For over 10 years, researchers through the organic Science clusters (OSC) have been seeking answers to the issues that are important to organic famers. from livestock to crop breeding and a wide variety in between, countless hours of time and resources have been focused on furthering organic agriculture across the country. Valuable industry partners across all sectors have helped to ensure that organic science is moving forward in Canada.
Grain Millers Canada Corp., Nature’s Path, and the Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA) are three of the largest contributors to Dr. Jennifer Mitchell Fetch’s organic oat breeding work in Organic Science Cluster 3 (OSC3). All three stakeholders value organic research and play an important role in supporting the cluster.
Beginning in 1986 as a small oat milling company in Oregon, Grain Millers Canada Corp. has now become north America’s largest oat ingredient supplier. As the world’s largest organic oat ingredient supplier, their interests include whole grain manufacturing and merchandising, organic and conventional consumer food products, and the import and export of commodities.
Today, grain Millers has production facilities across north America, with their Canadian facilities located in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Research and innovation is an important mandate to grain Millers, so supporting the OSC’s was a natural fit.
“We became aware of the cluster model when Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada rolled it out with the changes to the ag policy framework,” explains Terry Tyson, General Manager of Grain Millers Canada Corp.
The Science cluster model was initiated with the growing forward policy framework in 2008. “We were invited to participate when the organic sector made the move to create a cluster. Advancing the genetics of oat varieties, whether conventional or organic, is in our interests and that of our farmer suppliers.”
“We hope to see continuous improvement of yield potential, quality, agronomic factors, and nutritional composition,” Terry adds.
In addition to their guidance and generous financial support, Terry helped to recruit an additional partner to support the organic oat research. in 2018, Nature’s Path foods joined the roster.
With a portfolio of nearly 500 organic products, Nature’s Path has production facilities across north America with sales spanning 40 countries. The company identifies sustainability as one of its core pillars and their business model is based on sustainable practices through support of charities and eco-friendly initiatives. Supporting oat breeding research is a natural fit for Nature’s Path.
“We’ve been following the Organic Science Cluster research since its inception in 2009,” explains Dag Falck, Organic Program Lead at Nature’s Path. “We’ve been providing financial support for three years and now are actively involved in variety identification. Oats are a main ingredient in our products, we want to support organic farmers in using the most organically suitable varieties.”
POGA is also a valued supporter of the organic oat breeding project. Formed in 1988, POGA is a voluntary organization of prairie oat growers that was established to promote oat marketing and the interests of oat growers across Western Canada. As research and development is part of their mandate, supporting research was an appropriate choice for POGA.
“POGA’s mandate is to support all oat growers in Western Canada, including both conventional and organic,” says Shawna Mathieson, executive director for POGA. “The demand for organic oats is rising and growers need new varieties to meet that rising need. Therefore, supporting projects like this, along with conventional breeding programs, makes perfect sense. oat growers rely on funding from outside sources like the government and industry in order to maintain and build breeding programs as well as other research and marketing. Being part of this OSC is a ‘win’ for everyone from the grower to the end users.”
The research is led by dr. Jennifer Mitchell Fetch of AAFC Brandon and her team. it explores milling quality oat cultivars suitable for organic production in Western Canada, and potentially across Canada. The project comes as a result of organic growers, processors, and consumers continually seeking cultivars developed for their unique systems and needs.
As a result of their previous research under OSC2, two new oat varieties have been registered by Grain Millers and are now commercially available to growers across the Prairies.
“It’s gratifying to see the breeding program bear fruit, and we stepped in to register the varieties,” Terry explains.
Although Grain Millers, Natures Path and POGA play an important part in organic oat breeding research, they emphasize the supportive nature of their role.
“We’ve played a role in the post-breeding efforts, but it’s important to note that dr. Jennifer Mitchell fetch and her team are responsible for the success of the program to date,” Terry emphasizes. “We provide our financial support and contributed to defining the goals of the efforts, but the AAFC breeding team is to thank for making the crosses, selecting the right progeny, managing the seed plots and variety trials, and, ultimately, developing the genetics that are starting to deliver on the investment.”
With successful oat breeding research to come out of the clusters to date, the efforts of the research team and support from the industry partners certainly will continue.
“We hope that the oat breeding program will continue to develop oat varieties that are strongly suited for production under organic management,” Terry says.
Dag agrees. “ideally, we will see the development of several new oat varieties with specific traits that are useful to organic low input systems, including yield, and pest, disease, and lodging resistance.”
“The real importance is in the question of whether genetic-response differs to growing conditions prevalent in organic production systems,” Terry adds. “The importance isn’t about optics or marketing – it’s about improving cultivars, thereby improving bottom line potential for organic farmers and millers, and maximizing nutrition for consumers.”
(OSC3) Originally published in Organic Science Canada magazine, Issue #2, Spring 2020
