From the desk of Sarah Foster, President, 20/20 Seed Labs Inc.
For quite some time, I have been reflecting on the growing conversation surrounding the vulnerability of Canada’s plant breeding programs, and the role independent seed testing laboratories can play in supporting their future.
As technical partners to plant breeders, seed companies, and seed growers, independent laboratories evaluate thousands of seed lots every year. This frontline perspective gives us a clear and sobering view of how climate stress, disease pressure, and environmental volatility are impacting seed quality across Western Canada and beyond.
Plant breeding, both public and private, must continue to thrive. It is fundamental to developing new varieties with stronger disease resistance, greater climate resilience, improved nutritional quality, and higher yield potential. These innovations are not simply agronomic advancements; they are essential pillars of global food security.
Yet today, only a third of Western Canadian wheat acres are planted with certified seed. That reality places long-term wheat production, innovation, and investment at risk. Sustainable and equitable royalty systems are critical to ensuring that breeders driving genetic progress can continue their work. Without fair compensation and reinvestment into breeding programs, the entire agricultural value chain is affected.
Seed testing laboratories generate a vast and powerful body of data that supports growers and agronomists every season. From crop rotation and disease prevention to regional varietal performance, accredited labs measure key seed quality metrics such as:
- Germination
- Purity
- Vigour
- Thousand kernel weight
- Seed health
- Insect and pest presence
This data does not only guide production decisions, but it also has the potential to strengthen breeding programs by helping evaluate parent lines, monitor long-term trends, and demonstrate the urgent need for continued genetic advancement in our crops.
As seed analysts, we witness these challenges firsthand. Weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable. Harvest conditions across Western Canada over the past several years have been particularly difficult. Each season brings new quality pressure. Every spring, we hope for warm, moist soils that allow crops to establish strongly—yet those conditions are never guaranteed. Against this backdrop, the idea that our plant breeding systems are under threat is deeply concerning.
Seed quality is foundational to everything that follows in the growing season. Without strong genetics and resilient varieties, the system becomes increasingly fragile.
This challenge cannot be solved by one stakeholder alone. Long-term stability will require thoughtful institutional and policy changes that recognize the value of innovation while ensuring access and fairness. We can learn from other countries that have successfully balanced:
- Strong intellectual property protection
- Incentives for innovation
- Support for public breeding
- Protection of seed sovereignty
- Inclusion of small breeders alongside multinationals
A resilient breeding ecosystem must reward innovation while preserving diversity and accessibility.
So, how can we help?
As independent laboratories, we are uniquely positioned as neutral technical partners within the system. By sharing data responsibly, supporting transparency, collaborating with breeders, growers, policymakers, and industry leaders, we can help inform decisions that protect the future of plant breeding in Canada.
This is not just an industry conversation it is a food security conversation.
Quite literally.
So, how can we help?
