18 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA NOVEMBER 2026 ÉRIC LAFLAMME JOINED the board of the Producteurs de semences du Québec (PSQ) in 2008 and served in several leadership roles, including vice-pres ident.Through changing presidents and boards, he provided continuity, institutional knowledge and what the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) describes as steady guidance. His contribution earned him the CSGA’s Robertson Associate Award in 2026. A second-generation farmer near Saint-Hyacinthe, Laflamme operates Ferme Roflamme with his family. The approximately 1,000-hectare operation produces corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and forages, with pedigreed seed produc tion and Select plots at the centre of the business. The farm has a longstanding Quebec’s Éric Laflamme received the CSGA Robertson Associate Award in 2026. Behind Quebec’s nearly 86,000 inspected seed acres is an organization working to ensure growers have a strong voice on research, regulation and certification. The Quiet Work Behind Quebec’s Seed Sector ERIC THERIAULT HAS watched certified seed sales decline across the Maritimes for roughly a decade. He worries the region may be approaching a point from which it will be difficult to recover — but he also believes greater awareness could begin reversing the trend. “My own perspective is that the seed is fading away,” says Theriault, New Brunswick director for the Maritime seed growers branch of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA). Theriault owns Eastern Grains Inc. in Grand Falls, N.B., which markets grains and oilseeds and operates a large farm. The Maritime branch represents pedi greed seed growers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Maritime Seed Growers Make Their Numbers Count Declining certified seed use is putting pressure on local production, but Maritime growers still see an opportunity to rebuild awareness of its value. relationship with Sollio Cooperative and uses exclusively certified seed. His career illustrates the role played by the PSQ, which represents Quebec seed growers within the Producteurs de grains du Québec. Based in Saint- Hyacinthe, the organization advocates for growers on certification, marketing, research and regulatory issues while connecting them with CSGA and federal agencies. Quebec had 523 CSGA seed grower members in 2025, up from 498 the previous year. The province recorded 85,963 inspected seed acres that year. Gabriel Provost became PSQ president in February 2026. Among the organization’s current priorities are preserving certified seed requirements within La Financière agri cole programs and defending public agri cultural research amid federal cutbacks. In 2025, CSGA recorded 19 members and approximately 3,660 inspected acres across New Brunswick and P.E.I. For Theriault, those numbers point to a difficult cycle. As more farmers rely on farm-saved seed, sales decline. Theriault currently works with more than 15 varie ties but expects to reduce that to four or five, yet he has not given up on certified seed. “If producers were more aware of that part, it would make a huge difference in the broader picture. We need strong seed sales in order to attract research and variety development in the Maritimes,” he says. “With no new good varieties coming, the whole cereals industry is at risk.” Eric Theriault is the New Brunswick director for the Maritime seed growers branch of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association.
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