PGDC Pulse Image

Plenary Archives

To view each of the speaker's presentation, click on the hyperlinks below (where available).

Disclaimer

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Prairie Grain Development Committee. The views and opinions of Plenary Session speakers expressed herein are solely those of the speakers, and publication of these on the PGDC website does not constitute an endorsement of these views by the Prairie Grain Development Committee, its members, or the organizations they represent.

 

2025 Annual Meeting Plenary Session

Seed Modernization and Role of Artificial Intelligence in Plant Breeding and Agriculture

8:00 – 12:00 Wednesday, February 26, 2025  •  Winnipeg, MB

8:00 – Welcoming Remarks
Ana Badea – Executive Chair at PGDC

8:05 – Plenary Presentations: Seed Modernization
  1. The CFIA's Seed Regulatory Modernization update with a focus on Variety Registration (40 mins)
    • Wendy Jahn – National Manager, Seed Section at Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
  2. Questions / Discussion (10 mins)
  3. Building a Next Generation Seed Certification System (15 mins)
    • Doug Miller – Executive Director at Canadian Seed Growers' Association (CSGA)
  4. Seed Regulatory Modernization: Salvage Operation? (15 mins)
    • Lauren Comin – Director of Policy at Seeds Canada
  5. Seed Regulatory Modernization, Grain and Technology Advancement (15 mins)
    • David Hunt – Chief Commissioner at Canadian Grain Commission (CGC)
  6. Questions / Discussion (20 mins)

10:00 – 10:20     Health and Networking Break

10:20 – Plenary Presentations: Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Plant Breeding and Agriculture
  1. The Promise of AI in Plant Breeding (30 mins)
    • Tom Croonenborghs – Senior Director AI at Inari
  2. Questions / Discussion (5 mins)
  3. Variety Recognition and Quality Assessment of Grains and Oilseeds using AI (20 mins)
    • Sebastian Bergada – Product Manager at ZoomAgri
  4. Questions / Discussion (5 mins)

11:20 – Canadian Food Inspection Agency Variety Registration Office (CFIA-VRO) – Updates
  1. An Update from CFIA-VRO to the Variety Registration Recommending Committees in Western Canada (30 mins)
    • Heather Ryan – Program Specialist, Variety Registration at Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
  2. Questions / Discussion (10 mins)

12:00 – 1:30     Recognition Luncheon

2024 Annual Meeting Plenary Session

Plant Breeding Tools: Where we were, where we are, where we are going...

Plant Breeding Tools - Where we were, where we are, where we are going…
  1. Integrating Traditional and Molecular Tools
    • Dr. Curtis Pozniak, Crop Development Centre - University of Saskatchewan
  2. Gene Editing - New and optional tools to integrate into breeding programs
    • Dr. Jaswinder Singh, McGill University
  3. Questions/Discussion

Plant Breeding Tools - Economics and Regulations of Gene Editing
  1. The Future of Plant Breeging: High Throughput Gene Editing
    • Speaker - Norm Sissons, Senior Vice President – Seed & Traits, Cibus
  2. CFIA Gene Editing Updated Guidance and Clarification for Breeders
    • Plant Biosafety Office, CFIA, Government of Canada
  3. Questions/Discussion
Seeding Success: How Seeds Canada ensures effective introduction and adoption of plant breeding tools and trials
  1. Lauren Comin, Director of Policy, Seeds Canada
    1. Questions/Discussion
An Update from CFIA to the Variety Registration Recommending Committees in Canada
  1. Heather Ryan, Program Specialist, Variety Registration, CFIA
    1. Questions/Discussion

2022 Annual Meeting Plenary Session - "Breeding Innovation and Agronomic Adaptation"


3. Update on progress towards modernizing the Seed Regulations
  1. Linda G. Webster, Director, Plant Production Division, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
  2. Claudio Feulner, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Seeds Canada
  3. Questions/Discussion

4. Update from Health Canada's Novel Foods Group
Neil Strand, Section Head, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Food Directorate,
Health Canada

5. Updating guidance related to "Part V - Release of Seed under the Seed Regulations"
Linda G. Webster, Director,Plant Production Division,
Canadian Food Inspection Agency

6. Questions/Discussion for 4 and 5
 

7. Impacts of updating guidance to “Part V - Release of Seed under the Seed Regulations” on the value chain or seed companies in Canada
  1. Canada Grains Council Consultation Findings
    1. Krista Thomas – Canada Grains Council
    2. Claudio Feulner, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Seeds Canada
  2. Questions/Discussion

8. Adjourn

 

2020 Annual Meeting Plenary Session - "Breeding Innovation and Agronomic Adaptation"

Optimizing GxExM to close the yield gap in wheat
Dr. Sheri Strydhorst
The limits of sustainable pulse crop production
Dr. Sabine Banniza
Balancing sustainability and profitability: the role of crop varieties in organic farming systems
Dr. Hiroshi Kubota
Update on policy modernization for plant products of biotechnology
Dr. Ken Ellens
Plant Breeding Innovation – Encouraging Innovation and Market Access
Ms. Krista Thomas

 

2019 Annual Plenary Session

  • Variety Uptake Panel
    • Slow to Change - Jill McDonald, Sask Barley
    • Industry Drivers for Adopting New Dry Bean Varieties - Blair Roth, Viterra
    • From PGDC to the Field: The Variety Commercialization Pathway - Jim Downey, SeCan
    • Varietal Importance to Distilling - Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote, Black Fox Distillery
  • Comparing Varieties Post Registration Panel
    • Changing Comparisons in Manitoba - Dr. Anita Brûlé-Babel, University of Manitoba
    • A National Approach - Dr. Jason Reinheimer, Limagrain Cereals Research Canada
    • Canola Performance Trials - Shawn Senko or Taryn Dickson, Canola Council of Canada
  • Starting a Supercluster
  • Value Creation Consultation Update – Anthony Parker, CFIA
2018 Annual Plenary Session

2017 Annual Plenary Session

2016 Annual Plenary Session


2015 Annual Plenary Session


2010 Annual Plenary Session


2009 Annual Plenary Session


2008 Annual Plenary Session