b'30 YEARS OF WORK IN ONE VARIETYCDC Austenson has earned the Seed of the Year award for its status as one of Canadastop feed barleys.Marc ZienkiewiczCDC AUSTENSON isnt just a barleyits a legacy. CrownedCDC Austenson: By the NumbersSeed of the Year for 2025, this feed barley has become a cor- 30 Number of years of R&D effort behind its nerstone of Canadian agriculture, celebrated for its remarkablecreationyield, straw strength and adaptability.Developed at the University of Saskatchewans Crop2000 Year of the final cross that led toDevelopment Centre (CDC), CDC Austenson has not onlyCDC Austensonstood the test of time but has also reshaped what growers2006 Entered yield trials and began to showcase its expect from a barley variety. For Brian Rossnagel, retired barleypotentialbreeder at the CDC, CDC Austenson represents the culmina-tion of decades of dedication. 2009 Officially registered as a barley varietyCDC Austenson was really the result of 30 years of work,15 Number of years it has dominated Western Rossnagel says. We produced about 20 feed barley varie- Canadian feed barley acreageties over my career, but CDC Austenson, without question, is9 Number of years out of the past 12 that CDC number one. Its a variety Im most pleased with. Austenson has been SeCans top barley for feed and maltingA Long Journey to a BreakthroughThe journey to CDC Austenson began with parental develop- 3 Number of Prairie provinces CDC Austenson is ment from the early 1980s to a final cross made in 2000. Afterwidely grown inearly generation selection by 2006, the breeding line was under-going yield trials, where its potential began to shine.Plant breeding is as much about eliminating the poorer selections as it is about selecting the better/best ones, he says. We werent sure which line would emerge, but once CDC Austenson entered co-op trials, its performance made it clear we had a winner.What made CDC Austenson so special? According to Rossnagel, the variety struck a perfect balance of traits for farmers. Farmers also appreciated CDC Austensons straw strength and disease resistance, the former which was notable despite its medium height.CDC Austenson quickly gained traction among farm-ers, achieving a rare feat for a feed barley variety: it became the most popular barley in Western Canada, surpassing evenTom Zatorski was assistantBrian Rossnagel is pictured here malting varieties. Its dominance was not limited to one region,breeder to Brian Rossnagel at thein a field of barley cultivars at the Crop Development Centre. Crop Development Centre.either.The Team Effort Behind Success attributes, making sure it checked all of the boxes that both While Rossnagel played a pivotal role, he emphasizes theBrian and I preferred, Zatorski says. collaborative nature of plant breeding. You rely on so manySure, its a bit taller than I wouldve liked, but thats where peoplenot just to create a variety but to grow it, test it, andBrian came in. He had this incredible ability to spot winners, bring it to market, he says, highlighting contributions fromeven among thousands of lines.colleagues like Tom Zatorski and organizations like SeCan. After registration of CDC Austenson in 2009 (it was Zatorski was assistant breeder at the time CDC Austensonnamed after Herman Austenson who was director of the Crop was created, and now serves as an agronomic innovation man- Development Centre during the CDCs formative years), it was ager for Nutrien Ag Solutions in northeast Alberta. licensed to SeCan. Todd Hyra, western business manager, notes CDC Austenson had everything it needed from a qual- that CDC Austenson has been SeCans top barley nine out of ity perspective. During its development I focused on its grainthe last 12 years for all feed and malting barley. 24 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JANUARY 2025'