Federal Ag Cuts

[CptnObvious]

Can we get all the ag groups together to loudly tell Carny and MacDonald that these cuts are economically foolish. It will take breeding out of the hands of farmers and open it up to foreign profiteering.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

To play devil's advocate.

How much of the research and development paid for by Canadian taxpayers is given to or stolen by our direct competitors?

Are we really any better off in the long run taking that into account?

[bucket]

It makes me wonder. Back when the breeders brought in Triffid flax and cost flax growers the Europe market , it got blamed on farmers and swept under the rug.

Khakistan was given the flax market on a silver platter.

[CptnObvious]

To play devil's advocate.

How much of the research and development paid for by Canadian taxpayers is given to or stolen by our direct competitors?

Are we really any better off in the long run taking that into account?

Speaking only of wheat, the taxpayer pays about half, farmers pay the other half, and all together varietal development in wheat returns 33:1. a) so what if Kazakhstan steals our varieties, they will always be 6-7 years behind us, and b) varieties are so climate sensitive that not many other parts of the planet will show benefits for our particular varieties.

The big thing for me here is that if public facilities become cash/labour vulnerable, Bayer and Syngenta will step in to harvest that 33:1 return.

[ajl]

I is unlikely that the federal gubmint does anything to make operations like mine better off so cut away. Wheat breeding doesn't pay 33:1, not even close. There are too many varieties these days and it is hard to know if one is better than we already got. The most influential variety of wheat in canada has been the North Dakota variety Glenn. These days Westking is becoming influential but that is from a New Zealand breeding program. Esma is a German barley. In cereals, plant breeding has had a fairly poor return on investment for some time. The Bayers and Syngenta are taking advantage favorable regulation in the canadian market so I am not worried about them.

[Hamloc]

I is unlikely that the federal gubmint does anything to make operations like mine better off so cut away. Wheat breeding doesn't pay 33:1, not even close. There are too many varieties these days and it is hard to know if one is better than we already got. The most influential variety of wheat in canada has been the North Dakota variety Glenn. These days Westking is becoming influential but that is from a New Zealand breeding program. Esma is a German barley. In cereals, plant breeding has had a fairly poor return on investment for some time. The Bayers and Syngenta are taking advantage favorable regulation in the canadian market so I am not worried about them.

I think your misunderstanding the function of growing varieties in New Zealand, I believe it is done to cut in half the development time of a new variety.

[TASFarms]

These research farms do lot more than help with breeding wheat.

[CptnObvious]

I is unlikely that the federal gubmint does anything to make operations like mine better off so cut away. Wheat breeding doesn't pay 33:1, not even close. There are too many varieties these days and it is hard to know if one is better than we already got. The most influential variety of wheat in canada has been the North Dakota variety Glenn. These days Westking is becoming influential but that is from a New Zealand breeding program. Esma is a German barley. In cereals, plant breeding has had a fairly poor return on investment for some time. The Bayers and Syngenta are taking advantage favorable regulation in the canadian market so I am not worried about them.

The top ag economist in western Canada is Dr. Richard Gray, he and his cohort calculated the 33:1 ratio and have successfully defended it every time. Also Glenn is used as a check variety, all new varieties must be significantly better than Glenn or they don't get registered.

[jamesb]

Can we get all the ag groups together to loudly tell Carny and MacDonald that these cuts are economically foolish. It will take breeding out of the hands of farmers and open it up to foreign profiteering.

From who I talked to at the Saskatoon show that is exactly what they have been doing. Grain growers of Canada. Its a shame as some of these stations have been operating 100 years.

[foragefarmer]

To play devil's advocate.

How much of the research and development paid for by Canadian taxpayers is given to or stolen by our direct competitors?

Are we really any better off in the long run taking that into account?

Haven't grown wheat in tens years, I have no problem with my tax dollars being used on these Government Wheat research facilities.

Don't grow Canola either, but I read on here that some are not so pleased with the progess being made on new Canola varities by the private companies.

In my opinion it's a shame, something that's been set up decades ago and Government can't even maintain it.