DESIGNING CANADIAN SEED2.0 Looking back, five of our 2018 Giants of the Seed Industry say strategic planning, collaboration and communication will be key to navigating the road ahead. Treena Hein 8 GERMINATION.CA JANUARY 2019 ALONG WITH MANY others, Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) president Jonathan Nyborg is excited about transforming his industry through the Seed Synergy Collaboration Project, designed to create a next-generation seed regulatory system for the country. He will seize the opportunity, he says, “to help CSGA members strengthen their connections with other stakeholders in the industry and certainly in the value chain as we explore what a next- generation seed industry is going to look like in Canada.” Working together collaboratively is how he believes the industry will become stronger than it is now in meet- ing the challenges and changes to come. Tom Greaves, president of Manitoba’s Pitura Seeds, agrees. In April 2018, Pitura Seeds broke ground on the larg- est family-owned pedigreed seed processing operation in Western Canada. The facility will process 800 to 1,000 bushels per hour, with the potential to double capacity in the future, and will focus on cereals and soybeans. For Greaves, it’s the perfect time to make profound organiza- tional and regulatory changes in the sector as businesses like his expand and look to meet the future in a world in which the pace of change is faster than ever. “Change is scary but it’s a necessity, and I think that’s something we need to focus on moving forward. But if it’s done right, I think we can all be successful,” he says. Industry growth, stemming from significant invest- ment, is one direction Canada’s seed sector is going with Seed Synergy and regulatory modernization in general — which includes value creation. Anthony Parker, commis- sioner of the Plant Breeders’ Rights Office of Canada and chair of the UPOV Administrative and Legal Committee (UPOV-CAJ), characterizes private industry investment since Canada joined UPOV 91 as “quite remarkable.” He notes that while public sector cereal breeders have used the UPOV system to improve renumeration rates for the varieties they have developed (collecting royalties to sustain the programs), private sector investment has been much more dramatic. “BASF has made significant investments in wheat breeding. Limagrain as well has entered into some part- nerships. We’e seeing massive amounts of investment from the private sector now that the intellectual property environment is much improved. It’s exceeded our expec- tations for sure.”