SASKATOON – Canola growers aren’t about to let private enterprise over the canola breeding industry.
“It’s easy to lose track of who got the canola industry going today …. The privates have just come in in the last five years to capitalize,” said seed grower Ed Seidle of Medstead, Sask. at the Canola Development Commission annual meeting held last week here during Crop Production Week.
The canola commission is worried federal government cutbacks will mean an end to public research and that would leave farmers dependent on private industry.
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Public researchers have long been recognized for their good performance, said Seidle.
“They have stressed quality, while in private industry quality has been second to yield,” he said.
Commission chair Ray Wilfing, of Meadow Lake, Sask., said the commission needs direction from farmers on where to funnel research dollars.
“Are we producers ready to accept all private breeding varieties, or do we want publicly funded varieties?” asked Wilfing.
He pointed to corn varieties in the United States which are controlled by private breeding companies.
“Are we in canola in Canada ready to go the same route?”
Wilfing said when the commission got involved in funding canola research, it was only supposed to be a “top up.”
Now more than ever public researchers rely on groups like the commission for core research funding, he said.
