Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


$10.3 million for grains breeding

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

Pierre Lemieux, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, visited the annual meeting of the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) in Woodstock on Monday to announce $10.3 million in funding for a grains breeding project led by the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance under Growing Forward II. Seven million comes from the government, the rest from industry.

A GFO news release said the five-year initiative “will bring together researchers from the public and private sectors to enhance the genetics of grain corn, soybeans, oats and barley in order to produce high-yielding, low-input, disease-resistant varieties.”

Lemieux said corn and soybean production brought a record $4.5 billion to the farm gate in Canada last year, generating nearly $2 billion in exports. He told GFO delegates that over the past century, corn yields have quadrupled.

“Today the crops coming off Canadian grain fields go well beyond food,” he said. “They can be found in everything from the grain bin to the gas tank.” As an example of the use of crops beyond food, he said Ford is considering using soybeans in the manufacture of all its car seats.

Lemieux credited leading-edge genetics coming out of the research community for the growth in crop uses. “Innovation is what is driving the competitiveness of our industry,” he said.

Barry Senft, Grain Farmers’ CEO, said in a news release, “Any promising varieties that are developed as a result of this research are expected to be commercialized, ensuring our farmers will remain competitive.” BF
 

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Farmers Share Yield Strategies Amid Drought

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The Great Ontario Yield Tour held an event at Petersen Custom Farming in Osgood, Ontario, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The farmer panel during lunch was one of the highlights of the event. Farmers and industry experts gathered to discuss yield strategies and the realities of this season’s... Read this article online

2025 Livestock Tax Deferral Regions Announced

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has published the initial list of prescribed regions eligible for the 2025 Livestock Tax Deferral provision, a key support measure for Canadian livestock producers grappling with the impacts of extreme weather. “As we continue to see the very... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top