Page Newton, Territory Manager for southern Alberta, dropped in on CANTERRA SEEDS shareholder Carl Huvenaars for our first Shareholder Highlight. Watch the video to meet Carl and learn a little bit more about his business!
If you're looking to purchase pedigreed seed in the Hays, Alberta area in 2019, you can contact Carl's Ag Ventures Ltd. at 403-654-5094.
PAGE: Good afternoon everyone. This is Page Newton, Territory Manager for southern Alberta with CANTERRA SEEDS. Today, I am just east of Hays, Alberta and I have with me, Carl Huvenaars. Carl is a shareholder with CANTERRA SEEDS and we thought we'd pop in for a visit before spring and find out what's happening out here and introduce you to Carl. So, good afternoon Carl!
CARL: How's it going?
PAGE: Not too bad! Thanks so much for spending some time with me today. Just thought I'd ask a few things. You're in the seed business, pedigreed seed business. Tell me a little bit about how long you've been doing it and what attracted you to it?
CARL: I've been a seed retailer for about five years. I've been growing pedigreed for the majority of my farming life, which isn't too long I guess, but our family has always been in the pedigreed side of things. And we've been a CANTERRA grower for three years now - going on four this spring. We're happy with the company and the direction they're headed, and yeah. The use of their seed on this farm has really benefited us.
PAGE: That's wonderful to hear, Carl. So I know you're growing several of our varieties this spring. Can you tell us about some of them?
CARL: Yeah, so we're growing a new Comfort, or, a new green pea, Comfort. Neela flax, which we found really good this last year. And then Congress and Credence durum. And we've been growing Cameron hard wheat as well.
PAGE: Oh, that's wonderful, thank you so much for that. So, what drives you to get up every morning? Where does your passion come from?
CARL: Passion is to serve my customers the best as I can. It's always great to hear when they can get a good crop off of any variety that you can sell them. And have them treated or not, and move them out of the yard as quick as possible.
PAGE: So is that starting to pick up now? Here we are, the date is March the 14th, so the forecast is for some warmer weather. So is it starting to get busy?
CARL: Yeah, it's getting busy with phone calls. We'll start seeing probably pick-ups in the next three weeks or so, and then it'll be busy for a couple months!
PAGE: It'll be back, it'll be in the ground!
CARL: Yeah!
PAGE: Well, we wish you all the best for a successful plant '19 and in your future together with CANTERRA SEEDS as one of our very special CANTERRA SEEDS shareholders. Thanks so much Carl.
CARL: Thank you.