NewsLine by Cole's Ag on September 24, 2025, 8:41am

CBRC commits $1.8 million to CDC barley breeding activities 

Sept. 24, 2025 (Saskatoon, SK) – The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) announced today it will provide $1.8 million in funding over three years to the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC), to extend the core breeding agreement and support the development of varieties with improved agronomics, disease resistance and end-use quality. 

The CBRC is a collaboration between the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), Alberta Grains and Manitoba Crop Alliance. 

“The keys to past success within the CDC barley breeding program have been the skilled staff, our in-house malt and molecular marker labs and the ability to evaluate large numbers of breeding lines. This CBRC funding will support these pillars moving forward,” says Curtis Pozniak, Director of the Crop Development Centre. 

“This renewed investment ensures Western Canadian farmers can expect new barley varieties from a world-class program, keeping barley competitive with improved yield and agronomic benefits,” says CBRC Chair Cody Glenn (who also Chairs SaskBarley). “The CDC is uniquely positioned to deliver effective results for Western Canadian agriculture. This funding extension will allow the program to continue delivering improved varieties and capitalize on new opportunities.” 

Leaders from CBRC’s member organizations echoed this sentiment, highlighting the practical benefits for farmers. 

Scott Jesperson, Chair of Alberta Grains, emphasized the real-world impact of the funding: “The CBRC’s investment in the CDC reflects the importance of providing farmers with access to high performing, resilient barley varieties. This funding will deliver on-farm benefits that help barley farmers improve yields, manage disease pressure and stay competitive in global markets.” 

Building on this, Jonothan Hodson, Chair of Manitoba Crop Alliance, pointed to the CDC’s impressive history: “The CDC has an excellent track record of developing high-performance barley varieties for a variety of end-use markets. The CBRC’s continued support for this innovative breeding program will ensure barley remains a productive and profitable crop for farmers across Western Canada.” 

Continuing the funding agreement with the CDC was a priority for CBRC and is in line with the organization’s goal of facilitating long-term investments aimed at improving profitability and competitiveness for Western Canadian barley farmers.

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For more information: 

Jill McDonald
CBRC President
306-370-7237
jmcdonald@saskbarley.com 

NewsLine by Cole's Ag on January 28, 2025, 9:00am

CWRC commits $11.8 million to USask Crop Development Centre

Jan. 28, 2025 (Carman, MB; Saskatoon, SK; Calgary, AB) – The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) has committed $11.8 million over the next five years to a core breeding agreement (CBA) with the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Crop Development Centre (CDC).

The new agreement ensures continued CWRC funding for the CDC’s industry-leading wheat breeding programs, as the previous CBA concluded at the end of 2024.

“This renewed investment by the CWRC will directly benefit western Canadian farmers by supporting the development of wheat varieties with improved yields, stronger disease resistance and better adaptation to our growing conditions,” said Dean Hubbard, CWRC chair and a farmer near Claresholm, AB.

“Farmer-funded breeding programs like this ensure that producers have access to innovative, high-performing varieties that are in demand and help make their farms more productive and sustainable.”

CWRC funding via the 2025-29 CBA will support the CDC’s development of new Canadian Western Red Spring (CWRS), Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR), Canadian Western Amber Durum (CWAD) and Canadian Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat cultivars with strong agronomics and improved resistance to common diseases such as the wheat rusts, common bunt and Fusarium Head Blight. This funding will also support the application of genomic assisted selection across all wheat breeding programs at the CDC, a technology that is used in part to “stack” genes for disease resistance, pest resistance and end-use quality in new varieties.

“We have had a tremendously successful partnership with the CWRC and we are grateful for their continued support,” said Dr. Curtis Pozniak, CDC director and wheat breeder. “The continued investment from the CWRC will help support the CDC’s mission to deliver high-yielding and reliable wheat varieties for western Canadian farmers.”

The new agreement represents a more than $2-million increase in funding compared with the previous five-year agreement. CWRC investment through the new CBA is divided among the organization’s founding members by a funding shares agreement.

“Over its history, innovations from USask’s CDC have significantly helped producers by enhancing the value of their operations,” said Baljit Singh, vice-president research at USask. “The CWRC’s investment will allow the CDC to continue to make positive impact in Canada’s agriculture sector and around the world.”

The CWRC also maintains CBAs with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Cole Christensen
Communications Manager
Manitoba Crop Alliance
403-589-3529
cole@mbcropalliance.ca

Andrea Lauder
Communications Manager
Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission
306-653-7967
andrea.lauder@saskwheat.ca

Harley Groenveld 
Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist
Alberta Grains
403-371-2132
hgroenveld@albertagrains.com  

Marissa Janssen 
Manager, Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-4999
marissa.janssen@usask.ca

About the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition:
The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) is a collaboration between Manitoba Crop Alliance, the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and Alberta Grains aimed at improving the net relative profitability of wheat for western Canadian farmers. The CWRC facilitates a collaborative approach to producer funding of regional and national research projects in variety development and agronomy.

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