Robert Wager, faculty member in the department of biology at the University of Vancouver Island, recently hosted a webinar looking at how to discuss genetically engineered technology with the public.

Farmers asked to speak up on GE technology

When conversing about modern-day agriculture technology, be as honest and accurate as possible

Canadian biologist Robert Wager says there is a desperate need for Canadian farmers to add their voices to the conversation about genetic engineering in food production. “I like to quote Carl Sagan, as he said it quite well, ‘we have arranged a global situation where almost everything critically depends on science and technology. We have

Crop breeder Doug Cattani is working with a variety of potential perennial crops but says intermediate wheatgrass right now looks the most promising.

Perennial grain crops are one step closer

The goal is to find ways to grow food that will reduce the need 
for fertilizers, herbicides, and annual seed purchase

Seed it once, then sell everything except the combine and just keep harvesting year after year. It might not work out quite that way, but a perennial grain crop that can withstand cold Prairie winters is a little closer to reality for Canadian farmers. University of Manitoba perennial crop breeder Doug Cattani has been at


Neal Gutterson (r), head of biotech for DuPont Pioneer says new tools are speeding up the crop improvement process.

Corn and soybeans headed north and west

DuPont Pioneer is among a number of companies that see huge 
growth potential on the western Prairies

Earlier-maturing varieties of corn and soybeans rolling out across the Canadian Prairies will provide new cash crop options and contribute to more sustainable rotations, a senior official with DuPont Pioneer said here last week. While it is widely acknowledged that farmers are squeezing their canola rotations too tightly, setting the stage for a rise in



french fries

Potato industry looks to reduce harmful chemical compound

Stakeholders co-operate in new evaluation system focusing on reducing acrylamide that can accumulate during storage

Acrylamide reduction is a priority for a coalition of potato industry stakeholders, according to Steve Vernon, vice-president of quality and innovation for J.R. Simplot Company. Acrylamide is a potentially harmful chemical compound that is produced in potatoes cooked at high temperatures. Vernon told this year’s Manitoba Potato Production Days in Brandon that the coalition has

Ron DePauw

Wheat breeder extraordinaire Ron DePauw retires from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

DePauw will continue to work for improved wheat cultivars as ‘mentor, adviser and consultant’

One of the world’s pre-eminent wheat breeders has retired, sort of. Ron DePauw, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s senior principal wheat breeder at the Semi Arid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current, retired from the department March 20. Last year DePauw was dubbed the “billion-dollar man” in recognition of the close to 60 wheat


plant seedling

A GMO by any other name would smell sweeter

The terminology used to describe modern plant breeding gives it a bad name

Google reveals a plethora of ideas for “How to choose a name.” It has suggestions for your baby, your dog, your business, your blog and more. Have you ever wondered what the discussion would be around food and agriculture if plant scientists sought similar advice when naming genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? They’re immersed in science,

wheat with green stem

Editorial: The farm organizations ‘that matter’

The recent decision to join UPOV ’91, the international agreement on plant breeders’ rights, was part of Bill C-18, “The Agricultural Growth Act.” Back in the day, it would have been called something like “An Act Regarding the Application of Plant Breeders’ Rights in Canada.” The previous Bill C-18 would have been “An Act to


But just what does GMO free mean, exactly?

Genetically modified, engineered or just edited?

The result can be the same without the addition 
of a gene from elsewhere

Just what is a genetically modified organism? Japanese scientists writing in a recent issue of the journal Trends in Plant Science say the answer is not so clear, and call for action to clarify the social issues associated with genetically engineered crops. “Modern genome-editing technology has allowed for far more efficient gene modification, potentially impacting

Gerry Ritz, Canadian Agriculture MInister

Strong support as Agricultural Growth Act becomes law

The main dissenter is the National Farmers Union. KAP wants farmers to be consulted on the regulations

There was applause here when plant breeders, seed companies and farmers at the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale heard the Agricultural Growth Act with its stronger intellectual property rights was about to receive royal assent. Immediately following the bill becoming law last week, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz tabled a treaty in Parliament