TheWheatField THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SASKATCHEWAN WHEAT DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JUNE 2015 EDITION
CHAIR’s Message:
Producer Involvement in Variety Development A unique opportunity for us to help shape the future of wheat breeding The formation of new provincial wheat and barley commissions in Western Canada within the past couple years has created many exciting opportunities for maximizing producer investments. One of these opportunities is in the area of producer involvement in wheat and barley variety development. Because of the large amount of potential this idea holds for producers, provincial organizations have been very proactive in working on this. Last December, a historic event occurred when wheat and barley check-off organizations from across Western Canada came together to discuss the concept. The organizations – including Sask Wheat, Alberta Barley Commission, Alberta Wheat Commission, BC Grain Producers Association, Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association, Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission, Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission, Winter Cereals Manitoba, and Western Grains Research Foundation (facilitator) – agreed to work together to objectively explore options for producer groups to continue to invest in wheat and barley variety development. During this meeting, the Wheat and Barley Variety Working Group (WBVWG) was established, which includes three representatives from Sask Wheat.
in this issue
Sask Wheat news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 GM Message: Movement ahead? . . . . . . 3 Growing interest in plant growth regulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Check your fields for stripe rust . . . . . . . . 5 Researcher profile: Richard Cuthbert . . . 6 New tool to help producers manage fusarium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Supporting improved wheat germplasm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The WBVWG’s goal is to have world class sustainable wheat and barley variety development programs contributing to increased net profitability per acre for Canadian producers. They are working to identify, describe, and evaluate business options for wheat and barley variety development involving some level of producer investment. The WBVWG hired a consultant in March to help outline the best plan of action for advancing this idea, and one that meets everyone’s interests. We are currently assessing the feasibility of the most promising options and will share the results when they are complete, which is a targeted date of December 2015. At a time when our industry is going through some major changes, this initiative represents not only great potential for the future of wheat research, but also serves as a reminder that our future will be shaped by innovation through partnership and strategic leadership. Sask Wheat plans to remain at the helm of that. (continued on page three)
Sask Wheat Semi-Annual Meeting Free Breakfast, Show Admission at Farm Progress Show for All Registered Attendees
All wheat producers are encouraged to attend the Sask Wheat Semi-Annual Meeting during Farm Progress Show in Regina, an opportunity to meet with Sask Wheat staff and Board members, to share input on the industry and check-off investments, and to learn more about Sask Wheat. Wednesday, June 17 8 am at Salon A, Evraz Place, Regina Breakfast and one-day show admission included for all registered attendees To register & MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.saskwheatcommission.com
Sask Wheat News Field days this summer Field Days are cropping up all across the province this summer. Below is a listing of Agri-ARM Field Days. Please note there may be other Field Days in Saskatchewan not listed below and please check the individual websites for more information. • July 15 – Scott, SK (Western Applied Research Corporation, WARC) • July 16 – Swift Current, SK (Wheatland Conservation Area, WCA) • July 21 – Indian Head, SK (Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation, IHARF) • July 22 – Melfort, SK (Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation, NARF) • July 23 – Yorkton, SK (East Central Research Foundation, ECRF) • July 24 – Redvers, SK (South East Research Farm, SERF)
Send us your email address! We want to keep you informed about important news and information in our industry, as it happens. Please send your name and email address to info@saskwheatcommission.com so that we can add you to our list. We will not send you spam emails and you can opt out at any time.
