them well remain distinctly human. Listen to the Seed World Podcast for the full conversation with Zachary Jones.
YouTube Video UEx5LUpRNkFVTVNjOFVOYlBYQjBac1BvSDZMd1I2VmJRUy4xREM3MzQyN0U1NEIwOTNG
Artificial intelligence dominated the official agenda when plant breeders gathered at Texas A&M University in June for the annual meeting of the National Association for Plant Breeding. But beneath the conversations about genomics, phenomics and machine learning was a more human question: What kind of people will be needed to turn those technologies into better products for farmers? In a special Texas-themed edition of the Seed World Podcast, Corteva Agriscience corn breeder Zachary Jones offers an answer rooted in teamwork, communication and a clear sense of purpose. Jones, who received the NAPB Early Career Scientist Award in 2025, works with genomic prediction and other tools designed to improve breeding efficiency and accelerate product development. He has already experienced one of the defining moments in a breeder’s career: seeing products he helped develop reach the commercial market. “You get this really cool opportunity to see all the hard work that you put in across years actually deliver for the customer,” he says. For Jones, that work is deeply connected to his upbringing on approximately 50 acres of red soil in Spring Garden, Alabama. Plant breeding gave him a way to use science in service of rural places like the one that raised him. “When I think about my passion for this industry, it’s a way to use science to help people in rural communities,” he says. One of the most influential moments in his career happened long before he encountered genomic prediction. In seventh grade, agricultural science teacher Dennis Tierce asked Jones and his classmates to stand and recite part of the FFA Creed. Tierce’s encouragement helped Jones develop the confidence to speak publicly—a skill that now allows him to explain complex science to growers, policymakers and the public. “The science, honestly, is table stakes,” Jones says. “The thing that really makes a difference in modern plant breeding is being able not only to understand the science, but to communicate it.” In the podcast episode, Jones discusses the mentor who changed his trajectory, the feeling of seeing his first commercial hybrid in farmers’ fields and why the graduate students he met at NAPB give him confidence in the profession’s future. The technologies transforming plant breeding may be new. The qualities needed to use them well remain distinctly human. Listen to the Seed World Podcast for the full conversation with Zachary Jones.
YouTube Video UEx5LUpRNkFVTVNjOFVOYlBYQjBac1BvSDZMd1I2VmJRUy4xNjUyOTE5MTRBMzJFRDQ5

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