At the 95th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) in Montreal, Quebec, CSTA was pleased to welcome not only its new president, but also new board members.
Todd Hyra, of SeCan, will be the 67th President of CSTA. Hyra is known by many as a very dedicated member of CSTA and also a passionate agvocate. He has been attending CSTA meetings since 1994, has served on the Board of Directors since 2011 and was elected to the Executive in 2016.
Hyra’s love of agriculture started in childhood, being raised on a mixed grain and beef farm in Grandview, Manitoba. Hyra continued his journey in agriculture when he began his career in 1990 in the seed industry, first at Proven Seed, and now, at SeCan. He joined SeCan in September 2007 as the Business Manager for western Canada.
Hyra continues to work to improve the industry by volunteering his expertise in many seed industry initiatives including as CSTA’s representative on the Minister of Agriculture’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Advisory Committee, the Seed Synergy Oversight Committee and working groups of the Seed and Grains Value Chain Round Tables.
“It is my honor to take on this role as the 2018-2019 President of the Canadian Seed Trade Association,” said Hyra. “It has been my pleasure to work with this Association over the last several years and I look forward to continuing to work with the membership to drive forward issues of importance to them and to our industry.”
Hyra will lead an active Board of Directors, who remain focused on serving CSTA members and developing opportunities within the seed industry for innovation and growth. It is CSTA’s privilege to welcome new board members: Erin Armstrong, Director of Industry and Regulatory Affairs, CANTERRA SEEDS; Denise Schmidt, Director of Sales, Cibus and returning board member Doug Alderman, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, PRIDE Seeds.
CSTA’s Board of Directors also includes: Georges Chaussé, La Coop Fédérée, 1st Vice-President; Ellen Sparry, C&M Seeds, 2nd Vice-President; Dan Wright, Monsanto Canada, Past President; Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds Limited; Bruce Harrison, Nutrien Ag Solutions; Bob Hart, Sevita International; Duane Johnson, Syngenta Canada; George Lammertsen, Bayer CropScience; Brian Nadeau, Nadeau Seeds; Roger Rotariu, NuFarm; Marty Vermey, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont and Jim Schweigert, Gro Alliance, LLC, CSTA’s American Seed Trade Association representative.
“Over the years, it has been my privilege to work with the committed individuals who make up CSTA’s Board of Directors,” Hyra said. “We have many priority areas that we would like to address over the next year, but I’m confident that the dedication and enthusiasm of the 2018-2019 Board of Directors will enable us to bring those priorities forward and make immeasurable progress.”
“CSTA is well served by a dynamic, dedicated and diverse Board of Directors, all of which are leaders in the seed industry in their own right,” said Dave Carey, Executive Director, CSTA, “We have always said that our strength is our members and there is no better group that embodies that message and the CSTA Mission: To foster seed industry innovation and trade, than our 16-member Board of Directors.”
In closing, Hyra said, “I would invite our members to connect with CSTA or me at any time. Your active participation is what makes this Association so valuable and we would always encourage our members to become more involved. Your comments and insight are also always valued and we look forward to working together to accomplish our goals to the benefit of all members of CSTA and the broader industry.”
