TERRY EWACHA started with Pickseed in 1984. Upon graduation from the University of Manitoba, he was hired as a field rep and moved up to production manager and eventually to his current posi- tion of executive vice-president of wholesale and western operations. For Ewacha, a big challenge facing the forage sector isn’t always commodity prices or other factors that are actively controlled by humans, but rather something that humanity is grappling with that is a lot more dif- ficult to get a handle on. “Climate change is dictating what crops/varieties can be grown consistently. As far as supplying our customers the right products at the right time, certainly that is something we strive for but can’t always achieve due to external forces beyond our control. But at the same time, we've got to adapt and adjust our plans to ensure that we have the best products to cover the ever-changing needs of our customers. The logistics of that are huge,” he says. But alas, it’s human beings who will ultimately decide the ending of the cli- mate change story, and Ewacha worries that the industry is having a tough time attracting new blood to help do that. Network, Network, Network According to Ewacha, you have to lever- age your experience to see where the trends are going in order to guide your business. “What will the marketplace want? Having a global network is essential to knowing that. Modern technology allows DLF to bring new products to the market at a greater rate, but there’s no substitute for having those long-standing trusted relationships.” Create the Right Team “People on your team have got to have a desire and passion to win and an ability to contribute to the team as a whole. I am very fortunate in that the vast majority of the people on our staff have 10 years’ or more experience and definitely contribute to our success globally.” HEATHER’S family grows forage seed and operates its own forage seed cleaning plant, as well as running an agri-retail operation. They started off with one cleaning plant, then built another. And then another. Not only does she help run the day-to-day operations of the family business, but as a past president of and one of the early champi- ons of Forage Seed Canada, she’s figured out a magic formula to help organizations survive and thrive. “For me, I think my biggest success is building this business that allowed me to do everything I’ve done. Here I am, just about 40 years after I got into forage seed, and still love it,” she says. Don’t Let Things Slide “Serving as president of Forage Seed Canada, persistence was key in keeping things together. If someone didn’t get back to me within a day, I would phone them and say, ‘So what’s the status?’ I was a bit of a hound dog I think. I would always push and if they didn’t really believe in what we were doing I would say, ‘OK, get someone else to represent you then.’ Because you have to have people who are committed. This was the national voice of the forage seed industry I was leading. I always thought of the big picture.” Celebrate Your Achievements “Now I’m 57, our kids are all grown up, married, gone, and now I am kind of saying, ‘OK, I did this for 20 years and now I’m kind of slowing down and going back to basics.” Learn from your Failures “We tried so hard for so long to raise awareness of why GM alfalfa should stay out of Western Canada for now. We tried from Day 1 to make it more known by the consumer what the consequences would be if GM alfalfa were to be grown here. When it finally comes — I don’t want it to, but I think it will — there will be hiccups. My biggest failure was not getting people to understand what the consequences could be of something like that.” JANUARY 2019 GERMINATION.CA 29 …helping people develop. Terry Ewacha Executive vice-president of wholesale and western operations DLF Pickseed Winnipeg, Man. …creating legacies. Heather Kirschbaumer Manager Golden Acre Seeds Fairview, Alta.