BRANDON, Man. – Now that Manitoba bean growers have commanded more than a third of total Canadian acreage, they want their fair share of bean breeding dollars.
Members of the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association plan to meet with Agriculture Canada decision makers to ask for more bean breeding research in the province.
Glen Adrain noted Ontario has two breeders with an acreage of 130,000, Alberta has one for its 30,000 acres, and Saskatchewan is doing bean breeding work with only 6,000 acres.
“We’re growing, Ontario acres are going down, and we have no breeder,” Adrain said, adding Manitoba farmers planted about 70,000 acres of beans last year.
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“We’re just going to be a little more aggressive in finding out why not, and go after one.”
Adrain said the province has different requirements than others. Manitoba gets more heat units than Saskatchewan and Alberta, where researchers look for quickly maturing, upright varieties.
He said now that Agriculture Canada is looking for research funds in light of budget cuts, growers can wield some influence with research money collected by a checkoff.
Adrain said farmers grew the industry in Manitoba with little government support. “Now we’re competing against Saskatchewan and Alberta, which are more government-driven: they look for a crop that people can grow,” he said.
