Edmonton, AB, July 28, 2026 – Backed by funding from the federal and provincial governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, RDAR is delivering an additional $5.2 million in Western Crop Innovations (WCI) to strengthen feed and forage barley and triticale breeding for Alberta and Western Canadian producers. The investment will strengthen Alberta’s plant breeding capacity, accelerate the development of locally adapted varieties and support the long-term competitiveness of crop and livestock producers in the province and across the west.
Established in 2024 to carry forward the work of the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC), WCI builds on a strong breeding legacy that includes 45 barley varieties and 19 triticale varieties. These include 40 general-purpose and five malting barley varieties, along with 10 spring and nine winter triticale varieties. The barley releases include advanced traits such as improved nitrogen-use efficiency and non-glycosidic nitrile, or non-GN. Non-GN varieties are important to the whisky and distilling sector.
WCI varieties accounted for 8.3 per cent of general-purpose, non-malt barley acres in Western Canada in 2025, with a target of 9.3 per cent by 2028. Recent releases include AB Standswell, a six-row feed and forage variety and the first barley variety with enhanced nitrogen-use efficiency.
For producers, the investment is intended to support varieties that are productive, resilient, and practical for Western Canadian growing conditions. By linking breeding science with the needs of feed, forage, crop, and livestock systems, WCI helps ensure that new varieties are developed with producer use in mind.
WCI is modernizing its breeding programs with advanced tools such as genomic selection, UAV-based digital phenotyping, and speed breeding. These approaches can help accelerate genetic gain, improve breeding efficiency, and support faster validation of traits that matter to producers. WCI has also strengthened its pipeline by integrating biotechnology, pathology, and quality assessment, and by adopting a Strategic Blueprint that includes key leadership roles and Industry and Scientific Advisory Committees.
The Honourable Heath MacDonald, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said of today’s announcement: “Canadian producers and processors are constantly adapting to new challenges, and rely on innovative solutions to help them stay profitable and resilient. This investment in WCI carries on a strong history of forage crop breeding, ensuring producers in Western Canada continue to have access to new varieties that are uniquely suited to conditions in their region.”
Commenting on today’s funding announcement, Tara Sawyer, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, said: “Alberta is a leader in producer-led research that is strengthening crop breeding in Alberta and Western Canada. RDAR's significant investment in WCI ensures locally adapted, innovative feed and forage crop solutions support the entire value chain from breeders to producers which builds necessary resilience and competitiveness for Alberta's agricultural producers. This investment will continue to strengthen our robust crops industry."
Dr. Mark Redmond, RDAR CEO, said: “Crop innovation depends on strong local research capacity linked to the best genetics, science, and partnerships available globally. WCI’s essential role is to shape that innovation to meet Alberta and Western Canada’s feed and forage needs, supporting crop and livestock sectors that differ from those in other regions. The continued support of WCI’s members in Alberta and Saskatchewan demonstrates how deeply integrated WCI is in the crops and livestock value chain and how important it is to the strength of Canada’s barley sector.”
WCI Chair, Kevin Bender, said: “Today’s news is further illustration of the growing importance and impact that WCI is delivering for its stakeholders. WCI’s work delivers broad public benefits, including supporting rural economies, enhancing food security, and providing a foundation for sustainable agricultural growth.”
RDAR’s investment will help WCI continue modernizing its breeding programs, with a strategic focus on feed and forage barley and triticale, genomics, digital phenotyping, and more efficient breeding pipelines that support producer-ready varieties for Western Canadian conditions.
About RDAR
RDAR is a not-for-profit organization mandated to make strategic investments in producer-led, results-driven agricultural research to enhance the profitability, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability of agriculture in Alberta. RDAR's funding is provided by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
For more information, please visit: www.rdar.ca
About Western Crop Innovations
Western Crop Innovations (WCI) is a not-for-profit crop breeding centre based in Lacombe, Alberta, focused on developing innovative feed and forage barley and triticale varieties for Western Canadian producers.
For more information, please visit: WCI
About the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership
The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a five-year (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
For more information, please visit: alberta.ca
Media Contact:
For all enquiries, please contact:
Richard Hilton, Manager, Stakeholder Relations and Communications