The seed testing industry works to overcome challenges.
_x000D_
One might not think the seed testing industry and an international chain of convenience stores have much in common. But according to Sarah Foster, president of 20/20 Seed Labs, the thinking behind the company’s new Manitoba location was inspired in part by an unlikely source._x000D_
_x000D_
“You have to be unique in this line of work,” she says, showing off the new lab located in the south end of Winnipeg, along a major thoroughfare. “For us, it’s all about convenience. Growers want that._x000D_
_x000D_
“It’s in a convenient location, so we capture a lot of growers from the south and it’s basically a one-stop shop. We want to be like the 7-Eleven of the seed testing industry.”_x000D_
_x000D_
The new, larger Manitoba lab opened in the fall, moving from a smaller location in a more remote area of the city. An apartment complex is located just down the street, which is also stocked with businesses — a Subway restaurant among them. Hidden by the concrete architecture, though, are acres upon acres of agricultural fields that 20/20 Seed Labs calls its new Winnipeg home._x000D_
_x000D_
“Seed is more expensive today,” Foster says. “Seed labs are expanding to capture the need for testing that comes with making those major investments. We feel there needs to be that convenience. We need to be like a convenience store — open, convenient, receptive and service-oriented.”_x000D_
Big Demands
_x000D_
As the value of seed grows, so does the need for appropriate testing, Foster notes. That means big demands are placed on seed testing labs to offer the peace of mind that comes with getting seed tested. However, there are a limited number of seed analysts in Canada, and the hunt is always on for new ones._x000D_
_x000D_
“We have 75 members across Canada who are accredited seed analysts,” notes Betty Girard, executive director for the Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada (CSAAC). “It’s not a huge number.”_x000D_
_x000D_
One of CSAAC’s goals is to provide its customers with seed analysis services and information that will meet their marketplace needs. A big part of meeting those needs is ensuring a healthy supply of seed analysts._x000D_
_x000D_
“It’s hard to get people into the industry,” Girard says. “A lot of the training is done by mentorship. It’s nice if you have a degree, but you can come in and mentor with someone and learn the trade, and after two years, write your exam in Saskatoon.”_x000D_
_x000D_
Even so, Girard says it can be a challenge to find people and retain them, adding that people change jobs and career paths more frequently today than in the past._x000D_
_x000D_
Foster agrees._x000D_
_x000D_
“You have to be very career-oriented to be a seed analyst,” she says. “Every analyst has a comprehensive knowledge for plant and seed taxonomy, systematics, anatomy,_x000D_
physiology, cellular biology, microbiology, pathology, chemistry, entomology and nematology. A lot of education and work goes into conducting what’s considered to be routine analysis.”_x000D_
_x000D_
People like Ioana Stroe know firsthand how much training and knowledge goes into seed testing. The 37-year-old analyst recently moved to Canada from the Netherlands to work at the new 20/20 Seed Labs facility in Manitoba. In Europe, she worked at an International Seed Testing Association certified laboratory where she focused primarily on seed purity testing._x000D_
_x000D_
“The Canadian seed testing system is different than in Europe,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity to work in Canada and learn more about germination.”_x000D_
_x000D_
“We can draw on people like her, because Europe is more advanced,” Foster says about analysts such as Stroe. “We’re hampered in Canada with a narrow and limited scientific knowledge base. It can be hard to incentivize people to work in our profession.”_x000D_
_x000D_
“Seed testing represents one of the new faces of agriculture, because everything essentially starts with seed.” _x000D_
— Sarah Foster
_x000D_
_x000D_
Raising Awareness
_x000D_
CSAAC has an annual $500 student grant available for post-secondary studies in the field of agriculture and/or plant sciences at a recognized Canadian institution. According to Girard, CSAAC wishes to provide an incentive to encourage students to pursue degrees related to agriculture, and in doing so help attract new seed analysts._x000D_
_x000D_
“It takes a certain person to be in seed testing, with all the detail you have to look for,” Girard says. “The majority of our membership has at least 10 years experience. Purity is a very detailed science all by itself.”_x000D_
_x000D_
Attracting new analysts, though, means raising the profile of seed testing in Canada — something Foster says has a way to go._x000D_
_x000D_
“We have to be educating people as an industry,” she says. “Testing has become so much more complicated today. We have more diseases, varieties are changing and they behave differently. Seed testing represents one of the new faces of agriculture, because everything essentially starts with seed.”_x000D_
_x000D_
Derek Mohr is a seed production assistant for Manitoba’s DL Seeds, which creates canola hybrid varieties for North American producers. He can attest to the benefits of having a seed lab close to the facility._x000D_
_x000D_
“We process a lot of seed, so having this lab here is a huge bonus for us,” Mohr says about the new 20/20 Seed Labs location._x000D_
_x000D_
Foster is happy to be able to offer seed testing service so close to the customers who actually use those services._x000D_
_x000D_
“Without knowing what that seed is capable of doing in terms of performance, what the genetics are and quality — I think people undervalue that,” Foster says. “It’s only seed growers who completely understand and recognize it.”_x000D_
_x000D_
According to Girard, visibility goes a long way to helping the seed testing industry raise its profile. “Visibility can be an issue, just people being aware that there are labs that test seed,” she says. “There’s only so many labs across Canada that handle all the seed that needs to be tested, and there’s a lot of great people out there who are doing it.”
