In 2021, as CANTERRA SEEDS marked 25 years, we launched the Rooted in the Prairies Project as a way to support the communities we work in across Western Canada. What started as a simple idea, backing local initiatives through nominations from farmers, seed growers, and partners, has continued to build over time.

Now, in our 30th anniversary year, that effort has reached a new milestone: more than $1,000,000 contributed through a combination of direct funding and amplified field projects.

A big part of that total has come from projects where a simple seed donation grows into something much larger. In 2025, for example, amplified canola projects supporting the Neerlandia/Vega Community Growing Project (approx. $96,000 donation) and Hazlet Lions Club (approx. $81,000 donation) showed how quickly that impact can scale. CANTERRA SEEDS supplied seed to help get these projects started, but the results came from the people behind them, putting in the time, managing the acres, and seeing them through to a final donation.

Alongside those larger projects are dozens of smaller, direct contributions that support local priorities – from fire departments and community halls to daycare centres, wellness programs, and recreation facilities. Organizations like the Manitoba Farmers Wellness Program, Climax Fire Department, Stry 75th Anniversary Hall and Borden's Little Sprouts Early Learning Childcare Centre, are just a few examples of where that support has landed.

All of these projects came together with someone local seeing a need and stepping up. From there, support can take different shapes, sometimes a straightforward donation, other times a field project that grows into something much larger by the end of the season.

Thirty years in, the way we operate hasn’t really changed. We’re still grounded in Western Canada, and the communities we work in are the same ones we live in. The Rooted in the Prairies Project is one way we continue to support those communities in a practical way, alongside the rest of our business.

Reaching $1,000,000 is a big milestone, and it comes back to the people behind it, those who’ve stepped up in their communities. There’s a lot more opportunity to support local initiatives across the Prairies, and we’re just getting started.

For more information on Rooted in the Prairies Project, visit canterra.com/rooted-project.