I grew up in southern Ontario surrounded by cows and crops and I was also involved in 4-H. You can say agriculture extended itself into my career because of the great people involved in it and the camaraderie I felt with them.
I’ve gained valuable experience from across Canada with crop inputs, the cattle industry and the grain sector. In my time at Viterra I worked in truck logistics. I then managed the Canadian Charolais Association in Calgary, before moving to member relations with Grain Farmers of Ontario.
It’s exciting to be a part of an organization like Seeds Canada that is establishing itself in the ag industry. I was very drawn to the fact it’s a national association representing people from across the country and making an impact. Seed is the vital first link for the entire value chain.
In my career, I’ve learned how important seed is to producers, even though they might not think about it all the time. It’s an annual tradition to plant seed, but planting is so integral to what a farmer does that it’s almost like breathing; you do it all the time out of necessity, but when was the last time you really thought about how important it is?
Furthermore, when was the last time you thought about the time, expertise and money that goes into making new and innovative seed varieties?
As I embark on my new journey as IP manager, this will be my message to growers. Having grown up in ag, I know firsthand the importance of supporting new innovations.
That’s why we continue to fine-tune the Variety Use Agreement (VUA) program, for which we recently hit a milestone. In September 2021, we received our first official seed use declarations from farmers for seed they retained from their 2020 crop production, where their 2020 crops were established with the certified seed they purchased.
We also received our first payments for these declarations on behalf of the breeders or distributors of the varieties. Over 320 farmers and 159 retailers have signed up and are using the VUA platform. We have 11 varieties enrolled in total, including two public varieties from the United States.
The baseline framework of the VUA platform is now in place. This is a large priority for Seeds Canada and our members. Weekly, people call with suggestions on how to improve the platform and provide ideas for other things it could accomplish as a management tool.
We are looking forward to reengaging producer groups in discussing the VUA and VUA platform. We expect there will be interest in a demonstration of the platform and how it works.
We are confident more growers will appreciate the value of the VUA and VUA platform as time goes on as it is proving to be a very cost effective tool. I think you will continue to see varieties from public and private institutions outside of Canada using the VUA. They’re used to systems like this for funding innovation.
They key to doing that will be openness to change. As the Seed Regulatory Modernization Process plays out, I’m confident that change will happen. One step at a time, as the saying goes. Please email me at mreekie@seedscanada.ca with your input.
