Episodes

At UC Davis, Reagan Reed is testing how genes work together to influence germination and seed quality. Reagan Reed has a way of describing his research that might make a plant breeder pause. “I’m the sort of person who likes to break things to understand them,” he says. What he breaks are genes involved in seed germination. Reed, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Davis, is investigating whether changing those genes can help seeds establish healthy plants under a wider range o...

With public agricultural research under pressure, emerging scientist Ben Erickson explains what Canada must do to keep young plant breeders—and their expertise—at home. As Canada scales back public agricultural research, young scientists are facing questions that extend beyond their next job. Is there still a place for them to build a career here—or will they have to look elsewhere? In a new episode of the Seed World podcast, Ben Erickson reflects on that uncertainty and what it could mean for...

Corn breeder Zachary Jones explains why communication, confidence and a commitment to rural communities still matter in the age of AI. Artificial intelligence dominated the official agenda when plant breeders gathered at Texas A&M University in June for the annual meeting of the National Association for Plant Breeding. But beneath the conversations about genomics, phenomics and machine learning was a more human question: What kind of people will be needed to turn those technologies into better...

Technology lets breeders evaluate tens of thousands of candidates, but Brian Rossnagel says efficiency cannot replace scientific talent and competing ways of thinking. Canada is trying to decide how much agricultural research capacity it can afford to lose. Brian Rossnagel believes the better question is whether the country can afford to rebuild it. The longtime barley and oat breeder makes the case with a simple fact about his profession: the consequences of today’s decisions may not become vi...

Yue Yu sees enormous potential for genomic prediction to accelerate plant breeding — and an equally important challenge in everything that happens before those genetics reach the farm. Plant breeding is getting faster. Genomic prediction can help identify promising plants before breeders spend years evaluating them. Better computing, environmental data and genomic tools are giving researchers information that previous generations of breeders simply didn’t have. But there’s a catch: breeding a ...

On this week’s Seed World podcast, McGill University PhD candidate Neha Paserkar explains how genomics, transcriptomics and climate research are helping breeders develop disease-resistant crops for the future. As climate change reshapes growing conditions around the world, scientists are beginning to ask a question that could have major implications for agriculture: Will crops defend themselves against disease the same way they do in the future as they do today? That’s the focus of the latest ...

At just 25, Anirup Sengupta is using genomics, AI, and predictive breeding tools to help plant breeders develop more resilient crops — without losing sight of the farmers those innovations are meant to serve. When Anirup Sengupta talks about plant breeding on this week’s episode of the Seed World Canada Podcast, he reaches for an analogy almost anyone can understand. “Without a reference genome,” he says, “breeding is a bit like trying to assemble a massive puzzle without seeing the picture on...

From his early studies in China to leading oat breeding efforts in Canada, Yan has built a career dedicated to helping breeders make better decisions and develop stronger crops for changing environments. Few people embody that reality better than Dr. Weikai Yan, recipient of the 2026 Plant Breeding and Genetics Award, sponsored by Seed World Canada and Seeds Canada. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Yan has worked across China, the United States and Canada, building a reputation n...

A single-star evaluation helped save a breeding line that would go on to transform yellow pea production across Western Canada. Some crop varieties achieve instant success. Others succeed because someone gave them one more chance. That was the case for CDC Meadow, the yellow pea variety developed at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC) and named 2026 Seed of the Year. Released in 2006, CDC Meadow went on to become one of the most widely grown yellow pea varieties in C...

Canada’s wheat and barley breeding system is facing a critical turning point, as major farm organizations, universities and industry stakeholders are discussing the optimal future for cereal breeding in Western Canada. This month, a coalition that includes the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC), the Canadian Barley Research Coalition, Seeds Canada and Prairie universities released a joint vision statement calling for stronger collaboration, long-term investment and greater integration of ...

The vice chair of the House agriculture committee says witness testimony made it clear: planned federal research facility closures would have lasting impacts on Canadian agriculture. The future of agricultural research in Canada is facing a critical moment — and a new report from the House of Commons agriculture committee is putting that debate squarely in the spotlight. On the latest episode of the Seed World Canada Podcast, Alberta MP and vice chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture a...

Why promising research fails to reach the market, and what leaders say needs to change. Canada isn’t struggling to generate ideas. It’s struggling to make them matter. That’s the core challenge facing the country’s seed and ag innovation system, according to Nancy Tout, interim CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS). “We’re incredibly strong at generating innovation,” Tout says. “But we need to spend more time thinking about the output side of that equation.” Canada’s ecosystem...

