Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
December 3, 2008
Source:
Western Grains Research
Foundation / SeCan
Seed of the
Year is proud to announce Kyle, a durum wheat variety, as
the winner of Seed of the Year - West. Congratulations go out to
Dr. Fred Townley-Smith and the research team responsible for
Kyle, and the phenomenal footprint this variety has left on
agriculture in western Canada. Kyle was registered in 1984 and
became the most widely grown durum cultivar by 1988. It
predominated until 2005, with peak acreage share of about 78 per
cent in 1999. Kyle has been grown on a total of more than 22
million hectares to date, adding more than $300 million in
additional farm income through higher yield and market grade.
Seed of the Year is designed to provide recognition to
publicly-developed varieties that have made a significant
contribution to the economy, agriculture, and the Canadian
public in general. Although the name, Seed of the Year indicates
the contribution in a particular year the program is much more
broad reaching and considers total lifetime achievement and
contribution over time. We felt it was important to recognize
the value of the contributions of our public plant breeding
programs, as well as encourage the entry of new plant breeders
to the industry. Since 2005, Seed of the Year has been in
operation in eastern Canada and 2008 is the first year the
program has expanded to include western Canada with its own
western Seed of the Year winner.
Part of the western award is a scholarship for $2000 that is
awarded to a student enrolled in a western Canadian university
and currently completing a masters or Ph.-D in plant breeding or
genetics. This year's scholarship winner is Meghan Rose. Meghan
is a 2nd year MSc student at the University of Manitoba and is
working on evaluating yield and yield components in winter and
spring wheat. Meghan truly believes that, "Plant breeders are
the driving force in agricultural innovation, and no matter how
many inputs we use on the farm, it all comes down to the genetic
capabilities of the crop." As the breeder of Seed of the Year,
Dr. Fred Townley-Smith was asked to select the scholarship
winner. Fred was fortunate to be a recipient of a scholarship
when he was finishing his Ph.-D at the University of Guelph, and
said, "I think awarding a scholarship is a great way to keep the
research process moving forward, things have really come full
circle for me."
The Seed of The Year award program highlights the importance of
plant breeding and the seed industry to crop production in
Canada. The scholarship aspect will contribute to the education
of a new generation of plant breeders with the skills and
dedication of Dr. Fred Townley-Smith and colleagues." said John
Clarke, nominator of Kyle durum.
Seed of the Year would also like to acknowledge its sponsors:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Barley Commission,
Canterra Seeds, Cargill, Canadian Wheat Board, Parrish &
Heimbecker Limited, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Viterra,
Richardson International, SeCan and Western Grains Research
Foundation. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the
other applicants who applied.
For more information on Seed of the Year, as well as application
forms for next year please visit
www.seedoftheyear.ca/west
Seed of the Year has two objectives:
• It is a competition designed to recognize a publicly developed
Canadian field crop, forage, fruit, vegetable or herb variety
that has made a significant contribution to the agri-food
industry.
• It acknowledges the many accomplishments of public plant
breeders.
Seed of the Year West is also committed to:
• Encouraging the entry of new plant breeders to the industry
with a $2000 scholarship to be awarded to a student enrolled in
a western Canadian University that is completing a masters or
PHD in plant breeding or genetics. The winner of Seed of the
Year - West will be asked to select the University program of
their choice.
Seed of the Year was
originally developed in the East by the University of Guelph and
SeCan with support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
2008 is the first year Seed of the Year will be brought to the
West to specifically recognize Western varieties and is being
co-organized by the Western Grains Research Foundation and
SeCan. |
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