Hybrid winter rye: building a supply chain opportunity for Quebec’s pork and grain sectors
From research to supply-chain action
FoodBridge is working with grain producers, Université Laval, Les Éleveurs de porcs du Québec, MAPAQ, Groupe Cérès and Producteurs de grains du Québec to explore how hybrid winter rye could become a more widely used ingredient in Quebec hog feed. The project builds on a strategic opportunity: replacing part of the corn currently used in feed with a crop that can bring more diversified rotations, reduce environmental impacts and create new market opportunities for grain producers.
In eastern Canada, corn remains a major ingredient in hog feed and a dominant crop in grain rotations. This reliance poses a real challenge for the pork and the grain sector. Feed represents a significant share of the environmental footprint of pork production, while grain producers are looking for crops that can improve soil protection, spread fieldwork more evenly across the year and build on-farm resilience.
Seeded in the fall and harvested mid-summer, hybrid winter rye provides winter soil cover, helps reduce erosion and nutrient losses, and leaves time to plant cover crops after harvest. Newer hybrid varieties also offer stronger yield potential and have been developed to reduce the risk of ergot, a fungus that poses quality concerns for both grain and feed users. Its agronomic potential is becoming increasingly clear, but the market around hybrid winter rye still needs to be structured before producers, feed mills and buyers can confidently adopt it.
Environmental benefits and economic feasibility
In 2025, FoodBridge initiated and contributed to a research project led by Université Laval in partnership with Centre de développement du porc du Québec (CDPQ), KWS, Groupe Cérès, CÉROM, Les Éleveurs de porcs du Québec and MAPAQ. The initiative examined hybrid winter rye from several angles, including agronomy, economics, environmental performance and pork feed integration.
The life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted as part of this work showed that hybrid winter rye has a lower environmental impact than corn per kilogram of product. It also found that replacing part of the corn used in hog feed with rye could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with pork production. These findings connect a field-crop decision with a broader sector objective: lowering the environmental footprint of pork while maintaining a viable feed strategy.
The project also highlighted the economic and agronomic logic behind rye. Hybrid winter rye can fit into corn-soybean rotations, help reduce reliance on inputs and improve soil protection during periods when fields would otherwise be more exposed. Presentations of the LCA at events last fall were received with interest from producers. While not a new practice, the research showed how rye can contribute to more resilient rotations while opening the door to new markets, provided the feed sector is ready to integrate it in a structured way.
Clear interest from growers
The research clarified the opportunity; the next question was whether producers were ready to test it in real farm conditions. FoodBridge recently launched a call for producers interested in joining a new hybrid winter rye cohort in Mauricie.
This cohort will support producers as they integrate hybrid winter rye into their rotations, with access to technical expertise, peer learning and discussions on market conditions. It will also help document practical adoption issues such as variety selection, crop management, quality standards, harvest timing, storage, logistics and price expectations.
The 15 available places filled within days of opening, confirming that producer interest is present when the opportunity is clearly linked to both agronomic and market potential.
Making the market match the momentum
FoodBridge’s work now shifts from research to supply-chain mobilization. The goal is to help create the conditions that would allow hybrid winter rye to circulate more reliably through Quebec’s pork and grain sectors, not as a one-off experiment, but as a credible ingredient supported by producers, buyers and sector partners.
That means mapping the value chain, identifying logistical and contractual barriers, and developing practical tools to support agreements between grain producers, feed mills, cooperatives, hog producers and processors. Volume commitments, quality specifications, pricing mechanisms, storage capacity and risk-sharing all need to be addressed if rye is to move from a promising crop to a dependable ingredient.
Hybrid winter rye will not solve every challenge facing the grain and pork sectors. Its value lies in offering a concrete pathway for progress: more diversified rotations, lower-emission feed strategies, improved soil protection and stronger regional supply chains. The rapid uptake of the Mauricie producer cohort suggests that there is momentum to build on. With the opportunity now clearer, the next step is to help build a structured supply chain where producers, buyers and sector partners can share value and reduce risk.