In the latest Seed World Podcast, Reinheimer explains why Canada risks falling behind globally — and what must change to protect innovation. Canada has long punched above its weight in plant breeding — especially in wheat, where its global reputation for quality and performance is firmly established. But as Jason Reinheimer explains in this week’s Seed World Podcast, past success doesn’t guarantee future leadership. In a timely and thought-provoking conversation, Reinheimer — currently head of ...

Balancing tradition and innovation remains the key challenge in building a sustainable breeding ecosystem. Canada’s top plant breeders’ rights official is stepping onto the global stage — and he’s bringing a clear message about innovation with him to the new episode of the Seed World Canada podcast. Anthony Parker, commissioner of Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Office, has been named the new president of UPOV, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. For Parker, t...

From relocation decisions to talent retention, Lori Oatway of Western Crop Innovations outlines the human side of research system changes. News of the planned closure of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lacombe research station earlier this year is prompting reflection across Canada’s agricultural sector, particularly around research capacity, collaboration and long-term expertise. In a new Seed World Podcast conversation, Lori Oatway, quality research scientist with Western Crop Innovations...

Dan Wright explains why current models are falling short — and how new approaches like the Variety Use Agreement could change the game. Canada’s seed industry is at a crossroads—and the stakes couldn’t be higher. At the Prairie Grain Development Committee meetings, new Seeds Canada CEO Dan Wright didn’t mince words: without better funding for innovation, Canadian farmers risk falling behind globally. So what’s the solution? The Real Problem No One Talks About Plant breeders are doing the ha...

As he retires at the end of the month, a leading Canadian plant pathologist shares insights on legacy, mentorship and the real-world impact of crop disease science. Dr. Kelly Turkington has spent more than four decades studying the diseases that shape Western Canadian crops, but ask him about his career, and he’ll tell you it’s really about people. In the latest episode of the Seed World Canada podcast, Turkington — longtime plant pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lacombe, A...

It’s rare that the seed sector and the music industry overlap, but Anton van Doornmalen, Rijk Zwaan’s co-owner, chairman of its supervisory board and a singer-songwriter on the side, is changing that. For van Doornmalen, music is more than a way to unwind after a day in the office — it’s his way of sharing knowledge and passion for the vegetable seed industry. Van Doornmalen’s album “Seed Songs” describes the positive atmosphere and feeling of togetherness that he says the seed industry deliver...

At the recent meetings of the Prairie Grain Development Committee, Seed World Canada sat down with Howard Love, lead scientist for Mustard 21 in Saskatoon, to talk about his extensive history in the ag industry, where mustard is as a crop and where it’s going in the future. The crop is hugely important to Canada, which is one of the world’s top exporters of mustard grain. Mustard 21’s primary goal is to ensure that mustard remains a competitive crop on the Prairies. “Currently, the economics o...

Greg and Sarah Stamp of Stamp Seeds have been chosen as the 2023 winners of the Alberta/NWT Outstanding Young Farmers Program. Among four nominees, the dynamic couple secured the coveted title, recognized for their exceptional contributions to the agricultural industry. The prestigious event took place in conjunction with AgSmart in Olds, Alta. this week. Stamp Seeds and Stamp Farms is a second-generation pedigreed seed farm and seed retailer based in Enchant. Working in tandem with Greg are hi...

https://seedworld.com/cdn/wp-content/uploads/20240103141422/Register-Now-for-the-2022-Corteva-Ag-Sciences-Symposium.mp3 It’s that time of year again — time for the Corteva Agricultural Sciences Symposium at the University of Guelph. This year’s symposium takes place Nov. 16 at the University of Guelph, and is being held both virtually and in person. The theme this year is Agriculture to People: Agronomy, Sustainability, and Global Impact. Speakers will cover topics such as crop production, sust...

Andrew Horgan, National Association of Plant Breeders 2022 Borlaug Scholar and Texas A&M grad student, sits down to chat about working with fruit and how an experience with a failed coffee startup taught him some valuable lessons in business. Interview conducted Aug. 9 at the NAPB annual meeting in Ames, Iowa. The post Why Andy Horgan Wears his Failed Startup Like a Badge of Honor appeared first on Seed World.

Chris Churko can be described as a lot of things: husband, father, son, fisherman, hobby farmer, introvert. We sat down with the new chief executive officer for FP Genetics to find out his secrets to climbing the corporate ladder and why sometimes you have to take something apart in order to make it stronger. The post Germination Eye on Business Podcast Series Ep 2: Living in the Grey appeared first on Seed World.

You’ve probably heard of the Beyond Meat burger. Plant-based protein is all the rage, and presents some exciting opportunities for agriculture and the seed industry. What does this market look like, and what opportunities exist? Find out by registering for our Retail Roundtable webinar sponsored by Canterra Seeds! Participants will learn: • Why the plant-based protein market is growing and the opportunities it presents for the seed industry • Why food processors increasingly value these protein...