b'planted but had nothing to do with all of it. So, they sold locally and started undercutting each other, to the destruction of the industry. We want to avoid that with haskap.For Rosychuk, the industry is changing in a big way. Farmers arent just cash crop producers anymore. They are true businesspeople with the power to create their own product and establish markets, he notes.His Nuffield study will focus on the value in developing on-farm, medium scale processing units, giving the primary producer an advantage in capitalizing on a value-added ingredient or product.If I had to create a manual for how to create an ingredient-based product, the first step would be to cost-analyze whether its worth it to create a product in the first place. People talk about how value-added is the next step. Question is, does your value-add really add value? Often you can outsource to someoneAlbertas Andrew Rosychuk has been picked for one of this years else because they have a more efficient productionNuffield scholarships.PHOTO: ANDREW ROSYCHUKprocess than you do.Thats where applying to be a Nuffield Scholar came in.Nuffield is about connection. You learn about high-end management and world agriculture. Right off the bat, one of the first things I was told by experts was, Its great you have a farming operation, but theres so much more going on out there that you should get involved in and incorporate into what you do. The result is a worldwide network of people who can support each other to be successful.Part of that network includes Yoichiro Hoshino, a haskap breeder at Japans Hokkaido University. I think what Andrew is doing is hugely valuable,ABOUT he says. Canada uses a lot of Japans genetics for itsANDREW haskap varieties. In the future, in order to developROSYCHUKnew varieties, we are considering incorporating Canadian native haskap genetics into our breeding.Birthplace: Edmonton, Alta.In order to do so, I think it is necessary to investigateAndrew Rosychuk is working on developing Albertas haskap berryFavourite movie: the distribution and genetic diversity of haskapindustry. PHOTO: ANDREW ROSYCHUK Garden Statethroughout Canada. Favourite food: Three of the over 30 varieties Rosychuk is tryingFor Rosychuk, its about opening up a new worldHaskapwere developed by breeder Bob Bors at the Universityfor haskap as he carves a path for himself and peopleWords to live of Saskatchewans Crop Development Centre like himpeople he says are not typically associatedby/motto: Boreal Blizzard, Boreal Beauty and Boreal Beast.with the ag community. Change or die. What makes Rosychuk says Canadian haskap has come a longThere are two kinds of people in the industry you different? way in recent years, having been built on geneticspeople who have no real background in it but wantDont give me a originating from Japan and Russia. But there is moreit to be their lifestyle, and people who have had theproblem, tell me the solution.work to be done. resources since birth and come from a farming family, From a yield standpoint, a blueberry bush the samehe says. I wasnt born into it, so I had to build thingssize will produce four times the amount of fruit, hemyself. Im going to continue to build and create notes. something new and better.Fall 2020 53'