Keep It Clean is a Joint Effort

May 16, 2023

Keep It Clean shares five simple tips to protect Canadian market access.

Around the world, Canada is recognized as a trusted supplier of high-quality canola, cereals and pulses. Maintaining this reputation and protecting market access is vital to the success of our agriculture sector.

Jake Leguee, who grows canola, durum, lentils, peas and wheat near Fillmore, Sask. says market access is something he takes seriously on his farm.

“What you do on your farm matters. That’s what I try to tell neighbours and friends. You might think your individual fields are no big deal, but if your crop happens to be one of the samples taken at the export destination, and they detect residues greater than the maximum residue limit, now we all have a problem,” he says.

The maximum residue limit (MRL) is the maximum amount of pesticide residue that’s allowed to remain on harvested grain and are primarily used for trade purposes — not to measure food safety. Since countries can set their own MRLs, Canadian crops must meet the MRLs set by the destination country to avoid trade disruptions. If no MRLs are listed for a product, the assumed limit is zero.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?