CSAAC 2011 Awards of Achievement
Marie Greeniaus Award Winner
In 2005, the Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada established the Outstanding Achievement Award to honour CSAAC members who promoted exceptional leadership and professionalism. The first recipient was Marie Greeniaus, who passed away later that year. In 2006, the award was renamed the Marie Greeniaus Award in her memory.
This year, CSAAC presented this award to Cathy Breadner of Canadian Seed Labs in Lindsay, Ont. Breadner has been an active member of CSAAC since 1975, and has held many executive positions within the organization, including two terms as president.
Breadner was one of the first seed analysts to own, operate and manage a seed testing business in Canada, which has expanded to include auditing for the CSI and training services. She was and is involved with many key seed industry initiatives, such as the formation of the Canadian Seed Institute, where she currently acts as administrator and technical expert for the Seed Lab Auditing Program.
Breadner is involved with the rewriting and revision of the Canadian Methods and Procedures for Testing Seed. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that Canadian seed testing is standardized and that the rules and regulations reflect current industry standards and requirements. She has been an excellent liaison between CSAAC and the rest of the seed industry, ensuring that CSAAC has a voice in the agricultural industry.
She has also strived to make improvements to CSAAC, such as the introduction of the executive director position. Within CSAAC, she has hosted conventions and workshops, and has trained and mentored many analysts, with her door open to all. It was fitting that this award went to Breadner, as she and Greeniaus were great friends and were both great mentors to CSAAC analysts.
Honourary Member Award Winner
This year’s CSAAC Honourary Member is Joanne Hinke, who has been a seed analyst for over 40 years. She has been with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Saskatoon Laboratory as an analyst, germination supervisor and purity supervisor, and is currently the quality officer for the Seed Science and Technology Section.
In these positions, Hinke has trained and mentored many seed analysts. She has played instrumental roles in the development of the following Canadian documents:
• Candidates Guide to the Analyst Accreditation Evaluation;
• The Seed Laboratory Accreditation and Audit Protocol;
• Specific Work Instructions for Seed Sampling; and
• Accredited Grader Training Manual.
She has contributed to the United States Grader Program and the Authorized Exporter’s Program. She leads the current process for the amendment of the Canadian Methods and Procedures for Testing Seed and the development of the Seed Analyst Accreditation Evaluations in Canada. She is often requested to work on CFIA policy and procedure documents because of her extensive knowledge of seed testing procedures and their impact on the seed industry.
Hinke has presented at numerous workshops for CSAAC, SCST and AOSA. She also participates in Canadian Accredited Lab audits as a lead and technical auditor and is a technical auditor for the International Seed Testing Association.