Upcoming elections Sask Wheat will be holding elections for three Director positions this coming fall. In September a “Call for Nominations” package will be mailed to all wheat produceers in Saskatchewan who are registered with Sask Wheat (have sold wheat in the past two crop years) and have not requested a check-off refund in the past two years. If an election is required, voting packages containing candidate information and voting instructions and procedures will be mailed to all wheat producers. If you are interested being on Sask Wheat’s Board of Directors , please visit www.saskwheatcommission.com/about-sask-wheat/elections For additional information about the upcoming elections please call 306-653-7932 or email info@saskwheatcommission.com
Bill Gehl, Chair Regina Dan Danielson, Vice-Chair Saskatoon Rod Flaman Edenwold Laura Reiter Radisson Ken Rosaasen Preeceville Bill Rosher Kindersley Glenn Tait Meota
Staff: Harvey Brooks General Manager Pat Tremaine Office Administrator Blair Goldade Research Program Manager Delaney Seiferling Communications/Marketing Manager Simon Weseen Policy Manager
New Staff Sask Wheat welcomes Simon Weseen to our team! Simon joined Sask Wheat as Policy Manager in June. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology, a Bachelor’s of Science and Arts degree in Environmental Science and Agricultural Economics, and a Master’s of Science degree in Agricultural Economics, all obtained at the University of Saskatchewan. Simon brings fifteen years of agricultural policy experience to Sask Wheat, having worked as an independent consultant in the agriculture industry and as a Professional Research Associate at the University of Saskatchewan. He has also spent time as a Policy Analyst at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, and as an Energy Economist at the Canadian Energy Research Institute at the University of Calgary. His background includes broad policy research in a variety of agricultural areas and includes examining the benefits of producer and public funded research and marketing initiatives.
Transportation Summit 2015: Everyone welcome Monday July 20 @ 10AM – Saskatoon Inn, 2002 Airport Drive, Saskatoon Sask Wheat, in partnership with the Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan (APAS) and Sask Barley, will be hosting a 2015 Transportation Summit, bringing together industry leaders and transportation experts to discuss the current state of the transportation industry and the Canadian Transportation Act (CTA) review process. (continued on page four)
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Board Members:
The Wheat Field is a publication of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat). Articles are not to be reproduced without written permission from Sask Wheat. Articles represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Sask Wheat. CONTACT US: Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission 310 - 111 Research Drive Saskatoon SK S7N 3R2 Phone: 306-653-7932 Fax: 306-653-7935 saskwheatcommission.com info@saskwheatcommission.com
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GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT:
Movement Ahead? How current transportation issues will affect your marketing this season Another season’s promise is in the ground and the 2015/16 crop year promises an abundance of food and feed grains in the world. New USDA estimates show that, barring some catastrophic weather events, we are looking at continued growing levels of world carry-in stocks being supplemented by near record crops. This provides a very flat-to-bearish world price scenario for the new crop delivery period. If this turns out to be the market reality in the fall of 2015, producers will again be asking why they couldn’t have moved more of their crop in 2014/15 when prices were higher. Good question! Despite the push provided by the Fair Rail For Grain Farmers Act for most of 2014/15, the industry is poised to finish the later months of the crop year with relatively modest export shipments. It is therefore unlikely that the industry will hit the export figures initially forecast by Agriculture Canada. The industry has moved a fair amount of grain, but there are a large number of vessels waiting at west coast terminals for above average times, and primary elevators at near maximum storage levels, which suggests that the system was not getting the grain to our customers when they expected to load it. This lack of ability to clear the exportable surplus when facing a declining forward market has a number of impacts. First, producers are required to involuntarily carry excess inventory and market it later at lower prices. Second, the basis levels between export prices and primary elevator prices remain wide, as producers have no choice but to continue to sell what they can, to capture near term markets. In the last newsletter we outlined how this lack of rail and grain handling export capacity and the resulting wider basis would cost an individual producer $40-60/tonne, depending on when they marketed their crop in 2014/15. If you market 2,000 tonnes it will cost you $80,000-120,000 for just the one year. (You can find more information on this on our website.) For the unsold inventory, you will also have to factor in the lower prices available for new crop delivery. This problem does not look like it will resolve itself for 2015/16. In general terms, we would need to move towards a handling and transportation system that adjusts capacity to clear the exportable surplus on a yearly basis. In years of declining forward markets, one would expect producers would want the level of voluntary carryovers to be minimal. Sask Wheat will continue to work with Sask Barley, APAS and Sask Pulse to push our recommendations to the Canadian
