McLachlan and PhD student Ian Mauro say they want to get beyond the polemics of the debate. "We're going to learn from them what's acceptable and what's not acceptable into the future," Mauro said.

Many farm groups have expressed reservations about a variety of GM wheat developed by Monsanto Co. (MON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) that is currently being tested for food, feed and environmental safety by Canadian and U.S. regulators.

Marketers like the Canadian Wheat Board have said export buyers would reject Canadian wheat if Ottawa approves the crop, which withstands a popular brand of weedkiller.

Canadian regulators do not currently consider market impact and other nonscientific factors when approving crops for use, and neither does an industry body that recommends whether crops should be registered.

But the federal agriculture department has said it would hold consultations this year on whether it should add a new step to crop approvals.

McLachlan and Mauro said they hope to have some results available by July or August that they hope will influence the new policy.

Monsanto has also indicated it could step back from its wheat research unless it sees support from key U.S. farm groups, McLachlan noted.

In Canada, farmers have said they are interested in Monsanto's GM wheat if can be kept separate from non-GM harvests, if markets will accept it, and if it provides economic benefits, company spokeswoman Trish Jordan said.

Monsanto has promised it will commercialize its wheat only if those conditions are met, she said.

"We know we can only be successful ... if we bring forward a product that provides benefits to the grower," she said.

Farmers don't yet have suggested benefits from federal research trials on the wheat: information that would help them decide if they want to grow it, Jordan said.

"I don't think we're going to learn anything new from this (University of Manitoba) survey that we haven't learned over the last three years or four years of public consultation," Jordan said, adding she will follow its results.

But the researchers said the voices of individual farmers have been left out of the debate - farmers who they said can share their experiences from growing other GM crops already approved in Canada.