What's up! Why some are pushing the new seed rules!

[Hopalong]

The idea that if we all produced less, prices would
go up and we would all be better off, has been
around for a long time and is popular among NFU
members. There is a suggestion that investment
and research to improve productivity is a bad
thing for growers. The idea does not hold water.
Crop production is a basis for civilization and
unless we are to stand still or go backward, we
have to continue to improve it.
Debate has to be over how to fund research and
innovation, not over whether it is restricted in
order to benefit a few.

[SASKFARMER3]

I'm agreeing with you but the big increases in
yield are more to do with fertility disease control
and chemical! Sorry canola hasn't seen the big
big increase in yield but has on price per lb!
Wheat will be next! The new generation of
farmers believes the companies are their for you
and your good!

[Hopalong]

Should add that trade is another basis for
civilization.
Western Canada's prosperity depends on it.

[wd9]

SF3: quote
No if some one actually can produce a variety that can do better
than last year each and every year by more than 25% ill pay for
it.

Just as long as it isn't some nasty corporation or provided by
seed growers or funded by some imaginary source who expects no
return on investment? I'm so confused!

[GOODRUM]

Does anyone know when the patent runs out on
the first old gmo varieties? Wouldn't the patents
expire on these varieties and allow us to grow
them without tech fees?

[wd9]

In Canada around 2025 or 23 for canola

[SASKFARMER3]

Wd they skinned us good on canola and will for A
long time! What I'm saying don't promise BS and
give us higher cost for no return by more than 2 or
4 % yield increase! At $70 a acre for canola now
we should be at 100 bus a acre but we aren't!
They make peanuts on the spray but a killing on
seed! Hm wonder what's coming!

[charliep]

Perhaps a reminder that most canola varieties are hybrids. I had a seed grower talk about the cost and process of multiplying seed. The benefit of hybrid seed has been the ability to make use of the better agronomic practices you highlight and be more resiliant under a variety of weather patterns over a crop year. If you look at a corn yield chart, the introduction of hybrid varieties was what really started increasing corn yields - not necessarily herbicide tolerance/GMO.

I can't remember the exact period but I heard an agronomist friend indicate we are likely to see hybrid wheats in the not too distant future. A solution that will perhaps make some of the discussion here a lot easier. I would suggest the best course is something that would allow this kind of innovation to occur and allow farmers to chose the varieties they want to plant with the rules that are in place for each variety.

[wd9]

How did they skin us? By providing
hybridized, new strain blackleg,
clubroot, and apparent schlerotinia
resistant seed? Non lindane solutions,
seed priming, disease and insect
protection?

You are welcome to clean all the bare
westar you want and plant away.

[charliep]

Sorry to bucket and others but sometimes I have to google (or in my bing) stuff I don't know. Here is an article on hyrbid wheats.

[URL="http://farmfutures.com/story-company-targets-2020-hybrid-wheat-18-100119"]hybrid wheat[/URL]

Does Canada have the research environment where Canadian applications of this would come forward? Would it happen in our model of public breeding only or do we need private sector/commercialization? What will it mean if our competitors have access to the technology and we don't?

[grower99]

After 5 years where will farmers buy new
wheat seed and with what stipulations? If
we had a parallel public canola breeding
program today what would happen to seed
prices?

[jcv]

How does it work in the United States, they have
UPOV 91? Or Australia?

[wd9]

With HT canola, it changed the game for public
breeding. Hybrid sealed the deal.

Wheat is not canola, there would have to be some
exceptional traits before it went the way of canola -
but then we would have some exceptional traits and
would buy it, like hybrids with twice the yield,
nitrogen fixing, low gluten toxicity etc.

If, as SF3 says, the 'corporates' corner all the seed
with no real special value, fine, farmers breed their
own varieties, break the 'corporates', problem solved.

I for one would like to skip that step and have farmer
owned partner with government and set this ship
sailing! Also have those varieties and innovations
carefully protected by the new legislation. The dark
and horrible NFU future isn't the only one out there.

[grassfarmer]

jcv,
I can pass on one comment from Australia regarding
forage seed (as these C-18/UPOV'91 rules don't apply
only to cereal seed) Some of the guys down there
aren't enjoying paying end point royalties every time
they take a hay cut.

[jcv]

Upov 91 applies to cutting hay? Would think it
similar to the US, and even wheat seed staying on
farm is fine. I would guess if you combined the
forage, and sold the seed, then would apply