Western Crop Innovations

10/05/2026

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10/02/2026

Mother Nature is celebrating the end of harvest with us! 🌈🌾

A rainbow made a timely appearance as our final barley plots were combined this week. What a lovely way to wrap up the season!

09/29/2026

Our member organization, Alberta Beef Producers, is hosting its annual producer meetings over the coming weeks. Don't miss the chance to connect with fellow producers, hear what's happening in the industry, and share your perspective..

We encourage producers to check out the schedule and get involved! 🐂

🚨ABP Producer Meetings are coming to communities across Alberta this fall.

From September 28 to October 29, producers are invited to connect with fellow producers and ABP delegates, hear updates on the issues affecting Alberta's cattle industry, ask questions, and help shape the priorities of Alberta Beef Producers.

Meetings will be held in all five zones, with supper included.

Register before Sept. 14 to be entered into a draw for our early-bird registration prize!

📍 Find a meeting near you and register: https://tinyurl.com/ya2fk2ww

We hope to see you there!

09/24/2026

Did you know? WCI manages approximately 40,000 research plots each year.

Plant breeding is small-plot research, but it happens at a surprisingly large scale!

Across those plots, breeding material is continuously moving through the variety development pipeline — from new crosses and early-generation selections to yield trials and advanced material being tested in pre-registration trials.

That means harvest is about much more than getting the crop off the field. Different plots and breeding materials have different data collection and processing needs, making organization, prioritization and TEAMWORK absolutely essential.

A big shout-out to our incredible operations and research teams for keeping everything moving during this busy time of year! 🌾

09/18/2026

Plots off, seeds in 🌾🌱

Wet conditions might have slowerd our roll on harvest, but we've got the jump on our fall/winter breeding cycle!

As combining and headrow binding continues, winter cereal trials have been planted, pots are growing in greenhouse space at Olds College, and growth room planting began on Monday.

There’s always a lot happening behind the scenes as we move from one breeding cycle to the next — and this time of year is no exception!

09/15/2026

We were excited to have Wintersteiger out at the farm this morning to demo a plot combine equipped with a HarvestMaster H3 GrainGage system 🌾

Technology like this has the potential to streamline harvest by reducing the manual work involved in measuring moisture and test weights, and integrating NIR scanning directly into the harvest process.

We're looking forward to putting the system to the test in the field this week! 🚜

09/08/2026

A digital copy of our 2025-26 Annual Report is now available!

Exciting highlights include:
- A new strategic direction
- Updates to our contra-season nursery and satellite trial locations
- The return of Field Day to Lacombe

To read more, visit:

Explore publications from Western Crop Innovations, including annual reports and research-driven updates on ag innovation in Western Canada.

07/31/2026

🐮🌾 It takes a team to prepare for harvest!

WCI is proud to support the Central Lacombe 4-H Beef Club Sale! 4-H members helped clean harvest sample bags in preparation for this year’s harvest season.

While it may not be the most glamorous job, it's an important one. Thoroughly cleaning each bag helps prevent seed mixing between research plots, protecting the integrity of our breeding trials and the quality of the data we collect.

After a productive day, the group wrapped up their visit with a tour of the research farm to learn more about the research happening at WCI.

Thank you to the Central Lacombe Beef Club for your hard work -- we appreciate your efforts and wish you all the best in your upcoming club year!

07/30/2026

Thank you for joining us, Minister Sawyer and MLA Johnson!

This is a critical time for support and engagement in agricultural research and development at all levels of government. We appreciate your attendance, advocacy, and ongoing support for Western Crop Innovations and Alberta agriculture!

07/30/2026

📍Alberta Crop Diagnostic Days at Western Crop Innovations Field Day | Lacombe, AB
📅July 28, 2026

What a fantastic day for this year's event! We had an excellent turnout, enjoyed insightful presentations from our knowledgeable speakers, and enjoyed beautiful weather while visiting the plots.

Thank-you to the Honourable Tara Sawyer, Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation for joining us for our morning sessions and speaking during our Welcome Address. Jennifer Johnson, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka, was also in attendance and engaged with the presentations on display!

A special thanks to our co-hosts, Alberta Grains, Alberta Canola, and Alberta Pulse Growers Commission for helping make this event a success!