New Blood, New Opportunities

The seed industry is fast becoming a haven for young people looking for exciting, meaningful work.

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The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) actively encourages young people to get involved in one of Canada’s largest and most important industries._x000D_
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CSTA’s “A Career in Seeds” project, which includes a new section on its website and a video focused on attracting young people to a career in the seed industry, was a major undertaking._x000D_
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Attracting young people is a necessity for an industry in which many experienced people are close to retirement. According to CSTA, the industry employs more than 14,000 Canadians — over 3,000 in plant breeding and research, over 2,500 in seed production, over 6,200 in seed processing and production support, and more than 2,300 in seed sales and marketing._x000D_
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With baby boomers fast beginning to age out of the workforce, the industry is rife with opportunity for a new generation of young professionals._x000D_
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Success on the World Stage_x000D_
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Doug Miller, director of certification and technology services at the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA), had Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson and other major industry executives listening this past October when he had the opportunity to explain CSGA’s innovative transformation from a paper-based seed certification system to a fully electronic one — a project the 28-year-old spearheaded._x000D_
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Hosted by Molson at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Miller took part in an expert panel to share his experience and expertise leading CSGA’s project to automate its certification system, which was necessitated by the introduction of the Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) program for seed crop inspection._x000D_
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Under Miller’s watch, CSGA transformed its entire business process to a paperless, electronic platform using Laserfiche and LincDoc software._x000D_
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The wildly successful initiative was recognized with a LaserFiche Run Smarter Award for the most visionary Laserfiche initiative, an international honour awarded to organizations that use LaserFiche software._x000D_
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“That was a big feather in our cap. It’s a hard contest to win — it’s usually full of Fortune 500 companies with bigger pockets than CSGA,” says Miller. “The fact we were recognized on the world stage, that was very gratifying.”_x000D_
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What’s also gratifying, according to Miller, is having access to these types of opportunities that allow for personal and career growth. As director of certification and technology services, his job is to ensure CSGA runs efficiently and effectively for delivering seed crop certification in Canada._x000D_
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“What I love about the seed industry is you can make a noticeable difference, and there are many opportunities for growth, especially these days when so many other industries are being thrown into turmoil with technologies such as Uber and Airbnb,” he says. “In seed, if you’re a good talent, you can make your career what you want and you’re recognized for your achievements.”_x000D_
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As an increasing number of young people are picking seed as their career of choice, Miller says stories like his — a tech-savvy young professional discovers new opportunities in an industry eager to benefit from his or her expertise — will only become more common._x000D_
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“You’re seeing Silicon Valley shift its focus toward agriculture,” Miller says, referring to companies, such as The Climate Corporation, that combine the latest technology with agronomy, plant breeding and farming. “Agriculture is going to get really interesting in the future._x000D_
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“There’s a huge influx of young talent that maybe never even considered getting into this industry, and they’re going to find meaningful employment in the field.”_x000D_
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Hands-On Experience_x000D_
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Being in the field is something Edmonton’s Jill Himschoot knows very well. The 31-year-old senior seed analyst for 20/20 Seed Labs is stationed in Temuco, Chile, helping the company’s customers conduct tests on canola seed. It’s a part of the job she loves._x000D_
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“It’s fast-paced and always a challenge, but I love a challenge,” she says. “I really gravitated toward this.”_x000D_
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Himschoot didn’t plan on getting into the seed industry. She originally went to Alberta’s Grande Prairie Regional College to study business and accounting._x000D_
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“I took a semester off and took a part time job as a lab tech at a seed lab. When the job at 20/20 got posted I jumped at the opportunity to train as an analyst. Life takes you down a surprise path sometimes,” she says. She never did complete the business and accounting program._x000D_
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“I was only 21 at the time. My dad worked in the seed business for years, so I’d always had some insight into the agriculture business.”_x000D_
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Like all seed analysts, she did a considerable amount of on-the-job training, something she says she was looking for in a career._x000D_
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“I thought, ‘You know, this works better for me than accounting.’ There’s no specific course to be a seed analyst, it’s very hands-on learning. You have to train under another analyst to be eligible to write the exam. It’s that specialized.”_x000D_
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As a seed analyst, she predominantly performs tests on seed, mostly for purity — searching through bulk samples to find contaminants — as well as germination testing, assessing maximum growth potential in seedling lots to determine potential yield._x000D_
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“When I’m here in Chile, we help clients do testing right here at home instead of shipping the seed to Canada and having to wait for the results,” she says._x000D_
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All About the People_x000D_
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Working with people is one of the major things that attracted Manitoba’s Kara Nadeau to the seed industry. The vice-president of Nadeau Seeds, a family-run seed company based in the tiny community of Fannystelle, she says it’s the people she works with each day that make her love coming to work._x000D_
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At just 27, Nadeau may well be one of the youngest vice-presidents in the seed industry. She’s responsible for all the sales at Nadeau Seeds and also spearheads the company’s marketing. She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture – plant science in 2011, and is constantly educating herself while working for the family business._x000D_
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“There are so many opportunities, and it’s endless,” Nadeau says. “You can be in research, plant breeding, agribusiness — you can try so many different things. You can have a job in one part of the industry but still be involved in a different aspect.”_x000D_
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It’s a sentiment echoed by Drew Pearson, a territory sales representative for Dow Seeds Canada based in Ingersoll, Ont. At 35, Pearson just marked a decade working in the agricultural industry._x000D_
