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Plant genetics are key to competitiveness from field to fork

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By Vicki Dutton and Protein Industries Canada

Canada's successful role in the global plant genetics industry is a testament to generations of public and private investment in plant breeding. This vision has led to developing a diverse supply of crops and varietal choices in Canada, making us a global leader in plant genetics—genetics that are key to helping Canada meet its $25 billion potential in the ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bioproducts sector.

The meticulous process of varietal selection and testing for yield, standability, and disease resistance is a cornerstone of the industry. Shannon Hood-Niefer, Chief Science Officer of Lovingly Made, underscores the importance of understanding varietal protein, oil and water absorption, and pasting properties. These tests are crucial in paving the way for a more diverse varietal selection process, which will support an innovative ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bioproducts sector.

“An ingredient’s functionality is based heavily on the characteristics of the protein crop it’s derived from. By focusing on developing the right characteristics at crop level, we can better ensure we’re meeting the taste, texture and nutritional attributes food processors and, ultimately, consumers are looking for,” Hood-Neifer said.

As part of their efforts to address varietal performance and ingredient functionality, Lovingly Made Flour Mills has partnered with Dutton Farms and TMRW Foods in a field-based research project as part of Protein Industries Canada’s Technology Leadership program. The project aims to increase the varietal performance of protein and seed quality and enhance yield. This knowledge will help support a pulse in every farmer's rotation, while also improving the functionality of Canada’s protein crops in ingredient development.

Heidi Dutton, CEO of Lovingly Made, has a farm background and a pragmatic approach to the future of plant genetics in Canada.

“In the rotation, a pulse crop must compete for acres with other crops, particularly canola and wheat," Dutton said. She suggests that the recent decline in pulse acres is a direct result of farmers choosing crops with a lower risk management profile. While pulses are the most environmentally sustainable crop in the rotation, she notes, they are also the crop with the highest risk management profile.

“The focus on yield and disease is essential to defining the silver bullets of the future,” she said.

Vicki Dutton, Owner of Dutton Farms, is a select seed grower. She agrees that ingredient performance testing and genetic collaboration between producers, researchers, plant breeders and processors will be critical in maintaining Canada's competitive global advantage from “Field to fork.”

“When we decide what to grow on our farm, we’re having a direct impact on the food that ends up on the plates of families around the world,” Dutton said. “By working directly with ingredient manufacturers and food processors, we can help make sure those crops are meeting their needs. It’s valuable feedback for us as producers and for the researchers developing new varieties.”

Through their collaborative work, the partners will bring increased value to two of Canada’s key protein crops—pea and fava. This full value chain approach is essential not only to the project’s success but also to help strengthen Canada’s ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bioproducts sector as a whole—a sector that can, with the right focus on investment, unlock a $25 billion opportunity for Canada.