Headquartered in the nation’s capital, the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) represents the interests of 128 corporate members engaged in all aspects of seed research, production and marketing, both domestically and internationally.
Growing for the World . . . . Une croissance axée sur le monde
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CSTA’S 90TH ANNUAL MEETING
July 14 – 17, 2013
Loews Hotel Le Concorde , Québec City
Please join us at the Loews Hotel Le Concorde in beautiful and historic Québec City for CSTA’s 90th Annual Meeting. We are offering many great programs and opportunities at this Annual Meeting. In addition to the full agenda of CSTA work, we hope you will take this opportunity to meet new people and to reconnect with old friends and business acquaintances. You can view the program and social activities that we have planned, register for the meeting and make your hotel reservations by following this link.
On April 4 and 5, 2013, CSTA organized a value chain symposium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The objective was to bring the crop value chain together in the same place to make substantial progress towards three goals:
1. Reach a common understanding of how research and plant breeding is funded in other countries
2. Reach a common understanding of how research and plant breeding is funded for different crop kinds in different regions in Canada
3. Develop a set of principles for a possible funding mechanism in Canada
It was a very well attended symposium with participation from plant breeders, researchers, funding institutions, producers, the seed industry, educational institutions and federal and provincial governments. It was also a very successful symposium, surpassing the goals that were established. The process doesn’t end with the symposium. A working group has been established to, with continuous input and feedback from the value chain, develop a “strawman” proposal for a Canadian mechanism to fund research and plant breeding, which will be presented to the larger symposium group this fall. This process will be completely transparent and input will be sought and encouraged from all who have an interest. Reports of the working group meetings; requests for input etc. will all be posted in a special section of CSTA’s website. Just follow this link.
Given the fast pace of technology in agriculture around the world, CSTA’s Board of Directors placed a high priority on the development of science based coexistence plans. The goal is to ensure that CSTA’s members and the farmers that they serve have the choice of the production system that best serves their businesses and the markets that they serve, whether the production system is organic, conventional or makes use of products of modern biotechnology. CSTA’s activities on coexistence can be found here.
Canada is one of the only developed country members of the International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV) who’s Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation does not conform to the most recent UPOV convention (UPOV 1991). This is having an impact on the ability of Canadian Plant Breeders to develop new varieties for farmers, and it is impacting Canada’s ability to attract varieties developed internationally. CSTA supports amendments to Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Act to help create an environment that will attract domestic and international investment. We have produced a fact sheet that explains clearly what complying with UPOV 1991 means and what it doesn’t mean. You can find it here.
2011-12 Seed Trade Statistics are Now Available – This is the only place where you can find detailed statistics on Canada’s exports and imports of seed. Follow this link to find summaries of exports and imports of seed over the past three years, updated for the crop year that ended June 30, 2012. You can also find expanded lists of exports by destination and imports by country of origin.
By 2050, the world’s farmers will have to produce as much food as has been consumed since the beginning of humanity. They will have to do that under the extreme pressure from urban growth, competing demands for land and water, and climate change. Canada can lead the way to meeting the challenges, capturing opportunities for farmers and the economy. We just have to have a plan.
Imagine a career where you can make a difference – where you can deliver health through food, feed a growing world population, grow more food using fewer resources, help protect the environment or find solutions to climate change. The seed industry offers diverse opportunities to make a difference at home and around the world. Take a look at all our sector has to offer.
We have a new and growing job posting service. View the postings here.
In response to our Campus Ambassador program and other career oriented activities, CSTA has started to receive resumés from across Canada. If you would like to add your resumé to our data base, e-mail a PDF to csta@cdnseed.org. If you would like to view the resumés in our data base, please use the same email address to send us a request.
Corn Hybrids Commercially Available in Canada – CSTA’s Corn Hybrid List is now a Corn Hybrid Data Base. It provides a great deal more information, including refuge requirements for insect protected hybrids. Find the new corn hybrid data base and other important information here.
This presentation pulls together a thorough description of Canada’s seed industry. It was developed for CSTA’s members to use when you just need a snapshot of the industry and its contribution to agriculture and to Canada’s economy. Download it here.