January 2025

Congratulations to our 2024 Long Service Seed Growers!

In recognition of their decades of pedigreed seed production in Canada, please help us congratulate the 332 CSGA members who received their Long Service Certificates in 2024!

Ranging from 15 to an incredible 70 years of production, we thank you for your tireless work producing some of the best seed in the world and for your leading role in supporting Canadian agriculture.

The electronic certificates will be emailed soon. Those celebrating 35 or more years of service will also receive a hard copy by mail. If you have fewer than 35 years of service and would like a paper copy, please contact the CSGA office via email or call (613) 236-0497 ext. 8803. 

CSGA Membership Broadens to Welcome All Seed Stakeholders

New in 2025, CSGA now offers three membership classes – Regular, Affiliate and Associate.

While Regular membership remains unchanged, these new classes allow us to welcome all seed stakeholders who are passionate about seed and want to advance the Canadian seed certification system. For equality and accessibility, membership fees are unified across all three membership classes at $240 and are renewed annually.

Affiliate membership is open to any regulated party in Canada’s seed certification system, including:

• Seed growers not actively producing seed crops in the current fiscal year
• Plant breeders not applying for the certification of Breeder seed in the current fiscal year
• Authorized Seed Crop Inspection Services (ASCIS) and Licensed Seed Crop Inspectors (LSCI)
• Seed analysts and seed laboratories
• Seed graders, seed establishments and operators of Registered Seed Establishments
• Seed companies that do not meet Regular membership requirements
• Active plant breeding institutions

Associate membership is open to any industry association or organization involved in or interested in pedigreed seed production and certification, including:

• Seed sector associations
• National and provincial agriculture and agrifood associations
• Organizations that support the seed sector
• Government and intergovernmental organizations
• International seed sector associations

Applications for Affiliate and Associate membership will be available on February 17, 2025. Please complete the Membership Interest Form to receive an application package in February.

If you are a seed grower or plant breeder producing Certified seed this year,  you will continue to apply for Regular membership annually, starting in March, through the submission of an Application for Seed Crop Certification and an Application for CSGA membership/Renewal in SeedCert.

For detailed information on membership requirements, terms, administration, and procedures for CSGA membership, visit our membership webpage and the CSGA Membership Admission Policy and Procedures.

Crop Planning for 2025? CSGA’s Seed Locator and Land Use Verification Services Can Help!

As seed growers and seed companies nationwide begin planning for the upcoming crop year, CSGA offers two services that can help support your planning. Did you know that CSGA offers a valuable, free service to help you ensure your seeding plans meet the necessary land use requirements? We’re here to support your efforts with Form 101: Land Use Verification.

Every pedigreed crop must meet specific previous land use requirements as defined in Circular 6. To help you confirm whether your crop plan meets CSGA’s requirements, and to minimize the risk of error, you can choose to complete a Land Use Verification form (Form 101 in SeedCert), prior to planting to share your seeding plan with us. Our Certification team will verify the eligibility of your land for pedigreed seed crop production against previous land use requirements in Circular 6 and will send confirmation on whether the plan meets CSGA’s production requirements. The form can be accessed through the “Forms” tab in SeedCert.

Be sure to consult Circular 6 before seeding to confirm the specific land use criteria for your intended crop.

Additionally, CSGA’s online National Pedigreed Seed Locator and provincial seed guides are excellent resources for sourcing the pedigreed seed varieties you need. Use the search tool in the Seed Locator to find seeds by province, crop type, and variety, making it easier than ever to find the right seed for your operation.

Happy planning, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

Have Your Say! Mechanical Purity in Cereals

CSGA is currently reviewing the maximum impurity standards for the mechanical purity of cereal seed crops producing Foundation, Registered, and Certified status seed. Specifically, the requirements being addressed are the crop (field) standards for the presence of plants of other crop kinds found during seed crop inspection (one cereal in another). (Note: The maximum impurity standards for Select status seed crops are not being reviewed.)

The proposed options aim to simplify and streamline the current standards and now stakeholders in the entire seed sector value chain are invited to participate and share their feedback.

We encourage you to review the pre-consultation document and complete the survey. The survey is now open until March 4, 2025, at 5pm ET.

If you have any questions, please reach out directly via email to both Mike Scheffel and Gail Harris.

Thank you for your participation. Your feedback on these proposed revisions helps ensure a responsive and effective seed certification system that supports Canadian agriculture.

New Year, New Accreditation: Become an ASG

Canada’s seed sector relies on highly skilled growers like YOU to maintain the integrity of our seed system and to uphold the Certified seed brand of quality seed. CSGA Learn recognizes the unique expertise of seed growers, providing a pathway to formal accreditation.

By completing CSGA Learn’s Experienced Seed Grower Program, you can earn the coveted Accredited Seed Grower (ASG) designation—easily and on your schedule.

