From defending research farms to tackling slow adoption, the Saskatchewan Seed Growers’ Association is making the case that seed growers are central to innovation.

When the future of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Indian Head and Scott research farms was thrown into doubt, the Saskatchewan Seed Growers’ Association (SSGA) could have issued a statement and stopped there.

Instead, it put ideas in front of the provincial government for how critical research activity might continue. For an association historically known for representing pedigreed seed growers and promoting certified seed, it was a high-profile step into a much larger discussion. It also reflected a changing understanding of what Saskatchewan seed growers contribute to agriculture.

They do not simply multiply seed after breeders finish their work. They are the link that turns an experimental variety into something a commercial farmer can plant.

“We represent seed growers and their individual business interests, and we want to see that through,” says SSGA Executive Director Chris Barker. “But seed growers as a group also represent that transition from research to real implementation. No new variety really gets out there without a seed grower’s hands on it.”

That places the association — and its roughly 500 members — near the centre of Saskatchewan’s crop innovation system. When research capacity disappears, seed growers can be among the first to notice. Eventually, however, the consequences reach every farmer looking for better yield, improved disease resistance or genetics suited to changing growing conditions.

“If we see a gap where innovation is being stifled, we want to try and nudge it along in our rather small, perhaps understated way,” Barker says. “But we’re prepared to stand up and say, ‘This is going to be a problem for everybody, not just seed growers.’”

Nearly a Century at the Centre of Saskatchewan Farming

The SSGA was formed in 1928 as an incorporated, non-profit organization dedicated to improving pedigreed seed production and encouraging its use by commercial farmers.

Its work has traditionally included advocacy, education, networking and providing information to members. The association also partners with Seed World Group to publish the Saskatchewan Seed Guide, supports learning opportunities and represents seed growers in discussions with industry and government.

The scale of that work is significant. Saskatchewan seed growers produced approximately 340,000 acres of pedigreed seed across more than 25 crop kinds in 2022. The association estimates the pedigreed seed industry contributes $790 million to the provincial economy and supports an $11-billion crop sector.

That reflects Saskatchewan’s unusually important place in Canada’s seed system. Cereals, pulses and other openpollinated crops occupy a large share of the province’s farmland, meaning locally and publicly supported breeding programs remain especially important.

Saskatchewan does not have the same concentration of corn and soybean production — or the same level of multinational seed company involvement — as some other provinces. New varieties emerging from the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, AAFC and other Prairie breeding programs therefore depend heavily on local seed growers to increase seed supplies and introduce those genetics to farmers.

They may grow a new variety for three or four years before enough seed is available for broad commercial sale. During that period, they learn how it performs under field conditions, where it fits and whether farmers are likely to want it. They also assume the risk.

Not every new variety becomes a commercial success. A variety may excel in one part of Saskatchewan and offer little advantage in another. Seed growers can invest several seasons increasing a variety only to discover that demand little advantage in another. Seed growers can invest several seasons increasing a variety only to discover that demand does not justify the certified-seed premium.

That experience is one reason SSGA leaders believe seed growers need a stronger voice in decisions affecting breeding, variety testing, registration and research infrastructure.

From Opposing a Closure to Proposing a Future

The announced closure of the Indian Head and Scott research farms brought that role into public view.

In July, the federal and Saskatchewan governments signed a memorandum of understanding to explore interim arrangements that could keep agricultural activity underway while Ottawa proceeds with the disposal process.

The agreement did not guarantee a continuing research mandate, but it created room for Saskatchewan agriculture to help shape what comes next.

For SSGA President Nick Petruic, the episode demonstrated that pedigreed seed growers are not isolated from the concerns of the wider farm community.

“We are still all farmers in baseline agriculture. We’re just a specialized branch,” he says. “We’re right in the trenches with everybody else trying to move this big wheel forward.”

It also showed Petruic that an association does not need to wait until every answer is known before entering an important conversation. As he approaches the end of his two-year presidency, the 41-year-old Avonlea-area seed grower says one of his biggest lessons is that influence does not come from a title alone.

Putting a Price on Older Genetics

Protecting the research pipeline is only part of the challenge. The association also wants more of the genetics already moving through that pipeline to reach farmers sooner.

Unlike machinery, a variety does not physically wear out. Unless lodging, disease or another agronomic weakness becomes severe enough to force a change, farmers may see little reason to move away from something familiar.

“If you have a desirable result with your seed, maybe it can be perceived as risky to change that up,” Petruic says.

“But ultimately, I think we’ve all seen that there is enough really good value in some of these genetics, whether it be new traits or new yield stability, that farmers should really be looking at them.”

SSGA is working with University of Saskatchewan researchers to quantify that value. The association-supported project is examining the financial cost of slow variety adoption and the yield potential farmers may be leaving on the table by planting varieties that are 10 or 20 years old.

Preliminary findings presented at the association’s January 2026 annual meeting suggested that the annual cost of slow adoption in spring wheat, durum, red lentils and yellow peas could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The researchers are also examining the barriers preventing farmers from trying newer varieties and possible ways to reduce that risk.

A New Generation Steps Up

That progressive spirit will carry into the association’s next leadership chapter. Vice-President Alica Chalmers, 34, has farmed since she was 16 and is part of Seed Source, a family-operated pedigreed seed, food-production and agronomy business near Archerwill in northeastern Saskatchewan. She also works with summer students from the University of Saskatchewan and Lakeland College, giving her a close view of the people preparing to enter the industry. Chalmers says the association’s relationship with government has changed noticeably since she joined its board.

“It’s a totally different vibe, which is good. I think it’s great that we’re having those meetings and having these discussions. It’s time.”

As she prepares for a possible move into the president’s role, Chalmers has had the benefit of watching Petruic guide the association through the Indian Head debate and its growing involvement in agricultural policy.

“I’ve entered this at a very good time, where I’m able to observe before I get into that role,” she says. “Nick has done such great work that it’s good to be able to sit back, listen and give my two cents when it’s needed.”