The concept of Certified seed is one that is understood by most farmers in Western Canada. But when asked to describe the 5-step journey to Certified wheat seed, can you name all of the steps?

In this video with CANTERRA SEEDS Shareholder Pitura Seeds, Calvin Pitura explains the 5-step journey.

Breeder – This is the first class of pedigreed seed, and as the name implies, is the small volume of seed that comes from the variety’s breeder. It is typical for a seed grower to plant just one, 2.5 acre plot of Breeder seed.

Select – This is also done in 2.5 acre plots, and what is produced from Breeder seed. Seed growers need a special certification to product Select seed and above.

Foundation – Is the result of Select seed production and is produced on a field scale.

Registered – This is the largest scale of production for seed growers, and planting Registered seed is final step before the resulting production is sold to customers.

Certified – This is the class of seed that is sold to farmers. Certified seed is the starting point of a successful crop.

The production of Pedigreed seed is a multi-year process and involves a lot of regulation. As Tom Greaves says in the video, the end result is a high-quality product.

“The very high standard is what everyone is looking for in Certified seed.”