b'SEEKING UNITYAMID UNCERTAINTYAs Seeds Canada moves ahead with four partners instead of five, our industry attempts to mend fences as it determines a clear path forward.Marc ZienkiewiczFOR ANDREW AYRE,there isnt a worse time than right nowand Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA)all voted to try and find consensus in an industry responding toyes to the proposal.the results of the August Seeds Canada voting results.With the whole pandemic situation, people have soVocal Minoritymany other concerns. Theyre not getting together sociallyThe amalgamation vote was the culmination of five years to get feedback from each other and have good, construc- of work by the Seed Synergy partners (made up of the tive discussions. Its an unusual time where people arefive Seeds Canada organizations and CropLife Canada). isolated from one another, and for many that made theAccording to sources, over $2 million was invested during vote kind of a non-event, says the past-president of thethis period, almost half of which was spent on the Seeds Manitoba Seed Growers Association. Canada amalgamation project. Renee Hoyme, president of the Alberta Seed Growers,The boards of the five Seed Synergy partners recom-echoes similar sentiments when it comes to timing. Seedmended the proposed amalgamation to their members growers are busy pretty much all the time, but harvestin June 2020. CSGA member opposition began to surface season makes it even more difficult to get a handle on thein mid-July. Negative sentiment increased in early August current moment and what the next steps might be afterwhen growers received email correspondence opposing the vote, she says. the amalgamation. Momentum shifted in favour of the no Everyones been busy in the field. I really haventside shortly thereafter.heard much of anything after the vote. It kind of just hap- Even though only 22% of eligible CSGA members cast pened and then fell by the wayside for most people as ita vote, Hoyme notes engagement was higher than typi-was time to get out into the field. cally seen due to the fact voting was done remotely.Back in August, the Seed Synergy partners announcedMaking the decision to do distance voting helped in that the proposal to form a national seed organizationthat we had bigger turnout than youd see at a regular would not go ahead as planned, after Canadian Seedannual general meeting, but the turnout still wasnt what Growers Association (CSGA) members voted down theyou want to see for something as huge as an amalgama-proposal to amalgamate the industrys fivetion proposal, Hoyme says.dedicated seed associations into one. According to Eric McLean, who represents Manitoba The CSGA is the lone organizationseed growers on the CSGA national board and was to sit that did not achieve the two-thirdson the inaugural board of Seeds Canada, virtual distance level of voting member supportvoting likely bolstered voting among a vocal minority.required for the proposed amal- In my opinion, the no vote was spurred on by a small gamation. Fifty-five percent ofgroup of people who were very quiet over the last five the 751 CSGA votes cast wereyears, says McLean, owner of J.S. Henry and Son.against the proposed merger.Normally we get about 10% member engagement The other four organizationsand we got over 20% engagement with this vote, and that involvedthe Canadian Plantextra 10% was made up of people largely informed by the Technology Agency (CPTA);no side. Unfortunately, a lot of other seed growers didnt Commercial Seed Analyststhink they needed to vote.Association of Canada (CSAAC);Ayre believes the result may have been different had Canadian Seed Institute (CSI);more people cast a ballot.6GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2020'