June 3, 2025 (SASKATOON, SK) – Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and J4 Agri-Science (J4) are excited to announce a new collaboration for faba bean breeding in Saskatchewan. This new collaboration has a commercial focus and will create additional pulse breeding capacity locally in Saskatchewan, increasing competition, and creating a strong environment to foster innovation.
Developing new and better performing varieties of faba beans is the focus of the breeding collaboration. Farmers’ priorities and greatest production challenges are at the forefront of the program, with major areas of focus including low vicine/convicine levels, early maturity, improved yield, and improved disease resistance. Breeding will take place in Saskatchewan for the benefit of Saskatchewan producers.
“SPG is excited about this latest new collaboration on faba bean breeding in Saskatchewan. Faba beans are a promising crop for farmers and offers an alternate pulse crop to extend rotations in certain areas experiencing root rot pressures. Additional new eyes to challenges around maturity, yield, and disease will create competitive varieties for growers” says Winston van Staveren, Chair of SPG Board of Directors.
The J4 faba bean breeding program is based in Saskatchewan, with an office in Saskatoon, main testing site in Northeastern Saskatchewan, and additional selection and testing sites across the Western Canadian prairies. “J4 is passionate in its quest to advance grain farming across the Canadian Prairies. J4 is dedicated to bringing new and desired genetics to Saskatchewan growers in multiple crops, especially in crops that are currently under-served in their development.” notes Jodi Souter, Co-Founder and Breeder with J4. “This new collaboration will stimulate innovation and efficient variety development in Saskatchewan.”
J4 has a strong connection to farmers, being founded by two farmers and close links to farmers in Saskatchewan. This is an important pillar to this new collaboration, which was developed around shared values to support and foster profitable growth and opportunities for Saskatchewan farmers. The collaboration has SPG and J4 bringing germplasm into the program, SPG providing upfront investments, with future royalties from the sale of new varieties to be shared. SPG will provide input on breeding priorities and ensure that farmers’ voices, needs, priorities, and challenges are driving the goals of the program every step of the way.
This new partnership is SPG’s second major collaboration in a new era for pulse breeding in Saskatchewan. This new environment will encourage multiple breeding programs and a transition from a royalty-free system to growers paying for access to new varieties through royalties, like they do for other crops. This new breeding collaboration will build on the success of previous breeding partnerships to deliver improved varieties for producers. Outcomes of this program will also compliment additional SPG investment previously announced for pea and lentil breeding with Limagrain, as well as co-funded programs through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP) AgriScience Program – Cluster Component with the Crop Development Centre for pea and chickpea breeding for five years, as well as other genetic improvement projects.
“Growers have told us that they see significant value in investments in pulse crop variety development. We are pleased to launch another new breeding collaboration to deliver competition and improved varieties for pulse growers in Saskatchewan”, says Carl Potts, Executive Director with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.
About the Collaborators
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is a development board for the innovative and growing pulse crop industry in Saskatchewan. Accountable to and funded by over 15,000 pulse growers in the province, SPG provides leadership to create opportunities for profitable growth of the Saskatchewan pulse industry by investing in research, market development, communications, and agronomy extension.
J4 Agri-Science is an independently owned and operated Saskatchewan-based private plant breeding company, co-founded by plant-breeder Jodi Souter. Jodi has a PhD in plant biology from the University of Saskatchewan and has worked as a contract breeder prior to incorporating J4 Agri-Science. Jodi was also a 2020 Nuffield Scholar and awarded Germination magazine’s Next-Gen Leader award. Her family is involved in primary production with a mixed farm in North East Saskatchewan where Jodi is still actively involved in the grain side of the operation.
For more information, please contact:
Amanda Carlson
Communications Manager
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
Phone: 306-668-0116
Email: acarlson@saskpulse.com
Amber Johnson
Director of Marketing and Communications
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
Phone: 306-668-3668
Email: ajohnson@saskpulse.com
Jodi Souter
Co-Founder & Plant Breeder
J4 Agri-Science
Phone: 306-270-7325
Email: jodi.r.souter@gmail.com
