August 18, 2023

Variety Verification Seed Sample Bags for Plot Growers

It is that time of year again! Variety verification seed sample bags are being mailed out to all growers who produced plots in 2023 and Form 50s are available in SeedCert.

Growers producing Foundation, Select and Probation plots must submit a seed sample directly to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) Seed Science Unit to complete the certification process. Growers are asked to submit one seed sample per crop certificate. It’s important to follow the seed sample submission procedures provided to ensure that your seed sample meets requirements. Additionally, to complete the seed plot certification process, growers must also complete Form 50 in SeedCert to report on the production of that plot.

All submissions are required by February 15, 2024. Variety verification seed samples and Form 50 submission procedures can be found here. Should you have any questions, please contact us at 613.236.0497 ext. 8806 or by email.

CSGA visits the CFIA Variety Verification Farm

Every year, the CFIA team at the Ottawa Laboratory (Fallowfield) grows thousands of plots of hundreds of varieties of 45 different crop kinds as a health check of Canada’s pedigreed seed system. Earlier this month, CSGA staff got to visit!

The Ottawa Laboratory (Fallowfield) is the CFIA’s largest laboratory facility, sitting on 2,000 acres of land in the Ottawa Greenbelt, with a working farm. Here, reference seed (breeder seed) and seed samples from CSGA plot growers are grown in plots through the CFIA’s Variety Verification Program to monitor the effectiveness of Canada’s seed certification process.

Approximately 2,000 seed samples are submitted to the CFIA each year for variety verification testing. With access to nearly all varieties produced at high generations from year to year, the program offers an unparalleled view and understanding of the varieties available to producers in Canada.  

Once the plot samples have germinated, the CFIA team monitors from the seedling stage to maturity as compared to the Breeder seed reference control plot of the same variety and its official variety description. If any characteristics are observed that raise questions about the identity or purity of the variety, further lab testing may be conducted to provide additional insights.

Variety verification testing is a health check on Canada’s seed certification system and demonstrates that Certified seed meets the highest possible standards.

Variety verification testing has been silently operating in the background for decades to capture potential issues at the beginning of the seed multiplication process. Combined with CSGA’s seed crop certification standards and processes, the Variety Verification Program ensures varieties are what they claim to be. When farmers buy Certified seed, they can be confident they are purchasing quality seeds of a specific variety from an unbiased, third-party certification agency and, most importantly, with proof that the product claims have been verified.

SeedCert is Your Certification Window

With the 2023 crop season well underway, remember to check on the status of your crops before you harvest to make sure that all is well and that a certificate has been issued! Through SeedCert, you can maintain your CSGA accounts from anywhere, anytime – with near real-time information on the status of your 2023 Seed Crop Certification.

Whether you are a seed grower or a third party, you can access copies of the applications, maps, tags, and reports generated and uploaded for your crops and follow their certification progress through the season.

We are always here to help you. If you have questions or require assistance, please contact us via email or telephone at (613) 236-0497, ext. 8803.

Membership Forms and Seed Guide Listings

Don’t forget! If you haven’t already applied for membership, please read through the Application Support Document for specific instructions and requirements. Your membership forms are due at the time of application for seed crop certification.

Are you thinking about adding active growers in the business to your CSGA account? You’ll be giving yourself more options for the future and giving them information and key insights they need to support your business.

We encourage you to document all active growers on your farm operation, and it’s easy to do. You can identify them on your CSGA Membership Application/Renewal Form or contact the office. Membership fees are $240 for the first grower and only $25 for each additional grower producing seed on the account.

Seed Crop Listings and Consent to Share Information

Having your seed listed in CSGA’s National Pedigreed Seed Locator and the provincial seed guides is an important marketing tool for seed growers and seed companies. Seed buyers turn to these resources to locate and purchase seed of the variety and class they need for their farming operation. Remember, only seed registered for sale in Canada is included in CSGA’s Pedigreed Seed Locator and provincial seed guides.

Seed growers or crop certificate assignees must explicitly consent to CSGA to be included in any of these listings. Your seed will not be included in the pedigreed seed crop directories without express consent and identification of the personal information you wish to be released. Please check with your provincial seed guide publisher to confirm printed version cut-off dates and ensure consent is provided in advance.

