FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Saskatoon, SK – A new opinion article published today in Real Agriculture is urging Canadian farmers to shift the conversation around recent federal agricultural research reductions from reaction to responsibility.
In “A Clean Pass Under Pressure: Why Farmers Need to Take the Next Shift,” Darcy Pawlik, Executive Director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, argues that while recent funding cuts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have created understandable concern, it’s important to both ensure critical activities and expertise is preserved, while also pursuing a long-term strategy.
“When pressure mounts, strong teams don’t panic, they make clean passes and stay in control of the play,” said Pawlik. “Canadian agriculture is at one of those moments. We acknowledge that the reductions are concerning, but we also have to recognize that the pressures on the public breeding system are structural, not temporary.”
The article highlights that for decades, farmers have been active co-investors in crop breeding through check-offs, partnerships, and collaborative funding models. Pawlik argues that as fiscal constraints tighten and research costs rise, growers must consider whether a greater ownership role in variety development is the logical next step.
“This isn’t about privatization or ideology,” Pawlik added. “It’s about stewardship. If farmers want influence over breeding priorities, commercialization speed, and reinvestment of value, then leadership means being prepared to take responsibility.”
Western Canadian Wheat Growers President Gunter Jochum says the conversation is timely and necessary.
“Farmers are frustrated, and rightly so,” said Jochum. “But we’ve never built competitiveness by standing still. We’ve built it by adapting. If we want Canadian wheat and other crops to remain globally competitive, then we need solutions that reflect today’s realities, not yesterday’s assumptions.”
The article points to international examples where farmer-owned seed organizations complement public science, allowing governments to focus on foundational research and policy while growers take a stronger role in delivery and growth.
“The game isn’t over,” Pawlik writes in the article’s closing lines. “But the next shift matters.”
The full article can be read at RealAgriculture.com.