The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) released results of a review into the Canadian wheat breeding innovation system.
Conducted last fall prior to the cuts made at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the review was done by the Synthesis Agri-Food Network. The scope of the review included analysis of reports and studies related to wheat research, as well as interviews with 29 stakeholders, including AAFC, universities, and the private sector.
In summary, the review concluded that AAFC's "wheat breeding program is an integral part of the western Canadian wheat variety development", the current system "is at risk from recent and historic budget cuts, especially at the variety development and pre-market evaluation stages", and that "wheat breeding is a long-term process and decisions made today will impact agriculture decades into the future."
Chair of the CWRC Jocelyn Velestuk says there are many benefits to funding public research, such as the return on investment.
A news release from CWRC states "farmers received $33 in benefits for every dollar they invested in wheat breeding from 1995 to 2020, according to a recent study from the University of Saskatchewan. Since 2020, the CWRC has committed $70.5 million to western Canadian wheat breeding programs."
Those programs involve AAFC and universities, adds Velestuk.
"Over 80% of wheat acres planted in 2025 were planted with varieties developed by (AAFC), so farmers have a huge stake in that we're big funders of public funding," she said, "So that's a really important factor to take into consideration when we're huge players as well and we can gain a lot from the system working well."
She says the cuts made by Agriculture Canada will result in a loss of expertise and research capacity, adding the impact to wheat breeding programs are unclear but does expect them to be significant.
With this information, Velestuk says discussions on a long-term solution with stakeholders and Ag Canada are underway. She says the status quo is not a viable path forward.
"This public report is a point in the system and a point in the process that we're working towards. So through the discussions, we hope that we will figure a lot out and we are serious about looking at a long-term solution and that farmers are the ones to take the lead on this."
You can find the full review here.
