b'GIANT VIEWSITS TIME TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH ANDFINISH WHAT WE STARTEDMORE THAN 15 years ago, a small group of seed growersI understand the concerns among were contemplating the big picture. We put to paper asome of my fellow seed growers. I few of the challenges we saw for the future of our indus- get it. try.If you are a seed grower who We recognized that agriculture was on the cusp of amight grow a variety for seed and dramatic shift. How will the seed business be relevant inhope to sell it, then it is difficult to the overall agriculture system? How will we as seed retail- figure out where you fit in, as the ers survive? How will we as individual seed growers stayindustry landscape keeps changing. relevant? These were big questions we wanted to address. You are likely disappointed in the We needed a strong game plan going forward. Weseed business as you see it. If nothing Richard Stamp couldnt just sit by and watch ourselves be left behind.changes now, you will feel somewhat is president ofThis was the formation of our SeedNet company, estab- safe and secure.Albertas Stamplished in 2010 by 14 independent seed growers.If you are a large multinational, Seeds and a formerThe centre of our company was then, and still isthe frustration is also real. Regulatory board member oftoday, to work together in numerous ways to build strongred tape makes you feel stifled and the Canadian Seedretail seed farm entities. This would then translate into aunable to innovate. Its hard to build a Growers Association framework to support the entire seed industry and in turnbusiness when you dont feel like you Canadian ag.can operate within the current busi-Our group, along with a few of our partners, took thisness environment. So, maybe you try concept to the next level to envision the next-generationand turn things in your favour, so you seed system. can defeat anyone you view as com-This coincided with the overall Seed Synergy initiative.petition and opposed to your ideas. At the same time, a few of us were also part of the CSGAThen theres the rest of us, stuck oversight committee to help drive a vision forward.somewhere in the middle, trying to With all this effort and the birth of Seeds Canada, it isfind a way forward as seed farms unfortunate that the Canadian Seed Growers Associationand retail businesses. Were caught did not join the fold. What many people see as a failedbetween people who dont want merger has left us divided and our industry is suffering aschange and people who we might a result. It leaves us with a fractured seed landscape. sometimes view as wanting too much My frustration today, as it was then, is that a smallchange, too fast.group of individuals have intentionally sidetracked a lot ofSadly, all this fear puts us at odds dedicated work that went into the concept for the next- with each other and in danger of generation seed system. If the 2020 amalgamation votelosing all credibility. I believe percep-was held today, Im confident that the result would betion is always reality, and with wide-different.spread division and no clear direction As the 2020 vote approached, an organized campaignforward as a united industry, we are to scuttle the amalgamation and prevent change causednot being taken seriously by gov-confusion among all of us. Many feared that seed growersernment, our customers, and most would lose their voice should they join a new nationalimportantly, our colleagues. organization.My challenge to all: accept that This disinformation campaign was organized by achange is happening, whether we small group of growers. In my view, this was very shortlike it or not. Future generations are sighted and irresponsible. Im pretty sure that some ofcounting on us. Lets make sure they these same individuals were on the edge of exiting thelook back with pride at the great industry. We did not hear any plan or strategy going for- vision we had for our own future and ward from these folks. theirs. This will be better than them Today we are left to try and salvage our future, asshaking their heads at the fact we the clock ticks and we hurtle toward the end of the Seedcouldnt swallow our pride before the Regulatory Modernization process as an industry divided.clock ran out. 56GERMINATION.CASEPTEMBER 2022'