b'Sarah Foster and the staff of 20/20 Seed Labs are celebrating the companys 30th anniversary in 2019. Photo: Rebecca LippiattThat sense of camaraderie has helped both Foster andgenerated by employee bake sales and silent auctions, 20/20 Seed Labs find new opportunities where they leastand clients donating peas, lentils and beans for their expect. Foster and her business partner, 20/20 Seed Labssoup recipes. business development manager Kevin Zaychuk, have trav- The lab and office is opened to the public and clients elled to Kuwait after 20/20 Seed Labs was hired in 2013several times throughout the year including Canadas to assist the Kuwait Ministry of Agriculture in reclaimingNational Agriculture Day. This provides a platform to cel-its natural habitat after the Gulf War. ebrate agriculture and communicate the benefits of new There were miles of desert which were affectedtechnology in the industry. As an example, 20/20 offered by the Gulf War oil field fires under Saddam Husseinscomplimentary testing (over $500,000) to its clients when dictatorship. That created a massive spill and contamina- fusarium was first detected in Alberta. tion which later threatened the delicate plant species. TheAll of the companys employees, regardless of their Kuwait ministry were compensated $4.8 billion by theagricultural background, are given the opportunity to United Nations to reclaim and clean up the land over thefurther their education and are also encouraged to attend next 20 years. I was attending an ISTA meeting in Turkeyindustry meetings associated with their area of expertise. around that time, and I was told that the Kuwait MinistryAll employees are covered to become accredited in their of Agriculture was looking for help with this reclamationarea of specialization and are encouraged to become work. The scope of the project was fascinating, particu- involved with related organizations.larly working with rare plants that are key specimens inBusiness-wise, Foster says the company is exploring the desert, Foster says. new territory with the Spornado sampler. This unit is a Having grown up in Iran I knew a lot about thepassive spore catcher designed to capture airborne patho-Middle East. I love it there. Its changed a lot over thegens of economic importance. years and will change again, but it will always have aWere also expanding our vigour testing so we are special place in my heart. adding more growth chambers to accommodate these tests, As does her business and the people she works with.and of course always conducting lots of research, she says.20/20 Seed Labs recognizes the importance of organiza- We always have our sights on future technology and tions giving back to the community in which it resides were very aware of advanced methodologies which are in Leduc County, the organization regularly contributes tonow introduced faster than ever. The change Ive seen in 30 the Leduc Food Bank by employees volunteering to cookyears is incredible, but what seed testing will look like in or serve in their kitchen, through financial contributionsanother three decades will be even more unbelievable. 36GERMINATION.CA NOVEMBER 2019'