CANADIAN SEED GROWERS' ASSOCIATION

Canada had very limited agricultural research resources. The federal Experimental Farm system was an extension education and crop evaluation facility without much capacity to improve crop varieties. A handful of dedicated individuals in the federal Department of Agriculture saw the need for improvement in seed stocks that would lead to more profitable crops. The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) was established in 1904 and those parents would eventually become the first original members of the Association. Today, the Association’s affairs are conducted by a President and 24-member Board of Directors.  Fourteen directors are active seed growers elected by the membership, and nine are appointed by Provincial Ministers of Agriculture.  The CSGA office is located in Ottawa under the supervision of an Executive Director. The Association was very different back then and has evolved over the years but despite the changes in methods and operations that have taken place over the years, the aims and objectives of the CSGA, to improve pedigreed seed production and usage, have remained.