There are growing risks to Western Canada’s wheat breeding system that need to be addressed by producers.

The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) has released a new report that says the current system is no longer working—so farmers and other players need to build something better.

The CWRC, which consists of SaskWheat, Alberta Grains and the Manitoba Crops Alliance, started work on the report last fall, prior to recently announced spending and job cuts by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada(AAFC).

CWRC Chair Jocelyn Velestuck says farmers have invested $70.5 million in wheat research over the past five years while government investment has been stable or declining. She points to spending cuts in 2012 that resulted in the loss of 60,000 plots that reduced the number of early generation breeding lines under investigation.

AAFC is the biggest player in Canadian wheat breeding with AAFC varieties accounting for approximately 80 per cent of seeded acreage. The CWRC says the latest round of spending cuts is very concerning, pointing to the voluntary departure of respected wheat breeder Richard Cuthbert from the AAFC station in Swift Current.

The CWRC report says it is unclear what transforming the system will look like, but it will need to be a collaborative process between producers, AAFC and the two senior levels of government.

A link to the full report is here.