Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) has licensed the distribution rights for select Crop Development Centre (CDC) pulse varieties in provinces outside of Saskatchewan to SeCan and SeedNet for a 10-year period.
“Saskatchewan pulse producers contribute significant upfront funding towards the development of CDC varieties,” says Carl Potts, Executive Director of SPG. “These contributions are made through SPG’s investment of pulse levy towards the CDC pulse breeding program. In exchange for this investment, SPG ensures that Saskatchewan growers are provided with royalty-free access to CDC developed varieties.”
By licensing the distribution of these varieties for sale in provinces outside of Saskatchewan, SPG is ensuring that growers in other provinces are paying for access to varieties developed by the CDC. Licensing the distribution rights will not impact Saskatchewan growers’ ability to access these varieties royalty-free.
“By working together with SeCan and SeedNet, we are creating a mechanism for growers in Alberta and Manitoba, or other regions of Canada, to pay for access to CDC varieties through a seed-royalty system,” says Potts.
SeCan and SeedNet are both looking forward to marketing CDC varieties to growers in provinces outside Saskatchewan beginning in the 2018-growing season.
“SeCan members have grown CDC varieties in the past and we felt it was critical to ensure that our members continued to have access to the varieties,” says Todd Hyra, Business Manager for Western Canada with SeCan. “With more than 500 independent member companies in Western Canada, SeCan is ideally suited to ensure that the CDC varieties are broadly available across all areas of adaptation.”
“SeedNet wants to provide growers with the best genetics to satisfy the increasing demand for pulse crops in Alberta, Manitoba, and the BC Peace,” says Elizabeth Tokariuk, General Manager for SeedNet. “Each farm is unique, so SeedNet means to provide a range of varieties from the many excellent Canadian breeders, which certainly include those at CDC in Saskatoon.”
For seed growers outside Saskatchewan that are interested in accessing the varieties that have been licensed for distribution outside Saskatchewan, they can contact SeCan and SeedNet for more information.
For more information on the varieties licensed to SeCan and SeedNet, please click here.