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Transportation Act (CTA) Review Panel. One of these recommendations is that the CTA and/or other legislation be amended to provide mandatory information reporting for the grain handling and transportation system to function effectively. The identification of information needs, and its collection and dissemination, will be critical to future system performance. Another recommendation is that the CTA create a rail oversight group which includes producer representation, to assess ongoing operations. We also recommended that a railway costing review be completed, and that the federal government commits that the maximum revenue entitlement will stay in place to ensure fair compensation to railways for hauling grain. As this is the largest single policy issue facing producers, Sask Wheat will continue to give producers a voice at the national level as the CTA Review Panel continues its assessments. Decisions are likely to be made at the end of 2015. Harvey Brooks, General Manager
Chair’s Messsage from front page Upcoming elections Sask Wheat will be holding elections for three Director positions this fall. I urge you all to take an interest in these elections, as this is your industry and voting is one of the most effective ways for you to have a say in its future direction. We will be mailing out a “Call for Nominations” in September and if an election is required, we will then send out voting information and packages. If you have any questions about elections, please contact a Director or staff member. Sask Wheat semi-annual meeting Sask wheat is also sponsoring what we hope to be an annual breakfast event at the Regina Farm Progress Show (see more details on Pg. 1). Don’t miss this opportunity to speak with Directors and receive an update on where your checkoff dollars are going. We will also be introducing a very exciting new tool at this meeting – a fusarium monitoring map funded by Sask Wheat. This is the first of its kind in Saskatchewan and we hope it will be a useful resource for you this summer (see more details about this on Pg. 6). We hope to see you all at this meeting. Bill Gehl, Chair
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agronomy:
Growing Interest in Plant Growth Regulators But producers are warned to use them with caution – by Mitchell Japp and Clark Brenzil Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are synthetic compounds that change plant growth by altering the plant’s hormonal balance. PGRs are not new to agriculture, but have not been commonly used in Western Canada because they are mostly used in conditions of high moisture and high fertility to shorten and strengthen straw. In Western Canada, we normally have drier weather tendencies and several varieties with good lodging resistance. However, new and higher yielding genetics are now available in Western Canada and producers are targeting higher yields than in the past. PGRs can be used to manage detrimental effects of higher crop inputs, such as lodging and more straw to process through the combine. Manipulator, a PGR product from Engage Agro, was recently registered in Canada for use on spring and winter wheat. Manipulator suppresses gibberellins, a group of plant hormones responsible for stem elongation. Manipulator can cause plants to have shorter and thicker stems, potentially reducing lodging. Other PGRs, such as Ethrel (Bayer) and Cycocel Extra (BASF), have been registered in Canada for decades but they have not been widely used. In Western Canada, Ethrel is registered on spring wheat. Cyclocel Extra has the same active ingredient as Manipulator (chlormequat chloride), but is registered for winter wheat only.
PGRs generally have a specific application window to be effective. Application outside of the application window may not only be ineffective, but potentially detrimental to the crop. For a single application, Manipulator is best applied at the oneto-two node stage (Zadoks growth stage 31-32) and Ethrel at flag-leaf-emergence to swollen-boot stage (Zadoks GS 37-45). While new products like Manipulator may be of interest agronomically, using new products may cause problems with marketing the grain. Manipulator is currently approved in Canada but not in all markets of Canadian grain. When an export market has not established maximum residue limits (MRLs) for a crop input like pesticides or PGRs, grain treated with that product cannot be exported to that country. Producers are cautioned to be certain that their grain buyer will accept grain treated with Manipulator, or any other product, before applying the product. For more information contact Mitchell Japp at mitchell.japp@ gov.sk.ca or 306-787-4664. Mitchell Japp, MSc, PAg, is the Provincial Specialist, Cereal Crops, Crops and Irrigation Branch, Saskatchewan Agriculture. Clark Brenzil, PAg, is the Provincial Specialist, Weed Control Crops and Irrigation Branch, Saskatchewan Agriculture.
