The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has committed $300,000 to assist scientists in the fight against fusarium head blight in barley.

"Fusarium is one of farmers'worst disease problems, costing them tens of millions of dollars a year in crop damage," said Ken Ritter, chair of the CWB's farmer-controlled board of directors, which approved the three-year funding. "The more resistant we can make our barley, the better for farmers' bottom line."

The CWB has supported research in barley at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) cereal research centre in Brandon, Manitoba since 2004. The new funding for the Brandon Research Centre is contingent on matching support from other sources. So far, funding has also been committed by AAFC's Matching Investment Initiative and the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, supported by Saskatchewan's Agriculture Development Fund.

Lead project scientist, Dr. Bill Legge, said program funding to date, including CWB contributions, has resulted in increased capacity for barley nurseries and more testing for deoxynivalenol (DON), which is the mycotoxin produced by this disease.

"Increased capacity improves the accuracy of our tests and, therefore, improves the accuracy in selecting and advancing fusarium-resistant lines of barley," said Dr. Legge.

Ritter said financial support from farmers through the CWB demonstrates the importance western Canadian farmers place on research that can improve market prospects for their crops.

"Fighting fusarium is important to farmers and our international barley customers, as well as the Canadian grain, malting, brewing and livestock feed industries," he said. "This project demonstrates the effort we all make to maintain the highest quality in Canadian grain that is sold all over the world."

In the past year, the CWB has also provided major support for grain storage research at the University of Manitoba, as well as research into food use of barley at the University of Alberta. In addition, the CWB has partnered in the establishment of a new technical and training centre in Beijing, which cements an important wheat and barley marketing relationship with China. Funds for these initiatives are not derived from Prairie farmers' pooled returns, but sourced from an account that holds farmers' cheques left uncashed after six years.

Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. As one of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells to over 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.