opinion
Some farmers will undoubtedly see authoritarianism and oppressive bureaucracy in the denial of registration for Grandin wheat. Some well-known champions of disorderly marketing are already demanding that farmers be given the “choice” of whether or not to grow Grandin for direct sale to the United States.
The “choice” argument raises some interesting questions, since Grandin is not the first variety of wheat to be denied registration, nor will it be the last. Do the pro-choice advocates want to throw the doors open to a hundred new varieties, with the resulting chaos they would bring to the grainhandling system?
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In principle, the decision on Grandin was no different than decisions on other new varieties. A broadly based committee of agrologists reviews new varieties and recommends registration for those that offer agronomic and economic advantages. Grandin failed.
One difference from other cases, however, is that Grandin is already an established variety south of the border. Thus seed was easily available during its experimental and temporary registration in Canada for 1993-94.
Some analysts estimate there is already enough Grandin seed in Canada to plant five million acres. With Grandin offering a potential 10-percent yield increase over other varieties, many farmers would have jumped on the bandwagon.
And that could have meant disaster for our ability to market wheat. Although Grandin’s kernels are indistinguishable from other wheat varieties, Grandin requires much longer mixing times in the baking process. Few bakers would want to risk being surprised by a substantial amount of Grandin wheat in their flour.
Many Grandin supporters understandably won’t see it this way, but Canada’s orderly marketing system — which is far more than just one agency like the wheat board — came to the rescue, although just barely in time.
Because of the registration committee’s responsible decision, the reliable quality of the Canada Western Red Spring class of wheat will continue to be a major marketing advantage for Prairie farmers.
It’s also worth noting that the potential 10-percent yield improvement is not forever lost to farmers. There are other varieties being developed and tested that may well provide similar benefits without compromising quality and customer trust.
It was unfortunate that so many hopes were raised concerning Grandin, but that may have been inevitable given its popularity south of the border. The important thing is that in the final analysis the variety registration system functioned as it should, and farmers overall gained.