Sask Wheat News from page two Speakers will include: Terry Whiteside/Whiteside and Associates (Montana); Murad Al-Katib/CTA review panel member; Dr. Richard Gray/Professor of Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics at the University of Saskatchewan; and more. Everyone is welcome to attend. For registration pricing and other information visit www.apas.ca, call 306-789-7774, or email info@apas.ca
Sask Wheat scholarship updates Sask Wheat has confirmed it will help ensure the future of agricultural research and profitable production of wheat in Saskatchewan by offering undergraduate and graduate scholarships to agriculture students at the University of Saskatchewan. The recipients of these scholarships will be selected based on academic merit as well as the projected impact of their studies on the wheat industry. Sask Wheat will contribute $10,000/year towards undergraduate scholarships and $100,000/ year at a graduate level, and awards will begin in the 2015/16 year.
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Watch for more information about this on the Sask Wheat and University of Saskatchewan websites in coming months.
Government funding available for producers to develop business plans, enhance business skills The Canadian government wants to help producers in the province develop their business management skills. Funding is available to qualifying producers, under the Growing Forward 2 program, to access farm business management related consulting and planning services or to access farm business management related training. To qualify for funding, applicants must be Saskatchewan residents who are 18 or older, and must currently farm or have provable plans to generate income from a farm in the near future. Applications are available online at https://fbdi.gov.sk.ca/ To learn more visit http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/GF2-FBDI or call your local Regional Service Office or the Agriculture Knowledge Centre (toll-free) at 1-866-457-2377.
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Check Your Fields for Stripe Rust Be on alert for the disease this season – by Mitchell Japp and Faye Dokken-Bouchard Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) has been found in Alberta winter wheat fields this spring. The disease can overwinter and like all rusts, stripe rust blows north from the United States. So far, there have not been any reports of stripe rust in Saskatchewan in 2015. Historically, stripe rust was a disease limited mostly to western Alberta and British Columbia. Higher elevations and coastal regions are more conducive to stripe rust, since infection and spread require cool nights (9°-12° C). More recently, the disease has been found in eastern Alberta, western Saskatchewan and sometimes even the Eastern Prairies. The most recent outbreak was in 2010. Therefore, producers in Saskatchewan are warned to be on alert for this disease this growing season. Stripe rust can be identified by the elongated yellow-orange pustules that often extend the entire length of the leaf blade and parallel to the leaf veins. It has been seen primarily in the southwest and south-central areas of Saskatchewan, whereas stem and leaf rusts of wheat tend to occur in the southeastern regions of the province. There are varietal differences in stripe rust resistance. Radiant winter wheat is no longer resistant to stripe rust, but Moats and Emerson are still moderately resistant. However, the gene that provides resistance in Moats and Emerson is reported to be more effective at warmer temperatures. Even for varieties rated moderately resistant or good, weekly scouting is recommended. Stripe rust can spread from one crop to another as long as the plants are still green. Therefore winter wheat may infect spring wheat and barley, and vice versa, at any stage before ripening. We recommend that producers scout their winter wheat fields for signs of the disease and plan to spray a fungicide
Did you know? There are 17 billion base pairs in the wheat genome. This is about five times the amount of DNA in the human genome.
Stripe rust has not been found in Saskatchewan but producers are warned to be on alert this year. The disease can be identified by the elongated yellow-orange pustules that often extend the entire length of the leaf blade and parallel to the leaf veins.
at the appropriate growth stage if the disease is present at economic thresholds. One plant per square metre with stripe rust symptoms may be enough to generate an economic return from fungicide application. Partial fungicide rates are not recommended. Weekly scouting is recommended for varieties with moderate resistance, while susceptible varieties should be scouted more frequently. Fungicide application is most effective at head emergence to protect the head, flag leaf and penultimate leaf. Varieties that are rated moderately resistant (good) may not require a fungicide application. In severe cases, the disease may overwhelm the resistance, so frequent scouting is necessary. If more than 5% of the leaf area in the upper canopy is infected, symptoms would be considered severe. For more information contact Faye Dokken- Bouchard, Provincial Specialist, Plant Disease, at faye.bouchard@gov. sk.ca or 306-787-4671 or Mitchell Japp, Provincial Specialist, Cereal Crops, at mitchell.japp@gov.sk.ca or 306-787-4664. For more information, visit http://www1.agric.gov. ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/faq11389 or http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/ prm11383
UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
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RESEARCH PARTNER PROFILE:
Wheat Breeder Loves Challenges Richard Cuthbert’s continuous focus is on improving wheat varieties – by Brian Cross Richard Cuthbert’s career as an Agriculture Canada plant breeder had a humble beginning. It all started with a summer job that involved pulling weeds from test plots back in 1999.
a Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, he started a Master’s program with a focus on plant breeding. Under McVetty’s direction, Cuthbert’s research centered on developing early lines of hybrid high-erucic acid rapeseed.
“About three days after graduating from high school, I was fortunate to get a job with Dr. Peter McVetty in his canola and rapeseed breeding program,” Cuthbert says. “My introduction to small plot research started with weeding plots.”
At the time, all rapeseed varieties being grown were open-pollinated. When he completed his Master’s degree, Cuthbert says he “got bit by the wheat bug.”
Cuthbert is the head of the bread wheat breeding program at Agriculture Canada’s Semiarid Prairie Agriculture Research Centre (SPARC) in Swift Current. In that capacity, he oversees the development and commercialization of new wheat varieties that will be grown by producers across Western Canada. Originally from Winnipeg, Cuthbert spent close to a decade completing undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs at the University of Manitoba. After earning
Did you know? There were 144 million tonnes of wheat traded in 2010, more than maize and rice combined. FAOSTAT
Working with wheat breeder Dr. Anita Brûlé-Babel, he began a PhD program with studies focused on mapping leaf spot resistance genes in spring and winter wheat varieties. Cuthbert joined SPARC in April 2011. He has since replaced Dr. Ron DePauw as head of the Centre’s bread wheat breeding programs. “I was very fortunate,” Cuthbert says of his progression from summer student to head of SPARC’s wheat breeding program. “There weren’t a lot of breaks or deviations in my career path. I set my mind to becoming a plant breeder and it happened.” Today, Cuthbert spends most of his time working on varieties in the Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) class, Canada’s top class of milling wheat. He also spends time on hard white varieties, CPS reds and general purpose lines. (continued on last page)
New Tool to Help Producers Manage Fusarium Sask Wheat, in partnership with Saskatchewan Agriculture, will launch weather-based fusarium head blight (FHB) risk maps on its website. The purpose of the risk maps will be to keep producers updated, in near-real-time, about the risk of FHB in wheat in their respective areas of the province so that they may best plan their management strategies. The map will go live in mid-June and will run until mid-July (throughout the fusarium-susceptible periods for winter and spring wheat). How does it work? We have partnered with Weather INnnovations Consulting (WIN), a Canadian company that specializes
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in providing weather-based monitoring and modelling solutions for producer organizations, to develop the map. WIN will use its own data for weather (the company operates approximately 450 weather stations throughout agricultural Saskatchewan) and internal resources for modelling and mapping, relying on its team of plant pathologists, agrologists, modellers, and IT/web specialists. The map will use near-real-time data from WIN’s weather stations and will be updated on a daily basis. Visit www.saskwheatcommission.com in coming weeks for more information.
