Bill Legge, Dorothy Murrell and Stephen Denys were recognized today by the Canadian Seed Trade Association for their hard work in advancing their industry.
In The Merchants of Seed, a history book detailing the founding of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA), then-CSTA president Lloyd Dick notes that the people of the seed industry “are both colourful and full of character.”
This year’s CSTA award winners, honoured at the association’s annual meeting in Halifax, N.S., on July 10, 2017, are no exception.
The CSTA awarded Bill Legge its Plant Breeding and Genetics Award. Legge was employed as a barley breeder at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research station in Brandon, Man., for approximately 30 years. He has become an accomplished breeder of two-row malting barley in Canada. In fact, his variety AC Metcalfe was the most widely grown two-row malting barley in Canada from 2000 to 2015, notes SeCan R&D manager Jim Downey. Legge’s variety AAC Synergy shows promise as another popular two-row malting variety.
Legge’s attention to disease resistance also led to the establishment of a fusarium head blight nursery at the AAFC Brandon Research Centre. This nursery provides a major service to barley breeders and farmers by developing improved disease resistance for new varieties.
“Dr. Legge’s work has been instrumental in building Canada’s international reputation as a quality malt barley supplier,” says Jill McDonald, executive director of the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission.
Aaron Beattie, associate professor in the barley and oat breeding program at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, praises Legge for his help in mentoring the next generation.
“Bill has been a valuable contributor to me and has been a helpful source of information and advice during my early years as a barley breeder,” Beattie adds.
Making a Better Industry
A former CSTA president, Dorothy Murrell has had a long and storied history in the seed industry, and was honoured this year with CSTA’s Honorary Life Membership Award.
For her friend and colleague John Cowan, Murrell’s life in seed mirrors the timeless message from L. Frank Baum’s literary classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Murrell was on the CSTA executive when CSTA made a substantial change in direction, notes Cowan, himself a past recipient of the Honorary Life Membership Award.
“CSTA went from an industry that talked almost exclusively with government regulators to an industry that started to speak with politicians, provincial legislators, grower groups and to an early extent, even the general public. Dorothy was at the centre of this change in direction,” he says.
And like the character in Baum’s story, Cowan says she landed in a place that was experiencing many challenges and she met some very interesting characters along the way — and took them on a journey that helped them improve themselves.
“She had a goal of bringing the industry together; to make it a better place, to make it more inclusive and a place where people/groups became better listeners and were more understanding of other opinions and industry needs. Dorothy was one of the calm, patient voices that pointed out that there was not a one-size-fits-all answer for each seed crop.”
Murrell’s career in the seed industry spanned many crops. She started in the forage seed industry, then became involved in canola, and then entered the cereals side of the business with the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon. She is now project director for the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence.
“What I remember the most about [the time of her CSTA involvement] was Dorothy’s desire to make CSTA the ‘go-to’ organization for input on industry decisions,” says Neil Arbuckle, Monsanto Canada’s national sales lead. “She too wanted to the see the CSTA morph from a reactive organization to one that got in front of issues and took proactive steps to head major issues off at the pass.”
From the Farm to the Seed Business
Receiving the Seed Achievement Award is former CSTA president Stephen Denys. Raised on a field and vegetable farm near Chatham, Ont., he continues to operate his family farm where he grows corn, soybeans, white beans and wheat. He has become well known as a leader of the seed sector and in agriculture in Ontario and across the country.
He began his career in the crop protection sector, and then as a strategic marketing consultant before joining Pride Seeds in Ontario as vice-president, sales and marketing. In 2016, Denys became the director of business management for Maizex Seeds in Tilbury. He was elected to the CSTA board of directors in 2007, and joined the CSTA executive in 2011.
“Whether he is working to increase the understanding of agricultural technology — promoting open markets and the generation of funds for investment — or reaching out to youth to promote agriculture and particularly the seed sector as sources of exciting and rewarding careers, Stephen is always focused on growing and improving agriculture and the seed business,” says Dave Baute, Maizex Seeds president.
“[His] work to develop an environment that fosters investment goes beyond intellectual property protection initiatives. He is a strong advocate for the use of certified seed to improve agricultural productivity, but also to facilitate a return on investment in research and plant breeding.”
