Agriculture Canada is being called on to move quickly to replace a wheat breeder at the SCRDC – SwiftCurrentOnline.com
The grains sector is calling on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to move quickly to replace Dr. Richard Cuthbert, a wheat breeder at AAFC’s Swift Current Research and Development Centre (SCRDC).
Dr. Cuthbert moved into his role in April of 2011, where he worked alongside the previous wheat breeder, Dr. Ron DePauw, until his retirement in 2015.
Dr. DePauw and his team were instrumental in the development of over 50 new wheat and durum varieties, including AC Barrie and AC Lillian, and helped in the Durum program with AC Kyle and AC Strongfield’s development, as well as working to create a new Canada Prairie Spring Red Wheat class. Over the years, 29 registered Canadian Western Red Spring Wheat varieties were developed through the breeding program at AAFC SCRDC. It’s estimated that since its inception, scientists at the facility have developed over 70 wheat and durum varieties.
The research facility, founded in 1921, is one of 19 AAFC research stations across the country. According to AAFC SCRDC’s website, the ‘Swift Current RDC focuses on development of spring wheat and durum varieties; as well as agronomic research related to pulses and specialty crops, environmentally-sustainable production practices; and improved nutrition for pasture-fed beef.’
The grain industry was caught off guard with the resignation of Dr. Cuthbert. SeCan’s Business Manager for Western Canada, Todd Hyra, says when a program has momentum, you want to make sure that there’s a good, solid plan that’s not going to leave a void or a gap that could impact not only seed growers, but every farmer in Western Canada that grows wheat.
“Anybody growing CWRS, there’s a pretty good chance that they’re growing one of the products that came out of that program (in Swift Current).”
With the 2025 budget, the Federal Government announced plans for a 20 per cent cut in every department across the board, including Agriculture – but there’s been no word on just how Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada would meet that target.
There are concerns within the industry that the major void left with the departure of Dr. Cuthbert may not be filled as a result of the proposed budget cuts.
Hyra says uncertainty around staffing is especially troubling given the scale of the program’s contributions to Canadian wheat production.
“Ag Canada, as a whole, provides over 85 per cent, maybe even approaching 90 per cent, of the total CWRS varieties in Western Canada. Ag Canada Swift Current would probably be 80 per cent of that on its own.”
He adds SeCan is releasing three new wheat varieties out of the AAFC SCRDC wheat breeding program that will be commercially available for farmers this Spring.
AAC Westking is a new CWRS; new midge-tolerant varieties AAC Stoughton VB and AAC Oakman VB were all developed at AAFC’s Swift Current Research and Development Centre (SCRDC).
Over the years, 29 registered Canadian Western Red Spring Wheat varieties were developed through the breeding program at SCRDC. It’s estimated that since its inception, scientists at the facility have developed over 70 wheat and durum varieties.
During our year-end interview with Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, we discussed the proposed budget cuts and what that could mean for AAFC.
MacDonald noted they ran on a campaign to be more fiscally responsible.
“So my job as a Minister and our team is to ensure that we do everything we can to maintain the programs that we have for farmers on the ground, and those programs that surround farmers on the ground that are important to them.”
He says that it’s important to evaluate programs. How long has the program been around? Is it being used? Is it something that we should be partnering with Academia on?
Just prior to the interview in December, Minister MacDonald spent time at the UPA (Union of Agricultural Producers) conference in Quebec City and visited the University of Laval.
“They have $11 million in plant science-type funding and soil management. For example, and AAFC is partnering alongside them to do that research. Those are the types of things that we want to maintain, and certainly it’s important, but also we want to ensure that we’re not duplicating some of those types of research and science. “
MacDonald added that we need to align ourselves better and utilize the resources that we have.
“We have Seeds Canada doing certain things. We have the GATE project, which is out in Winnipeg doing great stuff. We need to exploit that a little bit, and we need to align ourselves as a country and as provinces to ensure that we’re not wasting time on duplication.”
He says innovation, technology is moving very quickly, and it (the budget cuts) gives them an opportunity to take a look and see where they can be more efficient in government.
Federal Agriculture Heath MacDonald’s comments were made in early December prior to the resignation of Dr. Cuthbert. Golden West has reached out to the Minister to see if he or someone from the department would have more information on just how AAFC plans to handle the departure. At publication time, we have not received a reply to our request.
