Growing the Missouri-Canada Connection
By Jim Baer
Canola
is a type of edible oil initially bred in Canada in the 1970s.
The oil is extracted from a group of cultivars of rapeseed variants
from which low erucic acid rapeseed oil and low glucosinolate
meal are obtained. Once considered a specialty crop in Canada,
Canola has become a major North American cash crop. Canada and
the United States produce between seven and 10 million metric
tons of Canola seed per year. The U.S. is a net consumer of Canola
oil. Other major markets are customers in Japan, Mexico, China
and Pakistan with smaller amounts going to Taiwan, and European
nations. Canola oil has been claimed to be healthy due to its
low, or even zero, saturated fat and high oil content. Eighty
percent of the Canola crop planted in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan
are genetically modified herbicide-tolerant varieties.
So what does Canola have to do with the price of tea in China? Not much, but everything to do with bio-technical inter-relationships between the U.S. and Canada.
In March,
the RCGA convened a half-day symposium titled "Planting Seeds
for Collaboration in Plant Sciences—Growing the Missouri-Canada
Connections." The seminar was well attended (by nearly 100
persons related to the industry) and termed a success by everyone
involved. The seminar ranged the scale from discussions of biodiesel
fuels and agricultural and medical products to Canola oils.
This seminar followed on the heels of
a recent Missouri trade mission held on
the western high plains of Saskatchewan
and Alberta.
RCGA Board
member and past RCGA Chairman John Bachmann, Senior Partner at
Edward Jones and Honorary Counsel of Canada for the state of Missouri
moderated this year's recent program. Canadian experts Dr. Abdul
Jalil, Director of Agricultural Research Branch of Saskatchewan
Ministry of Agriculture; Dr. Stanford Blade, Managing Director,
Alberta Agricultural Research Institute; Dr. Curtis Rempel, Adjunct
Professor, Research and Development Manager, the University of
Manitoba; and Dr. Reno Pontarollo, Chief Scientific Officer of
Genome Prairie, Saskatoon headed the speaking portion of the program.
Bachmann pronounced
the March meeting an unqualified success. Bachmann sees increased
trading between the U.S. and Canada as important on many fronts.
"There are different ways to measure success. Some would
say there is a mechanical model and others say a botanical model,
and I prefer the latter," said the senior partner from Edward
Jones.
"Some
say if you spend a dollar somewhere, you take away a dollar from
somewhere else. I prefer to look at it as nature's model—'a
tree can always grow a little more.'"
"We have
no corner on wisdom and we need to be opening new doors all the
time," said Bachmann, speaking passionately about the subject.
"This was an extremely successful meeting. We were able to
match many leaders in science, business, agriculture and other
industries in one-on-one-meetings and open doors for future business,"
he said.
Bachmann has a staked interest in Canada. His company maintains 600 offices across the border, having created 1,600 very high paying jobs by U.S. standards.
So why is Missouri in the international equation?
Bachmann was
quick to point to neighboring Iowa and Illinois as more abundant
grain producing states. "We're not the great agricultural
producers like Iowa or Illinois, but the (Mississippi) River is
an incredible engine of development with so much (grain) barge
traffic," he pointed out correctly. "With the work of
Monsanto, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the Missouri
Botanical Garden and other ancillary companies, the prospects
are greater and greater. "It's all about "clustering"
and building support systems for future growth," he said.
Besides, Bachmann sits on the Monsanto Board of Directors and
is a board member of American Airlines, who looks to expand its
Canadian presence someday.
"We (the
U.S. and Canada) continue to produce wholesome foods, create access
to better transportation, deliver agricultural products and develop
ethanol fuels and it is all making great differences," he
said.
Dr. Rempel, director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutrition
in Winnipeg and former Commercial Development Manager with Monsanto, Canada came away with a great amount of information from this conference.
"From
my perspective, the notions of 'Foods for Medicine' and premise
that "you can feed both the human tank and the gas tank from
the same acreage" was an important discussion outcome. I
had a chance to showcase what we do at the Richardson Centre for
Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, dialogue what others are
doing in this space and meet people who are active in this and
related areas."
Dr. Rempel
says U.S. and Canadian relations continue to soar. "Many
of the Canadian seed companies are regional and they license technology
from some of the U.S. companies. On the surface, this appears
to be working and the farmer is definitely winning in my opinion."
Following the major addresses, four other industry experts took part in a brief panel discussion. Judy Grundler, Director, Plant Industries Division, Missouri Department of Agriculture and a panelist weighed in.
"I thought
this meeting was important because we (as Missourians) were able
to describe our agricultural products in great detail to our Canadian
counterparts," she said from Jefferson City. "From a
governmental point of view, the exchange of ideas and networking
and making future contacts was all very important," she said.
Grundler's
vantage point is making sure seed that comes from Canada is free
of diseases and meets all present environmental standards. "We
have to make sure all the seed we receive is an insect and disease
free product and meets USDA guidelines."
Dr. Manas Banerjee, Director of Research & Development for the Brett Young Seed Co. focuses on exporting seeds such as peas, beans, Canola and producing products as diverse as turf and inoculants for seeds.
A bit more
cautious, Dr. Banerjee said, "Down the road, I expect to
see more results. We need new strategies to sell our products
to U.S. sources, and that's what I am working towards." The
Brett Young Seed Co. was founded in 1934, employs some 230 personnel
and is still privately owned. "We deal with seed enhancements
and the growth of technology for our crops," said Dr. Banerjee.
In his concurring
remarks, Dr. Rempel summarized the goals of his university and
society in general, saying, "Our goals are to see people
live longer, healthier and more productive lives. We want people
to reduce their burden on chronic diseases and we need to use
our resources to effectively advance civilization."
One and two trade missions and seminar does not make an entire international trade policy. But by getting the stalwarts from the food, agricultural, bio-fuel, plant-life-science world in Missouri and Western Canada under one roof from time to time, this insures proper steps have been taken.
John Bachmann and his Canadian counterparts have gone to lengths to make sure these organizational steps are in motion. Seminars and visits for plant life science and international trade are certainly major steps in the right direction. The foundation for future plant-life-science productivity and exchange has been laid. |