• Alberta-BC Seed Guide: September 22, 2023
• Saskatchewan Seed Guide: October 1, 2023
• Manitoba Seed Guide: October 1, 2023
• Ontario Seed Guide: November 30, 2023

Please note that the Saskatchewan Seed Guide and the Manitoba Seed Guide only publish telephone numbers and do not include email addresses. Growers in those provinces must share a telephone number if they wish their production to be included in those publications. The Alberta Seed Guide publishes a telephone number or an email address if a telephone number has not been provided.

To verify your consent or make changes to the personal information provided, growers and crop certificate assignees are encouraged to log in to SeedCert and visit the “My Account” tab to verify your information.

Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please email the office or call 613.236.0497 ext. 8803. We are always happy to help.

Take Your Seed Skills to the Next Level!

We are very pleased with the seed sector’s uptake of CSGA Learn, including seed companies and developers. We’ve already had 168 registrations and 120 completed learning materials! CSGA Learn increases your knowledge and production skills to help uphold Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier of quality Certified seed.

Completing our learning materials can reduce the time required for plot grower accreditation and is a requirement for the Accredited Seed Grower, CSGA-Recognized Plant Breeder and Associate Plant Breeder.

With ten courses and four programs, CSGA Learn can help you stand out in the modern marketplace and take your seed skills and businesses to the next level. Enroll today!

Saskatchewan Seed Growers’ Association – Welcome and Thank You

Please join us in welcoming Chris Barker as the new Executive Director for the Saskatchewan Seed Growers’ Association (SSGA). Chris joins the SSGA from the Global Institute for Food Security, where he was the Director, Research and Business Development. There, he focused on driving innovation through a deep understanding of the needs of food security systems in agriculture and related sectors through the creative application of novel technologies.

Chris grew up in Ontario and received his B.Sc. from the University of Guelph before moving to the University of Saskatchewan where he received his M.Sc. His 25+ year career has been spent with a variety of Agriculture focused start-up companies and not-for-profit organizations, most recently as the Director of Research and Business Development at the Global Institute of Food Security. Chris can be reached via email or phone at (306) 229-7724.

As we welcome Chris, we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to outgoing Executive Director Laurie Hayes. In her four years as ED, Laurie’s dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing the seed sector in Saskatchewan have positively impacted countless members and businesses within the sector and elevated our association.

CSGA wishes you every success and fulfillment in your future plans, Laurie.

Check In with CSGA Advisor, Randy Preater and Others

At the CSGA AGM in St. John’s, Newfoundland, our media sponsor, Germination Magazine, sat down with key staff and stakeholders for their “Giant Views” interviews.

Those who know our special advisor, Randy Preater, know that his 40+ years of work in seed certification make him an expert and a legend. He has over 23 years of experience with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and joined CSGA in 1996, acting now as a CSGA special advisor. Randy received the CSGA Honorary Life Award in 2015. With his long background, Randy shared his views on why experience working with the government makes for great hires.

Listen here.

We invite you to listen to all the great interviews!

• Our president, Dale Connell, discusses why digital seed tags are the Future.
• Executive Director Doug Miller shares the one thing your organization should do for success.

• Sarah Wilbanks of ASOCA and Csaba Gaspar of OECD Seed Schemes talk about how CSGA is playing a big role in both associations.  

• Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi, Plant Agriculture Research Associate at the University of Guelph speaks about empowering seed growers through genomics.

Upcoming Consultation on Forage and Turf for Circular 6

The Canadian Regulations and Procedures for Pedigreed Seed Crop Production (Circular 6) sets out the requirements that a seed grower and a seed crop must meet for seed crop certification.

This fall, CSGA will launch a public consultation on Section 6: Crop Specific Standards for Forage & Turf Grasses and Section 7: Crop Specific Standards for Forage Legumes within Circular 6. 

As a follow-up to last fall’s consultation on Forage and Turf, this consultation seeks feedback from stakeholders on isolation requirements and maximum impurity standards for mechanical purity, and species which may readily cross-pollinate, and species with seeds considered difficult to distinguish from one another in a lab test.

The consultation will be open for eight weeks, with feedback accepted by email and survey link. Stay tuned!