Getting the federal government to fully restore funding for agriculture research remains a top priority for Canadian farm groups, says Richard Phillips, executive director of the Grain Growers of Canada.
With federal spending cuts looming, farm groups want the Harper government to consider plowing royalties from existing crop varieties developed by Agriculture Canada scientists into the department’s research budget, Phillips told the Grain Industry Symposium.
“That’s worth about $5 million to $6 million a year,” he said. “We need to find other ways to get agriculture research funding.”
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Farmers also need to get research companies to pay more attention to improving wheat varieties, said Phillips. Restoring federal agriculture research funding to 1994 levels, when it was cut by the Chrtien government, would require an annual injection of an additional $26 million for 10 years, he said.
In recent years, the government has focused on joint ventures with university and private researchers, said Phillips, adding governments and farmers need to realize competition in agriculture research is now more between countries than private companies.
Increased use of public-private partnerships, known as P3s, is one promising possibility, Phillips said.
The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) provides $1.2 million annually for research into better corn, wheat and soybean crops, said Don Kenny, the organization’s president.
The funding has attracted additional federal and industry research dollars, and resulted in 10 new soybean varieties, one new wheat and one oat crop, he said.
“We need to double our research and we want to work with groups from Quebec and Atlantic Canada. We have regionally different crops and production systems.”
A top concern for GFO is replacing all the scientists who are nearing retirement age, he said.
Every $1 invested in agriculture research generates $20 in benefits but much more research is needed, said Keith Degenhardt, chairman of the Western Grain Research Foundation.
“We’re lagging behind other countries, which are spending $8 on it for every $1 we are,” said Degenhardt, who also voiced support for P3s.
Canada is losing ground to other countries, said Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada.
“Canada has to work on becoming a more attractive place to invest for seed companies to invest in,” he said. “We need a predictable science-based regulatory system along with an effective intellectual property system.”
When China and Brazil catch up to North America on corn production per acre, “we’re going to see a lot more competition,” said Hepworth. “Australia and the United States are already well ahead of us.”
— Alex Binkley