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“I enjoy working with the people I see each day,” he says. “You meet so many great people and learn a lot. I’ve met so many people from all over Canada and the United States.”_x000D_
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Opportunity_x000D_
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The opportunity that the seed industry offers is a highlight for Pearson. After finishing his ag diploma at the University of Guelph, he wanted to go back to the family farm, but it wasn’t in the cards. He earned a degree in economics and started selling seed for Thompson’s._x000D_
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Like Himschoot, getting into the seed industry was unexpected for Pearson, but it’s an example of an industry that welcomes people from different backgrounds. Miller graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in biology, and working in seed wasn’t in his plans, either._x000D_
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“I’m not your typical seedsman, and Carleton isn’t really known for its ag graduates,” he says. “I find that coming to the table with a different background has served me well.”_x000D_
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According to Miller, some of CSGA’s best new employees come from the same program he took at Carleton University. Like Himschoot’s experience in seed analysis, a lot of training at CSGA occurs on-the-job._x000D_
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According to Miller, welcoming new blood into the seed industry opens up a wealth of opportunities not just for the employees, but also for the industry as a whole._x000D_
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“Our workforce at CSGA has changed drastically as a result of becoming electronic,” he says. “I think the new generation has a different way of looking at things. Most of our staff is under the age of 35 now. When we look for someone to work here, we look for someone who can actually write lines of code and update websites. What we’re looking for and able to get from the next generation allows us to better serve our members.”_x000D_
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For Pearson, serving customers provides opportunity to work side-by-side with them and use his expertise to help them make a good living._x000D_
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“You’re working with farmers, and this is their livelihood. It’s not like selling a car where if something goes wrong, it’s just an inconvenience for them. If you sell a farmer some corn that doesn’t produce, now his livelihood is affected,” Pearson says._x000D_
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Nadeau can attest to that._x000D_
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“This is an industry that provides food, feed and fuel, so there’s something new happening all the time,” she says. “I enjoy selling seed and seeing it grow, knowing it’s feeding people.”_x000D_
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While Himschoot is now a fully accredited seed analyst, certified in all crops at home in Canada, there are other designations she can pursue._x000D_
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“If you want a job that keeps you on the go and motivated, this is the industry to be in,” Himschoot says. “You learn so much, especially from people who’ve been working in it for years. I love to learn what other people do and how it applies to my job.”_x000D_
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Learning from the Best_x000D_
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While the amount of young blood flowing into the seed industry is exciting, Miller says it wouldn’t be possible for the younger generation to learn if it wasn’t for the number of experienced people they get to learn from._x000D_
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“I’ve had a lot of great mentors who helped me out and gave me a lot of opportunities,” Miller says. He adds that it was Dale Adolphe, a former CSGA executive director, who gave him the chance to work there and prove himself._x000D_
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Pearson has had much the same experience. He says his employers have faith in him and give him the ability to make the job what he wants._x000D_
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In turn, that provides him with a variety of work. “You’re not in an office every single day; you’re on the road,” he says. “There are days when you’re doing business planning, and other days when you’re digging holes in fields looking for germination.”_x000D_
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Like Miller, Pearson also notes that technology plays a huge role in his work and makes it easier — thanks in part to the younger generation that’s embracing such things._x000D_
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Pearson explains that with a technology like Skype, he can talk with the seed partner and have him go to the field with the farmer. “He can Skype me, and we can discuss the problem, agree on a re-plant, sign off on it and it’s done,” Pearson says. “It takes 20 minutes, not six or seven hours. Anyone who can master new technologies will really advance their career in the future.”_x000D_
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However, it takes experienced members of the industry to mentor him so he’s able to provide the kind of service customers expect. “It’s exciting having the confidence of the company behind you,” Pearson says._x000D_
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Challenges_x000D_
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While the new generation learning from industry veterans is invaluable, Miller says there’s a growing generation gap that he encounters on a regular basis. As people retire from the industry, their knowledge goes with them. This leaves people such as Miller in need of mentoring more than ever._x000D_
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“When the boomers all leave, there will be a big information gap,” Miller explains. “We need to confront that and build it back up. I’ve had a lot of great mentors like Dale Adolphe and Randy Preater, and now they’re gone._x000D_
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“It can be hard for young people since they don’t have that background and experience. That generation gap is the biggest challenge I face on a daily basis.”_x000D_
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Nadeau says it’s crucial to keep pursuing an education, in whatever form it might take._x000D_
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There are difficulties inherent to the seed industry that also pose a challenge, according to Himschoot. She works to raise awareness of how important seed testing is, in an effort to increase its value and ensure a healthy future for the sector._x000D_
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“It’s not exactly the highest-paying job, being a seed analyst,” she says. “As far as analytical work goes, it doesn’t have a huge pay grade — that is a challenge._x000D_
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“The testing we do is technical, and the accreditation is difficult to get and maintain, but people aren’t paying a lot for the testing. It’s hard to try and sell a specialized job when there’s not a lot of monetary incentive. You have to love it to do it long term.”_x000D_
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For Pearson, the fact that many consumers have misconceptions of agriculture is a challenge he deals with on a regular basis._x000D_
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“Dow has done a good job getting different companies and organizations in to train us to have those conversations,” Pearson says. “It’s our responsibility to brush up on our research a bit as well so we can educate people who are misinformed.”_x000D_
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Nadeau agrees._x000D_
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“The media is always talking about GMOs and organic farming and all those hot-button issues,” she says. “It’s important for people to know the truth about agriculture. We eat at least three times a day, and it’s our industry that makes that possible.”_x000D_
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