Agriculture committee  That's a good question. I'm trained as a scientist. I have a Ph.D., so I get to do some science, but I do a lot more business. One of the challenges we have, and it's a good challenge, is that because the economy is doing so well in Canada and there are many jobs, when you finish your bachelor's degree, you can get a pretty good job that pays well.

Agriculture committee  Not exactly. The Americans have a lot of money in promotion. I'd have to say the Americans have spent an awful lot of time and money. They have a lot of staff around the world working with customers. For example, in my recent seminars in the Middle East, it's not uncommon for them to tell me they've just had the U.S. soybean council or the U.S. wheat associates or whatever come in.

Agriculture committee  They're doing it in a different manner, I'd have to say. Sorry, I cut you off.

Agriculture committee  Oh, yes, absolutely. The U.S. grains program was built after CIGI, and they don't hide that at all. We do it probably the best with the least amount of resources. I think we're the most efficient in Canada. We've made very good use of resources. The government has invested in us, and we've used that well.

Agriculture committee  Yes, absolutely. That's our everyday work. I just came back from spending time with customers in three Asian countries having exactly those discussions. What is it that meets their needs? What are they requiring? There are wishes and needs, so it's really identifying what their needs are—and it's nice to know their wishes—and identifying what we can do to meet those needs.

Agriculture committee  I think it's an important issue. It's one we have raised. We have worked with the federal government's agency that looks at changes in weather patterns. We have worked with the industry to say what's going to happen in the future. If the temperature keeps rising as it is, that probably means we either have to start looking at selecting our varieties now for that in the future because it takes seven or eight years for a variety to come to fruition, and so we're trying to give that impetus.

Agriculture committee  We're still refining that process, I have to admit. We certainly take it back to the Western Grain Elevator Association, and the Canadian Grain and Oilseed Exporters Association. After our new crop missions where we went out and met with all the customers this fall, we held a seminar where all the various different players, plant breeders and grain companies, came in.

Agriculture committee  Yes, I think what I was trying to say is there are different stages for different parts of investment. Basic research is very important, and government and industry can invest in basic research. One of the points that I have wanted to raise, and one of my experiences has been that oftentimes there has been a great deal of investment put into basic research at universities, particularly in other research institutes, but sometimes there's a misunderstanding of how far that research needs to go before industry can take it up.

Agriculture committee  That's a good question. GMO is certainly a powerful tool. It's been very effective in some of our crops, namely, canola, soybeans and corn. I'd have to say that in those areas, it's well established. It's used broadly and that continues. In the case of some of our other crops, cereals and pulses namely, there is no GMO.

Agriculture committee  I think it's a great opportunity for us. One of the areas we are actively involved in is looking at food processing, looking at new uses for our ingredients. On our pulses side, we've primarily been selling most of our pulses to India. Now China has become a major buyer on the process side, to make vermicelli noodles and things.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. I wish it were sunny. It was sunny all winter, although maybe not warm as you mentioned. Good afternoon and thank you very much for this opportunity to present our opinions regarding innovation in agriculture in Canada. I'm honoured to have this opportunity to meet with you today.