🦁 🌿 The History of Canadian Seed Companies

🌿History of Canadian Seed Companies:

The history of Canadian seed companies is closely tied to the country's agricultural development and goes back well over a century.
It's a story of pioneering businesses, government oversight and modernization.

Early Beginnings (Mid-1800s to Early 1900s)

The rise of reliable seed companies coincided with increased settlement, better railway connections and the need for seed suited to the varied and often harsh Canadian climate.

Pioneering Companies: Some of the earliest seed companies were established in the late 1800s.

Halifax Seed Company: Established in 1866, it is Canada's oldest continuously operating family-owned seed company.

Toronto-based Companies: Between 1871 and 1900, major firms like William Rennie, George Keith, and Steele Briggs emerged, developing large mail-order operations to supply gardeners and commercial farmers across Canada.

Steele Briggs (founded 1873) notably focused on developing seeds for colder climates.

McKenzie Seeds: Founded in Brandon, Manitoba, in 1896, this company became a major supplier, eventually claiming to supply a large percentage of Canada's packet seed market.

Government and Industry Organization: The federal government recognized the importance of quality seed early on.

Canadian Seed Growers' Association (CSGA): Established in 1904 after earlier farm children's seed plot competitions.

Its formation was crucial in transitioning from simple crop improvement to a pedigreed seed organization that enforced traceability and genetic purity—a cornerstone of the Canadian seed system .

Seeds Act: The first iteration of the federal Seeds Act was developed in 1905 to establish legal frameworks and standards to ensure seed quality and protect producers from fraud.