SAN DIEGO — A cross-country collaboration between scientists aims to grow better and stronger crops in the future.

What You Need To Know

  • Mike Stamm is a canola breeder at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas

  • Stamm says canola is now considered the second biggest oilseed crop in the world after soybeans

  • Some of Stamm's canola seeds are now being used at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California

  • According to the U.S. Canola Association, winter canola yields 20% to 30% more than spring canola

Planting crops reminds Mike Stamm how important strong roots are. He’s from a family of farmers and is now a canola breeder at Kansas State University.

“I just always had a connection to farming to the land," Stamm said. "One of my career goals was always to help Kansas farmers.”

In September, he planted a field near Manhattan, Kansas, to develop a canola variety that’s resistant to Blackleg, a common but serious disease that damages the crop.

Grown in many countries, Stamm says canola is now considered the second biggest oilseed crop in the world after soybeans. He has spent decades researching and collaborating with other institutions to find ways to make canola stronger, not only against diseases but also against things like climate change and regional weather.

“Most people know that life out in this part of the world, our weather changes daily. Within hours you can have four seasons in one day,” Stamm said.  

Some of Stamm's canola seeds are now being used at the Salk Institute in San Diego.

Professor Wolfgang Busch is growing canola in their greenhouse, working to engineer the plants to help fight climate change as part of Salk's Harnessing Plants Initiative.

He said his team works with the major crops of the world, like soybeans and milo. He believes collaborations with researchers like Stamm and organizations like K-State allow them to improve the food and fuel of the future faster.

“This is, in the end, a numbers game," Busch said. "So the more acreage of crops you have that help us sucking up the CO2 so that it doesn’t lead to further global warming — the more of these plants you have, the better.”

Stamm said interest in planting winter canola is soaring in the United States right now. He hopes his work with developing new varieties and Salk’s climate change discoveries can produce better crops for farmers in the future.

“We’re all connected in some way. We all share the same planet, and we all have to treat it equally,” he said.

According to the U.S. Canola Association, winter canola planted in the fall is typically harvested around June and yields 20% to 30% more than spring canola.