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representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers.
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Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine

New professorship in wheat breeding filled

GUELPH, ON (April 14, 2014) – Grain Farmers of Ontario is pleased to announce the new Professorship in Wheat Breeding has been filled by Dr. Ali Navabi.

Dr. Navabi joins the University of Guelph from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) where he has been acting as a bean breeder in the AAFC/University of Guelph Bean Breeding Program since 2008.

“We are proud to see this initiative come to fruition through the public/private partnership between Grain Farmers of Ontario, SeCan, and the University of Guelph,” says Henry Van Ankum, Chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. “Dr. Navabi brings extensive experience in plant breeding and genetics, including 15 years of wheat breeding.”

Dr. Navabi has contributed to graduate teaching and has been an active advisor of graduate students at the University of Guelph. As well, he is currently the editor of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science.

“I am very excited and believe that this partnership is providing great opportunities for Ontario wheat, as an integral part of the cropping system,” says Navabi. “I am looking forward to working very closely with the Grain Farmers of Ontario, SeCan, and other public and private stakeholders in establishing a University-based Wheat Breeding Program to support sustainable and profitable wheat production in Ontario and to train highly qualified new generation plant breeders.”

Dr. Navabi will start this new position on May 1, 2014. His research will focus on creating novel wheat varieties with enhanced productivity, disease resistance, pest resistance, and enhanced utility in crop rotation systems.

“Grain Farmers of Ontario will continue to support this role and looks forward to working with Dr. Navabi, particularly in the area of winter wheat breeding,” says Van Ankum. “The outcomes of his work will have direct benefit to our farmer members.”

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $2.5 billion in farm gate receipts, result in over $9 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the province.

Contact:

Barry Senft, CEO – 1-800-265-0550; bsenft@gfo.ca

Henry Van Ankum, Chair – 519-835-4200; henryvanankum@sympatico.ca

Meghan Burke, Communications – 519 767-2773; mburke@gfo.ca

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Grain Farmers of Ontario
Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover over 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $4.1 billion in production value, result in over $27 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 90,000 jobs in the province.