Canada
May 16, 2013

Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) would like to congratulate the Government of Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan on the creation of the Canadian Wheat Alliance (CWA).

“This initiative is an important step towards increasing the overall investment in wheat research to ensure that producers continue to have access to the best performing wheat varieties” said Dave Sefton, WGRF Board Chair. “The Canadian Wheat Alliance is a great example of collaboration between institutions at both the federal and provincial levels allowing producers to leverage their investment in wheat research.”

“Western Canadian producers are currently investing $4 million per year into wheat variety development at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the University of Saskatchewan (Crop Development Centre) through the Wheat Check-off and the Endowment Fund,” says Garth Patterson, WGRF Executive Director. “Since 1995, WGRF has invested over $60 million into wheat variety development at AAFC and the Crop Development Centre on behalf of Western Canadian producers.”

“WGRF will be working with the provincial wheat commissions, as they assume responsibility for funding wheat variety development to ensure continued producer support for initiatives such as the Canadian Wheat Alliance,” said Sefton.

The Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) is a farmer funded and directed non-profit organization investing primarily in wheat and barley variety development to benefit western Canadian producers. Through research funding of over $82 million in producer check-offs WGRF has assisted in the development and release of more than 150 new wheat and barley varieties over the past decade and a half, many of which are today seeded to large portions of the cropland in Western Canada.

WGRF also invests in research on other western Canadian crops through the Endowment fund. Since 1981 the Endowment Fund has supported a wealth of innovation across Western Canada providing over $26 million in funding for over 230 research projects.
 

Website: http://www.westerngrains.com

Published: May 16, 2013