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RESEARCH PARTNER PROFILE:
Supporting Improved Wheat Germplasm Genome Canada works to keep Saskatchewan wheat research competitive – by Quyen Van You may be hearing the term “genomics” a lot lately. That’s because this area of research, which involves the study of genes and their functions, is evolving at an unprecedented rate and holds a lot of potential for agricultural stakeholders. In this ever-changing field, substantial levels of expertise, strong relationships and motivation are required in order to turn ideas into reality through discovery and innovation. That’s where Genome Prairie comes in. A Saskatoon-based non-profit organization, Genome Prairie is focused on supporting genomics research activities taking place in universities and federal laboratories in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as collaborations with scientists in every region of the country and abroad. Genome Prairie is one of six regional centres within the Canadian Genomics Enterprise, which along with Genome Canada is the primary funding and information resource in Canada related to genomics and proteomics (the study of the structures and functions of proteins). Genome Prairie has supported more than $260 million of research in plant, animal and human genomics, bioinformatics, instrumentation development and bioethics since 2000, and has collaborated with partners such as Sask Wheat and the University of Saskatchewan. Currently the organization manages a variety of initiatives that have broad impacts across many sectors, including agriculture. One of these initiatives is the Canadian Triticum Advancement Through Genomics (CTAG). Initiated in 2011, the $8.5 million CTAG project is aimed at developing genomic tools and increasing genomic capacity in
Canadian wheat breeding programs. Currently, most Canadian breeding programs use some genomics technology to improve selection efficiency but the full capabilities of this technology are not being realized. The advent of new genomic sequencing technologies is enabling geneticists and breeders to characterize genes at the most fundamental level – the DNA sequence. The wheat DNA sequence holds the key to genetic improvements that will allow producers to meet increasing demands for high quality food and feed produced in a responsible, sustainable and profitable manner. Another Genome Prairie-supported initiative currently in progress is the Plant Microbiome (PLM) project, conducted to help improve crop yield and stress resistance. This project aims to develop breakthrough microbial products using a new group of microbes discovered by University of Saskatchewan researchers Drs. Vladimir Vujanovic and Jim Germida. These microbes were discovered within plant cell tissues and have novel mechanisms of plant interaction, enabling substantially improved seed germination, yield, and drought-and-heat-stress resilience in more than 20 varieties of wheat, barley, pulses, and canola – crops that account for more than $15 billion in annual production in Canada. Genome Prairie’s targeted efforts in project development, research management, and community engagement aim to ensure that Saskatchewan and Manitoba maintain and enhance their reputations as a location of choice for innovation and commercialization.
Quyen Van is the Communications Officer at Genome Prairie. She can be reached at qvan@genomeprairie.ca
Did you know? There were 217 million hectares (536 million acres) of wheat planted in 2010, making it the most widely grown crop in the world. FAOSTAT
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Wheat breeder loves challenges from page six In the CWRS class, much of his work is focused on developing solid stemmed varieties that offer resistance to the wheat stem sawfly. He also works on hollow-stemmed lines designed for growing areas that are prone to rust and fusarium head blight (FHB). “I would say the No. 1 focus for a wheat breeder is always yield, but along the way we also need to integrate a lot of other traits,” he explains. “Fusarium head blight resistance has become our No. 1 disease priority by far.” The environment in which Canadian wheat breeders work has changed dramatically in the past few years. For example, recent amendments to Canada’s Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) legislation are intended to have a positive impact on wheat breeding efforts. But it remains to be seen if they will also have unintended consequences. “One of the things that wheat breeders rely on is the free exchange of germplasm so we’ll have to wait and see how the new PBR rules affect that,” Cuthbert says. “Typically, wheat breeders are a group that understands that we need to be able to share material fairly freely. Without that, we will all lose.” Some international breeding organizations are now using material transfer agreements more routinely, a step that
310 - 111 Research Drive, Saskatoon SK S7N 3R2 Phone: (306) 653-7932 | Web: saskwheatcommission.com
could lead to the commoditization of germplasm that is used for research purposes. Cuthbert says there is never a shortage of challenges or obstacles that wheat breeders must overcome. That’s part of what makes his job so interesting. “Growing up, I always liked working on puzzles and trying to figure out how to get all the pieces to fit together to solve a problem. Wheat breeding is like the ultimate puzzle. There are so many challenges, so many disciplines that come together, and so many people on the team that need to come together to produce those new varieties.” “As a wheat breeder, I find that extremely rewarding.”
Did you know? People who consume three servings of whole grains as part of a balanced diet—one that also includes vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, lean protein and healthy fats—have a reduced risk for obesity and weight gain. HEALTHY GRAINS INSTITUTE
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