Feds Provide Funding to Bolster Organic, Climate-Resilient Farming

Apr 04, 2022

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has announced an investment of up to $750,000 for SeedChange to achieve an “enhanced Canadian seed system that is equipped to support the development and long-term competitiveness of farmer-bred grain and vegetable varieties for organic and climate-resilient farming.”

The project aims to implement demonstration sites across the country to evaluate and showcase farmer-bred and/or Canadian-grown varieties that thrive in organic and climate-resilient farming conditions. It will create a range of knowledge-transfer tools and learning opportunities for farmers, seed companies and researchers in their region, according to a news release.

It’s expected the project will increase commercial adoption and use of Canadian-grown seed, enhance the practice of farmer-led plant breeding methodologies and increase market trade opportunities in the value chain, Bibeau said.

This funding, under the Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program, will help to support Canadian seed by diversifying it’s varieties to consumers and provide new opportunities to farmers, SeedChange Executive Director Leticia Ama Deawuo said.

“Seed diversity is a crucial tool for climate change adaptation, which is why SeedChange works with Canadian organic farmers and seed growers to preserve seed diversity and breed new varieties on their farms. This new funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will increase the adoption of Canadian-grown varieties of grain and vegetable seed among organic farmers and increase climate resilience in Canada’s agricultural sector.”

By reaching new consumers and markets, the agricultural economy will continue to grow, keeping the sector positioned for long-term competitiveness through germplasm exchange, global research and development programs, contract production for export, and marketing new varieties imported into Canada, she added.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.