Craig Riddell – 2016 Robertson Associate Award Recipient

Craig Riddell is the owner of Riddell Seed Co., a pedigreed seed business he operates along with his wife Colleen and few long-term employees. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2000 and started farming in partnership with his cousin Clifford Riddell while transitioning the farm to a full-service seed business.

Riddell Seed Co. operates on 3,000 acres producing a wide variety of crops for seed, both for direct retail and on contract for seed companies and breeding institutions. Craig is both a select grower and also is accredited with variety maintainer status. In addition to supplying pedigreed seed to commercial producers, the farm specializes in early generation seed increase of new varieties producing 30-40 breeder, select, or foundation plot fields each year. Crops produced include spring and winter wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, fababeans, canola, corn, flax, peas, alfalfa seed, clover and several grass seed species. He is also a shareholder in Interlake Saskatoons Ltd.

Craig sat on the Manitoba Seed Growers Association board of directors for 10 years starting in 2003. He was MSGA president in 2010 and 2011 and served as past-president for two years following. Craig concluded his time on the MSGA board at the 2013 Annual Meeting.

During his time on the MSGA Board, Craig represented the MSGA in many formats some of which include Keystone Agricultural Producers, Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team, and the Seed Sector Review. He also sat as finance chair and nominations and resolutions chair and attended provincial branch meetings in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

Craig continues to advocate for the Manitoba seed industry and currently sits on the Industry Advisory Committee for Alternate Service Delivery and the Seed Sector Value Chain Roundtable and enjoys making presentations to Canadian International Grains Institute training programs on the value of certified seed and the CSGA to CIGI training programs. Through the summer Riddell Seed Co. hosts several tours of the farm for visitors from around the world taking part in various CIGI programs.

Craig enjoys designing and building equipment tailored to the needs of the seed business and farm and Riddell Seed Co. markets some of their products to other producers.

Craig and Colleen live at Warren and have two young children Maria (6) and Hayden (4). They enjoy traveling in Canada and abroad and camping with the kids and friends. Colleen is active in curling and the community and Craig enjoys playing recreation league hockey and coaching the kids.