When Alberta’s Bob Mastin released his very first barley variety, he never expected it would end up on a calendar — let alone on a stamp.
But that’s exactly what happened. The photo of his debut variety — Sundre barley — was featured in an agriculture calendar, a small but powerful moment of recognition. For Bob, it meant everything. So much so that he took that calendar image and turned it into a real, legal postage stamp — the kind you can actually use to mail a letter.
“When you put that stamp on a letter,” Bob chuckles, “it really stands out — it’s like a billboard. It’s never been done before. Isn’t that neat?”
It is neat. It’s also deeply personal.
And it’s classic Bob: humble, practical, but with a quiet pride that speaks volumes. That calendar photo wasn’t just a picture — it was a turning point. “That recognition fired up my passion for the industry,” he says. And over the years, that passion turned into a legacy.
Today, as the owner of Mastin Seeds in Sundre, Alta., Bob stands in front of his newest variety — AB Standswell — and points to the stamp. “This was my first,” he says. “And this is my latest,” he says, gesturing to the plot.
Between the first and the last lie 14 other varieties — each one bred with intention, patience, and a deep understanding of the land and the farmers who rely on it.
This is where the variety names come from too, Bob admits.
He’d wanted to name his first variety after something meaningful. He tried Sylvan, for Sylvan Lake, “the most beautiful town around here.” No luck. He tried Helm, after a respected colleague, and Olds 101 to nod to the agricultural college. Still no go.
Then he put it to the people — a list of Alberta town names, and a vote. The winner: Sundre.
For what may be his final variety, Bob wanted a name that conveyed one of the variety’s strongest traits — it stands tall. Literally. AB Standswell — bred by Western Crop Innovations — is still unproven in the marketplace, but Bob’s proud of it — maybe prouder than any variety before.
For Bob, this isn’t just about pedigreed seed or registration trials. It’s about pride in place, pride in people, and pride in a life’s work that started with a calendar photo and a stamp — and is ending with a story worth telling.
And who knows? Maybe this new variety will land on another stamp someday. If it does, you can bet Bob will be the first to mail a letter with it.
