b'RETAIL STRATEGYEXPERTS PUSH FOR COLLABORATION, CO-INVESTMENTThe industry is being urged to position agriculture within Canadas nation-building strategy.Marc ZienkiewiczWHEN SCOTT ROSS, executive director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), looks across the landscape of Canadian farming right now, one word defines it: uncertainty.Climate risk is a perennial issue, he says. But more than anything right now, trade uncertainty is obviously driving a lot of consideration at the farm level.That uncertainty is changing how growers approach seed purchases and cropping plans for next season. On one hand, some producers are seizing opportunities to lock in prices where favourable terms exist, insulating themselves against volatility. On the other, many are holding backwaiting to see how the dust settles in Washington, particularly around the future of the Canada-U.S. trade relationship.Even within a single farm, youre seeing both approaches,Scott Ross, executive director,Jeff Reid, general manager, SeCanRoss explains. Locking in prices where it makes sense, butCanadian Federation of Agriculturealso delaying final planting decisions until we see what happens with markets, especially with looming issues like anti-dumpingSome areas, like basic discovery research or work on small-duties on canola. acreage crops, clearly require public investment. Other areas, For retailers, this creates a complicated sales environment.like commercial breeding of major crops, can easily attract Farmers are cautious, often hedging their bets and pushinginvestment from private companies.purchasing decisions later than usual. The risk is if we dont have this focused conversation, Agriculture is a heavyweight in Canadas economycon- we could see collateral damage, Ross warns. Some of these tributing more to GDP than aerospace, steel, or automotive research pipelines are very hard to rebuild once theyre gone.yet often lacks recognition at that scale. Ross says that part ofThe retail takeaway: keep pressing government to recognize the problem is the fragmented way the sector advocates for itself. plant breeding research as an economic driver, not a cost centre. With over 190,000 farm businesses across the country, itsIf research falters, the pipeline of new varietiesand the value a challenge to find a through-line that unites the sector aroundthey deliver to growerswill suffer.big priorities, he says. Weve made some progress, like with the recent Lets Grow Canada letter to the prime ministerSeCan Urges a Co-investment Model to Keep Newsigned by over two dozen ag organizations, but fragmentationVarieties Flowing still hurts us compared to more centralized industries. After more than a century of federal investment in public For the seed industry, that message resonates. Unified advo- breeding infrastructure, the system that underpins agricultural cacy has the power to shape policies on plant breeding, varietyinnovation risks being hollowed out. That, at least, is the warn-registration, and trade rules that directly impact how retailersing from Jeff Reid, general manager of SeCan, the countrys serve customers. largest seed distributor.As Ottawa prepares to announce major cuts when it tablesThe worry is not that Ottawa is about to abandon plant its budget in November, the seed sector is watching closely forbreeding altogether. Rather, it is that subtle shifts in funding impacts on public research. Ross cautions against framing theprioritiestowards discovery science and upstream germ-issue as a simple matter of balance between public and privateplasm enhancementcould leave the country with fewer roles. field-ready, regionally tested varieties. Its not so much about What we really need is a tactical discussion about who isshifting to field-ready cultivars, Reid says, but about not doing what in agricultural research, he says. shifting away from that existing focus.40 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA NOVEMBER 2025'