Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5212 ONEof the most important things that Canada’s early settlers brought with them was seed. Early immigrants cleared patches of land and planted vegetable and forage seeds that they brought with them from Scotland, Ireland, England, France and Germany. Some of the plants didn’t survive Canada’s climate, but seed was carefully collected from those that did and saved to plant the next year’s crop. According to the Canadian Seed Trade Association’s 75th Anniversary book, The Merchants of Seed, forage seeds were a crucial part of the settlers’ live- lihood, first to ensure that they could feed their livestock and later, as stocks built up, a source of income. General stores got involved, buying surplus seed and selling to those in need. As the population grew, so did demand. Some general store merchants began to specialize in seed. By the end of the 19th century, there were a number of seed merchants operating in Ontario and Quebec, buying locally grown seed and in some cases importing from other parts of the world. Ontario Leads the Way Ontario was the early leader in forage seed. Martin Pick, former vice-chairman of the Pickseed Group of Companies, speaks of his early days working with his father Otto, and his brother Tom. “Back in those days forage seed was the backbone of Ontario agriculture,” he says. “Corn was only on the fringes.” Red clover, timothy, and particu- larly alsike clover, became important It entered into Canada with the earliest of settlers, was carefully tended and saved, and it was the preface of the seed trade. While It has experienced many changes, the forage seed trade is still a thriving and vital part of Canadian agriculture. crops. Early merchants competing both for seed supply and sales included Rennies, Steele Brigs, United Co-op of Ontario, A.E. McKenzie Company, Hogg & Lytle Seeds and others. In a November, 1963 speech, Stewert Chidley of Hogg & Lytle Seeds reflected on those early times. He said: “A very prosperous era for agriculture was during and right after the World War I. Alsike reached a price of $30 and better per bushel, and red clover hit $40 per bushel. On more than one occasion, Ontario produced 18 million pounds of alsike. No wonder then that alsike paid for many farms ...” Peter Bonis, co-owner of Bonis and Sons Ltd. and Seed-Link Inc., got his start with Hogg & Lytle Seeds. He adds: “Many of the larger brick homes on A Focus on Forage, Turf Part 1 of 3 This article is the first in a three-part series, where you’ll explore the forage and turf seed sectors, from its earnest beginnings to present day competition to future innovations and expectations. thebeginning: All on a Handshake farms in this area were built with the proceeds of alsike crops marketed far and away by Hogg & Lytle Limited.” However, the golden years for alsike in Ontario didn’t last. “Something started to develop in the alsike crop in the 30’s, which defied solution,” Bonis says. “Whether it was a clover weevil, decline in wild pollinators due to removal of stump and rail fences or other causes, yields declined and production slipped away to other more productive areas.” Henri Malon, a well respected seeds- man, also recalls the early days. In 1950, at age 22 years and fresh “off the boat,” Malon searched for jobs in Ontario by writing letters to newspapers. “I had some accounting experience, so I applied for an accounting job with Brothers Harold and Barney Bjornson (pictured) were two of the best birdsfoot trefoil growers. Photo: Martin Pick.