Empowering farmers with certified seed for quality

Nov 03, 2023

The Canadian Seed Growers' Association (CSGA) has launched a new campaign to promote Certified seed and its many benefits for farmers, food processors, and consumers.

The #ChooseCertifiedSeed campaign is grounded by a website that provides information on the value, quality, identity assurance, traceability, and trustworthiness of Certified seed.

It also features videos from Canadian seed growers and stakeholders, sharing their perspectives, experiences, and passion for Certified seed.

The campaign is timely, as the global agricultural landscape becomes increasingly competitive and demanding. It highlights the strength of the Canadian seed certification process and empowers farmers to make informed decisions on the seed they choose to plant.

The campaign also demonstrates to food processors and manufacturers that using quality ingredients produced from Certified seed is the foundation for quality food.

When you #ChooseCertifiedSeed, you are choosing the highest quality, identity-assured, third-party verified seed to set you up for success. To learn more about #ChooseCertifiedSeed, please visit choosecertifiedseed.ca because it all starts with seed.

About CSGA

The Canadian Seed Growers' Association (CSGA) safeguards seed crop varietal integrity for Canada's seed certification system, supporting Canadian seed growers since 1904. With 3,200 members spanning nine provinces and seven regional branches, CSGA is a vital national standards and certification organization. Learn more at seedgrowers.ca.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.