This program is specifically designed for experienced growers to benchmark their knowledge and demonstrate their expertise. Upon successful completion, you’ll receive a verified digital badge to distinguish yourself in the marketplace, showcasing your commitment to quality and professionalism.

Your ASG designation isn’t just a title—it’s a symbol of your commitment to seed quality, innovation, and excellence!

• Showcase Your Expertise: Highlight your advanced knowledge of seed production, seed standards, and Best Management Practices.
• Expand Your Opportunities: Stand out from your peers by positioning yourself as a trusted leader in the seed sector.
• Earn a Verified Badge: Display your digital badge on your website and in seed advertisements to attract seed buyers who value your expertise and commitment to producing high-quality Certified seed.

For seed buyers, be sure to ask your seed grower retailer if they hold the Accredited Seed Grower (ASG) designation—it’s a clear indicator of their expertise and commitment to quality.

Seed companies should look for growers with the ASG designation when contracting seed production. This certification assures you that they understand production standards and Best Management Practices (BMPs), minimizing risks and ensuring top-tier seed quality.

Circular 6 Notice of Changes – Qualification for Plot Grower Accreditation

As Canada’s national seed crop certification authority, CSGA continues to improve the Canadian Regulations and Procedures for Pedigreed Seed Crop Production (Circular 6) to ensure that standards are updated, internationally harmonized, and incorporate new technology.

There is only one revision to the certification requirements for 2025 in Circular 6, as described in the Notice of Changes related to qualification for plot grower accreditation. Specifically clarifying that seed growers wishing to complete their probationary production in two years must complete the required CSGA Learn Probation Plot Grower program by April 1 of their second year of probation plot production.

We also recommend having more than one person on the farm with a CSGA plot grower accreditation. A farm with multiple accredited people protects the farm’s future. It ensures that work can continue without interruptions, even during times of change or unexpected challenges. It’s also key in succession planning to keep a family seed farm running smoothly for the long haul. Remember, plot grower accreditation is not transferable and is specific to the individual who has earned it.

If you have any questions on this revision or how it might affect you, please email Gail Harris, Standards Manager or call (613) 236-0497 ext. 227.

Preparing for the 2025 Season: New Varieties

Winter is the perfect time for distributors and breeding institutions to ensure any new varieties are entered into CSGA’s system well before the crop Application deadline dates. If the variety doesn’t exist in CSGA’s database, applications for seed crop certification cannot be submitted to CSGA, so it’s very important to make sure the data is in place ahead of time to avoid any application delays.

There are three ways a variety can enter CSGA’s database:

1. Variety Registration by the CFIA
2. Variety Recognition by CSGA
3. Use the “Enter a New Variety” Form: As in the following examples:
   • For varieties that are or will be going through one of the first two processes but where the process won’t be completed by the application deadline dates,
   • For varieties that have been recognized as eligible for certification by another AOSCA agency or country participating in the OECD Seed Schemes,
   • For new varieties that are being multiplied prior to commercialization, or
   • For experimental varieties that require a Breeder-status crop certificate.

Please note that both options 1 and 2 can take two to eight weeks, so it is important to apply for registration or recognition early. For more information as to when a variety should be registered with CFIA or recognized by CSGA, please email the CSGA office.

The Variety tab in SeedCert can be used to check whether a variety is in CSGA’s database. If you have any concerns or questions, you can visit our Variety Recognition for Seed Crop Certification webpage or email our certification team. We are always happy to help.

Spread the Word! #ChooseCertifiedSeed

You know the value of choosing Certified seed—and thanks to the incredible success of our #ChooseCertifiedSeed campaign, so do almost 1,000,000 people! This campaign has been a powerful way to highlight the benefits of Canadian Certified seed to farmers, food processors, and consumers.

The campaign’s impact has been so strong that we’re running it again—just in time for farmers to choose the seed they’ll plant this season. With a beautifully designed microsite and compelling videos featuring voices from our own farming community, we’re showing why Certified seed is the smart choice for quality, performance, and results. But to keep the momentum going, we need your help.

Support the campaign by liking, sharing, and commenting on our social media posts. Or take it a step further—use our unbranded content to create your own posts. And remember to tag your posts with #ChooseCertifiedSeed!

Let’s work together to show even more Canadians the value of Certified seed. Join us in spreading the word and making this year’s campaign bigger and better than ever!

Goodbye, PO Box – Hello, 21 Florence!

As we kick off 2025, we have an important update to share: we are officially retiring our PO Box. Moving forward, 21 Florence Street, Ottawa ON K2P 0W6 will be our sole address for all mail and courier deliveries.

To ensure a seamless transition, a forwarding service with Canada Post will remain in place for a limited time, allowing us to streamline our operations and better serve you. Should you have any questions, please email Client Support or call (613) 236-0497 ext. 8803.