Forage Seed Growers Information Session January 2020

The annual Grower Information Session and Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on January 14th, 2020. Thanks to all those who attended our event despite the near record-breaking cold temperature. Special thanks to the following volunteers who helped out with set-up and registration: Lana Haight, Livestock and Forages Centre of Excellence, Marianne Possberg, Saskatchewan Cattleman’s Association, and Shannon McArton, Saskatchewan Forage Council.

Thank you to our grower members, forage seed buyers, researchers, industry partners and government staff for their continued support of the Commission!

The annual Grower Information Session and Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on January 14th, 2020. Thanks to all those who attended our event despite the near record-breaking cold temperature. Special thanks to the following volunteers who helped out with set-up and registration: Lana Haight, Livestock and Forages Centre of Excellence, Marianne Possberg, Saskatchewan Cattleman’s Association, and Shannon McArton, Saskatchewan Forage Council.

A diversity of speakers gave presentations:

Dr. Joseph Robbins has worked as a Research Geneticist (Plant Breeder) with the United States Department of Agriculture, Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah since 2004. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Plants, Soils, and Climate Department at Utah State University. His primary responsibility is the development and release of improved cultivars of orchardgrass, timothy, and wheatgrass for use in intensive and extensive agricultural production, rangeland restoration, and low-maintenance turfgrass. works as a research scientist developing forage seed varieties.


Dr. Bill Biligetu, Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program Chair in Forage Crop Breeding, University of Saskatchewan talked about the forage breeding program and the Crop Development Centre (CDC) and provided an update on the development of new varieties of forage seed crops.

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Mr. Lorne Hadley, Executive Director of the Canadian Plant Technology Agency, presented a summary of the various options up for consideration and share perspectives on the potential impact on the forage seed industry.

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Michael Steckler, P.Ag. is the owner and Research Manager with A Horizon Ag Research, Colonsay, Sk. A Horizon Ag Research conducts herbicide efficacy, tolerance and re-cropping trials, fungicide efficacy and seed treatment trials, inoculant trials, variety trials, fertility trials and demonstration field trials. Taryn Heidecker, A.Ag. is the Research Agronomist with A Horizon Ag Research, and Taryn presented results of the first year of field trials on Perennial Ryegrass and Slender Wheatgrass.

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Brianne McGinnis is a research associate working at the NARF, Melfort, SK. Brianne is taking over the reins from Miss Jessica Pratchler, who has been working with SFSDC on forage seed research for several years. Brianne presented results of the 2019 field trial research on Red and Alsike Clover, and Annual Ryegrass, in addition to final results of a three-year study on the effects of forage seed crops in rotation: Red Clover/Clearfield™ Canola and Alsike Clover/Clearfield™ (2017), Red and Alsike Clover and Peas (2018) and Spring Wheat (2019).

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Danielle Stephens has worked for Ministry of Agriculture for seven years, previously in regional extension and then coordinating and participating in plant disease and insect pests surveys. She currently works in the Ministry of Agriculture Research Branch as a Research Specialist overseeing projects in the area of Crop Agronomy. Danielle provided an overview of the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), an important source of co-funding for research on forage seed crops. The ADF receives support from The Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $388 million investment in strategic initiatives for Saskatchewan agriculture by the federal and provincial governments. For more detailed information about the ADF, and recent funding announcement visit the Saskatchewan Government Agriculture Development Fund page.

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SFSDC is an industry co-funder on the following ADF projects:

  1. Development of new sainfoin lines with smaller seed size to reduce establishment costs, led by Dr. Bill Biligetu University of Saskatchewan (UofS).

  2. Integrated Management Approach to Optimize Red Clover Seed Production in Saskatchewan, a 3-year project led by Dr. Sean Prager, UofS.

  3. Enhancing seed and biomass production and drought tolerance of plains rough fescue using novel seed treatments, a 3-year project led by Dr. Yuguang Bai, UofS.

  4. Evaluation of forage Galega as a new forage legume in pure and grass-legume mixed stands, a 3-year project led by Dr. Bill Biligetu, UofS.

  5. Doubled haploidy methodology for the forage grasses, a 4-year project led by Dr. Alison Ferrie, National Research Council Canada (NRC-Saskatoon).

Funding for three new ADF projects was announced earlier that morning at the CropSphere event https://publications.saskatchewan.ca/#/products/103869 SFSDC will co-fund the following three projects:

  1. Developing hybrid bromegrass with improved neutral detergent fibre digestibility, a 3-year project led by Dr. Greg Penner, UofS.

  2. Development of meadow brome and cicer milkvetch varieties for stockpiled grazing in western Canada, a 5-year project led by Dr. Bill Biligetu, UofS.

  3. Investigating the role of copper fertility in ergot infestation of forage crops, a 2-year project led by Dr. Jillian Bainard, Swift Current Research Centre-AAFC.


Dr. Alison Ferrie has been involved in doubled haploidy research at the NRC for about 30 years. Her research has included developing microspore culture methodology and utilizing these protocols for practical application and basic research. Alison presented preliminary results from the ADF project co-funded by SFSDC.

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Dr. Sean Prager is the first and only entomologist in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the U of Saskatchewan and is a recognized expert on both insect ecology and economic entomology. Graduate student, Dan Malamura presented the research results on the ADF project co-funded by SFSDC.

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Dr. Anders Moldrup, Head of Field Production, DLF Seed & Science, Denmark, presented perspectives on forage seed production in Denmark and the European Union member states. For more information see https://www.dlf.com/


Terry Kowalchuk, Provincial Forage Specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture based out of Regina. Terry collaborated with Dave Wong and Calvin Yoder from Alberta to provide a Forage Seed Market Update.

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Annual 2020 Forage Seed Field Tour and BBQ

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SFSDC Annual General Meeting 2020