The Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers are asking you, our valued members, if we should purchase an organizational membership in Western Crop Innovations – and if we should raise acreage fees to do so.
Read below for more information and context on these important questions. We also encourage you to watch the video explainer from our President, Brian Ellis:
Watch the short explainer video from ABCSG President Brian Ellis on the survey here.
Our board is a major believer in fostering research and innovation while developing commercialized barley and triticale varieties to the benefit of our members and western Canadian farmers.
Western Crop Innovations was incorporated as a federally registered not for profit on Apr. 1, 2024, and has assumed all the assets of the previous Field Crop Development Centre administered at Olds College. It has offices, a research farm with 400 acres of land, 40,000 test plots across Alberta, and indoor growth facilities in Lacombe, Alberta. Its core activities are feed and forage barley, malting barley, and triticale varietal development.
A membership in WCI allows us to help direct research and varietal development, vote on policies and procedures, one seat at the table to contribute to a business plan, and one vote to elect board members.
A membership in WCI costs $50,000, which the present budget for ABCSG does not have room to accommodate.
A way to achieve the revenue required for a membership is to raise acreage fees to address the shortfall. Roughly 20 cents per acre would provide the support required. This would amount to $89.20 for the average seed grower (assuming 446 inspected acres).
Our board believes that farmers need a plant breeding facility that can address the unique varietal needs of our region and climate.
There are clear risks tied to funding. If we decide to purchase a membership, it does not mean that WCI will reach its major funding goals required from all other sources.
It also does not guarantee that the varietal releases will achieve the desired uptake or market competitiveness, nor will ABCSG have sole discretion over the direction or vision of the program.
ABCSG’s mandate to our members is to provide advocacy, and marketing support. We are asking if a membership in WCI would address this mandate, and what lengths should we go to accommodate it.
