CDC - Crop Development Centre (University of Saskatchewan)

The Crop Development Centre (CDC) was established in 1971 with a mandate to improve economic returns for farmers and the agriculture industry of western Canada by improving existing crops, creating new uses for traditional crops, and developing new crops.

Focusing on plant breeding and pathology, CDC scientists deploy the latest scientific advances to improve the agronomic and end-use performances of spring wheat, durum, canaryseed, barley oat, flax, pea, lentil, chickpea, dry bean, and fababean.  The CDC has released over 400 commercial varieties of crop kinds, a remarkable achievement in 40 years from a dedicated group of men and women with a strong commitment to the CDC mandate!  The CDC is intimately linked to the successful diversification of crop production in Saskatchewan, and it is a recognized name on Saskatchewan farms.

The CDC is fully integrated into the Department of Plant Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, enabling unique access to the pertinent scientific and technical disciplines and resources required to develop crops for food and feed.  CDC scientists also collaborate with several partners from public and private organizations in Canada and internationally, leveraging additional technical and financial resources to advance their research.