JULY 2017 GERMINATION.CA 7 1830 1840 1850 1860 1867 1870 1880 1890 1900 1904 1909 1910 1914 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 Confederation of Canada. The federal Department of Agriculture is formed and the first agriculture minister appointed. Massive wave of immigration from Europe begins, many immigrants being farmers. Canadian Seed Growers’ Association is formed. First samples of Marquis wheat are sent for final testing, opening the Prairies to agriculture and Canada to international markets. The First World War begins by its members, but the organization has had to weather the storms of a constantly changing seed landscape, both in terms of technology and regulation. The CSGA has been an inspira- tion of sorts to the Canadian seed sector. Since its founding, five other organizations have sprung up to represent the industry: the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) was founded in 1923; the Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada (CSAAC) came along in 1944; CropLife Canada was formed in 1952; and CSI was founded in 1997, along with the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA) that same year. “When you look at our organiza- tion’s history, you have to make a distinction between the last 30 years and the last 100 years. When I started my career in government 30 years ago, the seed program was part of the inspection branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). There was a shift that took place where government decided it was going to rethink its role and give more room for the market to operate as it became more open,” Chancey says. “We basically shifted the policy foundation for how we supported and interacted with the ag sector. The only problem was we didn’t update our vision for how the seed regula- tory system was going to evolve. I think CSGA has done a great job with limited resources to try and sustain a system that has long needed a new vision and new investment, and pos- sibly new institutions.” Today, the CSGA enjoys a mem- bership of 3,500 made up of indi- vidual seed growers and small to large-size businesses. You have to grow at minimum one field of certified seed in order to become a member of CSGA. CSGA’s functions have evolved to deal with other challenges that aren’t simply agronomic, Preater notes. CSGA has evolved and has seven provincial associations — British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes. “Over that 113 years since CSGA was formed, because it was a very representative organization, its provincial associations have helped reflect regional concerns. It has also supported a competitive seed produc- tion sector that reflects the nature of this diverse country and supports the small business sector,” Preater says. “The role that CSGA has tradition- ally played in maintaining very high technical standards for varietal purity while providing uniquely Canadian technical solutions for certification challenges may be more important today than in the past, especially with the impact of globalization.” The arrival of alternative service delivery (ASD) was a major opportu- nity for the CSGA to show its ability to adapt to changing times. Doug Miller, managing director of certifi- cation and technology services, led a project to automate CSGA’s certi- fication system in response to ASD. Under Miller’s watch, CSGA trans- formed its entire business process to a paperless, electronic platform using Laserfiche and LincDoc software. 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. In 2016, CSGA recruited former CFIA national seed program manager Mike Scheffel to be its policy director. He brings an in-depth understand- ing of the seed regulatory landscape both domestically and internationally, and detailed knowledge of the other five associations that represent the Canadian seed industry. In response to the shifting seed scene, CSGA began to undertake a strategic plan exercise in 2016. The new five-year strategic plan was presented at its July 2017 annual general meeting in Halifax, N.S., and the focus now shifts to its implementation. The concertmaster for CSGA’s strategic planning process is veteran consultant Monty Doyle, a recognized expert in facilitating and managing these types of exercises. According to Doyle, if the plan is implemented, not only will the CSGA and its members be better off, but so will the whole sector — the strategic plan was crafted with a view of modernizing the certification system while building stronger sector partnerships, with CSGA stepping up and being a stronger advocate for its members in the process. “It’s a very ambitious plan,” Chancey says.