Jodi Souter’s company J4 Agri-Science is showing that private plant breeding startups have a crucial role to play in the agricultural landscape of the future.
When most people think of plant breeding in Canada they think of an academic institution or government, says Dr. Jodi Souter, a Nuffield Scholar and plant breeder based in Saskatoon, Sask.
“If we don’t change that perception, we’re going to hold back innovation, and that innovation will go elsewhere.”
The beginning of her mission to change the way people think of plant breeding began with the creation of her own startup, J4 Agri-Science, specializing in flax and pulse breeding. Through it she intends to support activities for crop development, scientific research and industry expansion.
“I consider myself an independent breeder,” she says. “I’m targeting crops and breeding them through my company and not through a public institution. It’s a different mindset. Other countries already do it this way and it’s time we did more of it in Canada, too.”
Souter is not quite sure where her independent streak comes from. It may have started growing up on the family mixed grain and beef farm in Saskatchewan, or while working to obtain her PhD in plant biology from the University of Saskatchewan. Being a competitive distance runner may have helped, too. Wherever it came from, it’s something that’s guided Souter for years.
“I took a breeding class with Curtis Pozniak at the Crop Development Centre (CDC). It didn’t take me many classes to know I really wanted to be a plant breeder,” she says.
J4 Agri-Science has strategically focused on crops that have traditionally lacked robust breeding programs, starting with flax. Western Canada, known for its wheat and canola programs, has several crops that have few breeding pipelines, which leaves farmers with fewer options for improved varieties.
“We saw an opportunity in these under-served crops,” Souter explains. “After flax, we initiated a lentil pipeline and are exploring other crop types that would benefit from dedicated breeding efforts.”
In 2022, J4 faced a learning curve with its flax lines. Two of its flax varieties, designed to have shorter stature, larger seeds, and faster maturation, showed susceptibility to wilt in Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) trials. Now, with the CDC allowing J4 to utilize its wilt nurseries and having new marker tools at its disposal, J4 is swiftly backcrossing to improve these lines with disease resistance and other traits suited to Western Canada.
Souter expects to re-enter J4’s flax lines with wilt resistance soon, potentially within the next year or two.
While J4’s roots are in Saskatchewan, the impact of Souter’s breeding work could reach far beyond, into northern Alberta and beyond. Collaborations with Alberta Pulse Growers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lethbridge are enhancing J4’s lentil disease research and driving advancements in crop adaptation to the unique northern Prairie climate and soil profiles.
“A lot of the work we’re doing here is going to have a home in Alberta,” Souter adds, highlighting that crop breeding isn’t limited by provincial borders but instead follows environmental compatibility.
Funding Models Needed
However, developing viable crop varieties requires more than just scientific effort; sustainable funding is essential. As public funding for breeding programs declines, J4 Agri-Science has embraced the Variety Use Agreement (VUA) as a solution for private breeders to secure revenue and maintain breeding programs for inbred crops.
Although the VUA faced initial resistance and hasn’t fully taken off, Souter remains optimistic.
“We need a revenue collection mechanism to keep private plant breeding viable. Without a model like the VUA, private breeding for inbred crops is at risk of disappearing.”
For Souter, what’s making it possible to be a truly independent breeder in Canada is the headway made in recent years with Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation. Canada signing on to UPOV 91 was a big deal for her. In her view, the doors are opening to do new kinds of breeding that put Canada on the map as an attractive place to innovate.
As part of her Nuffield project, she delved into learning about the progress and limitations surrounding crop development in varying political environments.
“The academic research being done is so important, but turning to private industry gives you flexibility. You can target traits faster. It’s a game-changer to have that within the agricultural landscape,” she says. “With it, people like me will bring more diversity to crops in Canada.”
Kofi Agblor admires that sense of fearlessness, so much so that the former director for the CDC-turned independent consultant decided to work with Souter (he also served as program director for the Lacombe-based Field Crop Development Centre before it became Western Crop Innovations). When Agblor was director of the CDC, Souter approached him with an interest in flax and faba bean.
He showed her a U.S. study that found the most promising crops in the protein sphere included flax, chickpea and lentil.
“Jodi wanted to work for herself, as opposed to graduating and getting on with a public or private institution. It was an exciting attitude and one becoming more prominent in the field of plant breeding,” Agblor says.
“I thought, ‘How can we help young people like this make a go of it in plant breeding?’ Unless you sign onto a bigger organization or company, it can be hard to do. We need to encourage people like her who want to build a career in the private sector but work for themselves and start something of their own. The more of those people we have, the better. They’re the ones who really encourage innovation.”
Kofi Agblor
For Souter, initiatives like the VUA come at a time when conversations are ramping up in Canada regarding how private plant breeding will be or should be funded. When producers purchase a VUA variety and divert some of that grain at harvest for seed use and plant it the following spring, they are invoiced a Variety Use Fee for use of the variety. This fee (which is set at the time of certified seed purchase) is invoiced to the producer every year that the farm-saved seed of the VUA variety is grown.
“This is a business with tight margins. Without the ability to regain revenue through royalties, you stifle innovation. Part of my Nuffield study looked at opportunities and obstacles to private breeding in Canada. Other countries have taken other avenues for royalty collection and the VUA is a great step to doing that,” she says.
Globally, countries like Argentina and Australia have taken big steps to protect intellectual property (IP), demonstrating the economic value of strong IP enforcement. In contrast, Canada’s reluctance to adopt similar measures has left the industry struggling to sustain innovation, she adds. The introduction of initiatives like the VUA shows promise, but the pace of change remains frustratingly slow.
“Resistance to change really adds to these issues. Canadian agriculture often defaults to the status quo, in some cases favouring tradition over efficiency,” she says. She emphasizes the need to shift mindsets both in terms of how private breeders are perceived and how new funding models can foster competition and innovation.
“Ultimately, the challenges facing Canadian plant breeding are less about technical hurdles and more about overcoming entrenched attitudes. Stories from other industries and nations really underscore the need to welcome bold ideas and fresh perspectives,” Souter adds.
“Without embracing change, the industry risks stifling the very innovation it needs. The worst option is doing nothing — a message everyone needs to hear if plant breeding and farming in general are going to have a sustainable future in Canada.”
