b'Variety Development:Why Public and Private Plant Breeding MatterA STRONG SEED INDUSTRYAND RELIABLE VARIETY DATADEPEND ON KEEPING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BREEDING HEALTHY, BALANCED AND ROBUST.By Jennifer Seward, Executive Director, Manitoba Seed Growers AssociationE very winter, Seed Manitoba gives you clear comparisons to choose the right variety for your farm. Supporting those tables is a pipeline of genetics and a network of Prairie trial sites that rely heavily on Canadas public breeding system. That system is now at risk. If it weakens, your seed choices narrow and the data you trust becomes reduced. Thats a bold statement, but lets take a step back, and look at the two systems that deliver new genetics.Public ResearchPublic research in Canada is conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and universities. It focuses on the broaderNeither public nor private research can solve agricultural challenges on their own. good rather than profit. innovations that will show profits toA balanced system ensures thatIt targets issues that may nottheir customers, their company and/ innovations serve both economic be profitable but are critical or shareholders. and public interests.such as soil health, environmental Private investment fuels rapid conservation, crop types with highdevelopment of new products.What is the Future of AAFC usage of farm saved seed with Many breakthroughs that deliverBreeding Programs?significant economic impact (such asmodernization and new geneticsFor years now, AAFC has signaled wheat), and food security. quickly come from private R&Dto the Canadian agricultural industryIt develops affordable geneticsprograms. This is typically specific bythat they wish to step back from accessible to all, not just largecrop type. finishing varieties. This means that agribusinesses.Private companies can quicklyvarieties wont be released to theUniversities and publicadapt innovations to changingmarketplace by AAFC; only traits will institutions educate the nextmarket and agronomic needs. be developed for the use of private generation of scientists, agronomists, Competing firms push oneindustry to purchase and develop for and producers. another to create better productsproducers. It often emphasizes climateand services for farmers. This move would be devasting to adaptation, biodiversity, andfarmers. Not only could we lose the pest management that protectNeither public nor private researchAAFC breeder brain trust that has ecosystems. can solve Canadian agriculturaladvanced and supported Canadian challenges on their own. Ourfarmers for generations, but we Private Research strongest outcomes and successescould also lose the advancements Private research is carried out byfor Canadian farmers only happenstill in the pipeline that they have private companies often with awhen the two mandates are strong,worked so hard to develop for us focus on developing marketableviable, and can build on each other.with producer and taxpayer dollars. 8 Seed Manitoba 2026'