August 21, 2020

Did You Cast Your Vote?

This summer, the CSGA Board of Directors has asked members to vote on a special resolution to amalgamate the CSGA with the CSTA, CSI, CPTA and CSAAC to form a new national seed organization, to be called Seeds Canada.

With less than a week before the virtual Special General Meeting (SGM) of Thursday, August 27, 2020, now is the time to cast your vote. Members may vote in advance until 11 am EDT on August 26, 2020, or during the SGM of August 27, 2020 from 11 am to 12:40 pm EDT.

Voting instructions are available on the voting card included in the hard copy ratification package distributed to CSGA members in July. If you did not receive or have misplaced your hard copy voting package, including your voting card with a unique control number for voting purposes, please communicate with the CSGA office at seedtalk@seedgrowers.ca or call 613-236-0496 x 241.

For more information on the amalgamation ratification, or instructions on how to vote, please visit the CSGA website.

The CSGA Board of Directors Invites You to Attend the August 27 Special General Meeting

For the past 116 years, the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association has built a strong history and legacy as a grassroots organization. Still today, the CSGA Board of Directors strongly values the diversity and the opinions of our members. The decision to amalgamate with other seed industry partners is now in the hands of our members and it is with much anticipation that the Board awaits the direction our members choose for the future of the Association and the Canadian seed sector on August 27. We invite you to join us and participate in this historic event!

The virtual Special General Meeting is open to all members and stakeholders. Join the meeting at web.lumiagm.com/471867151 on Thursday, August 27 starting at 11 am EDT.

CSGA Members must log in to the meeting with the unique control number provided on their hard copy voting card to validate their membership and obtain voting rights during the Special General Meeting. If you did not receive or have misplaced your hard copy voting package, including your voting card, please contact the CSGA office at seedtalk@seedgrowers.ca or call 613-236-0496 x 241.

Please join us! For meeting details, please visit our website.

Food For Thought!

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is asking you to show your support for Canadian Farmers. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt far and wide through many sectors, but the pandemic has also disrupted the Canadian supply chain. This means that farmers are finding it more difficult to produce the same variety of foods at the same low cost.
By investing in our agricultural sector, the government can help address these challenges, and keep our farms growing steadily. To continue to provide Canadians with a wide variety of affordable, nutritious food, please visit supportcanadianfood.ca and send a message of support to your MP with just a few clicks!

Over 9,000 Canadians have already spoken up – will you join them?

Carry Over Seed and Seed Locator

This year’s pedigreed seed crops are now showing on CSGA’s online Pedigreed Seed Locator. Use the online tool to find Certified seed available in your region.

Notice of Carry-Over Seed

Growers and assignees may use the online tool in the CSGA Members’ Area to notify CSGA of any carry-over seed, eligible for sale, available to be listed in CSGA’s Pedigreed Seed Locator website, and provincial seed guides. Please check with your provincial seed guide publisher for cut-off dates to submit your data to CSGA. A $50 fee per entry (per crop certificate) is applicable and will be charged to your account.

Only seed sources which were grown by or assigned to your account, and are eligible for sale, will be displayed in the Seed Locator and in the seed guides.  If the seed crop was assigned to a third-party, please note that the data will be displayed in the name of the assignee. If the field is not assigned, the seed guide data will be displayed in the producer’s name.

Important Information Regarding Form 300 and Form 45 Seed Samples

As of January 2020, seed samples that must accompany both the Form 300 (Application for Variety Certification Eligibility) and Form 45 (Breeder Seed Demotion) should now be sent directly to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) at the following address:

CFIA Variety Verification Program
Seed Science Unit
3851 Fallowfield Rd, Building 210, PO Box 11300
Nepean, ON K2H 8P9

While this change has been spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not a temporary adjustment and will carry on beyond 2020. Samples that are received at the CSGA office may be returned directly to the sender rather than being forwarded on to the CFIA.

Additionally, Form 45 is now available electronically on the Forms tab in the CSGA Members’ Area. Electronic or paper copies of Form 300 and tag images should continue to be submitted to the CSGA office.

Changes to Plot Seed Sample Requirements

For Select, Foundation and Probationary Plot Growers, as we get into sample submission time for plots, please remember that changes were made to Circular 6 to adjust the number of samples that are required for certification.

Seed samples are required by CSGA and CFIA for variety verification testing to monitor the seed certification process. Samples are submitted from Probation, Foundation and Select plots and directed investigations and audit programs. Rather than requiring one sample per plot, growers are now asked to submit one seed sample per crop certificate.

For example: If a grower is producing multiple plots of the same variety and class that are not probation plots, only one crop certificate number would be issued and so only one sample is required.  If probation plots are also being produced of the same variety under the same grower number, a different crop certificate number would be issued for each and so a separate sample from each probation plot would also be required.

You must follow the procedures outlined in this PDF or your sample may not be processed, and a crop certificate may not be issued.

Sample bags will be distributed shortly. However, if you need additional sample bags, please contact the CSGA office at 613-236-0497, email us at applications@seedgrowers.ca or contact us through the chat feature at seedgrowers.ca.

Field Maps and GPS Coordinates

Don’t forget your field maps, GPS coordinates and seed tags!

Field maps must contain sufficient information for the inspector to find the field. Directions and labels should be legible and provided where necessary. Maps can be attached to the Application for Seed Crop Certification or uploaded using the Map Upload tool, found on the Forms tab of the CSGA Members’ Area.

GPS coordinates can be provided on the Application for Seed Crop Certification in a decimal degree format. If you are using an alternative format, please use a third-party tool to convert to the decimal degree format or submit a map instead.

Ideally, you should submit both the field map and GPS coordinates.

Additionally, images of tags must be provided for each crop. A single image containing one tag for each unique parent seed source should be provided. If two different lots are used, one tag representing each lot number should be included. If the grower has planted their own seed, a copy of the crop certificate can be provided instead of a tag. The grower should include the quantity of seed in kgs used from that seed source. Please see the example below.

The image can be attached to the initial Application or uploaded using the “Seed Tag Upload” tool, found on the Forms tab of the CSGA Members’ Area.

In Case You Missed It! Letter to Members from CSGA President

On August 17, CSGA President Joe Rennick released a statement clarifying that a recent Seeds Canada “Vote No” message that was distributed to members was not endorsed by the CSGA Board of Directors.  If you missed the email communication, please read it here.