Grainswest - Spring 2025

Spring 2025 Grains West 24 CARL’S AG VENTURES MAKES EXTRA EFFORT A pedigreed seed grower since 2014, Carl Huvenaars operates Carl’s Ag Ventures near Hays in southern Alberta. “It’s exciting to see the new varieties and be able to provide them to growers,” said Huvenaars. “Growing seed requires a lot of extra effort in the field and in the office, but I like the challenge and the opportunity to provide value to my customers and fellow farmers.” Huvenaars grows many varieties of barley, flax, hybrid canola, oats, peas, triticale and wheat on 2,000 irrigated acres. He also grows edible dry beans for the commercial market. Having earned his select grower status, he also produces a small supply of higher generation seed to supply fellow seed growers. With the help of three full- time and two part-time employees and his mother, who manages the bookkeeping, Huvenaars grows, bags and treats certified seed for customers across Canada. Much of it, though, is purchased by irrigators and dryland farmers in his immediate area. Most of the varieties he grows will be used to fill irrigated crop rotations that include potatoes, sugar beets and other vegetables, so they must perform well in heavy moisture. For instance, barley and wheat varieties must demonstrate strong standability and disease packages. “Yield will always be king when it comes to selecting varieties,” said Huvenaars. “New varieties also continue to offer agronomic advantages that farmers can apply to their growing conditions.” His dryland wheat customers gravitate toward solid stem varieties to help combat sawfly, and while wheat midge isn’t a concern in his area, midge tolerant varieties are a popular choice for their agronomic performance and yield. Huvenaars faces operational demands like those noted by Tomlinson and Limoges. To market quality seed varieties and offer value-added services such as seed storage, treatment and bagging, requires an elevated level of documentation and training. To operate his seed treater, Huvenaars must be certified and undergo an audit of the operation process every two years. Annual in-field crop inspections by a third-party inspector are also required at various growth stages, depending on the crop. Huvenaars is also subject to audits of his bin yard every two years. The process evaluates the facility itself and documents details about grain movement such as conditioning dates, purchaser and destination. Crop management and planning also demand time and resources beyond standard farm operations. This includes labour requirements. “Maintaining our workforce has been a challenge,” said Huvenaars. “Especially since the cleaning and documentation requirements are so detailed. It’s not always a fun job. That’s why it’s so important to find employees who understand what we’re doing and why we do it.” As well, field equipment must be thoroughly cleaned when moving from one crop variety to the next, and between the differing crops, isolation belts between one and 10 metres in width must be maintained. Volunteer plants must be removed from the field by hand to ensure varietal purity. The seed industry will continue to change, predicts Huvenaars. This will be driven by new technology and breeding innovations such as gene editing. He also believes in the importance of maintaining the industry’s local breeding programs. “We need our local plant breeding and variety testing programs so farmers in our area can have the best seed available.” Hays area seed grower Carl Huvenaars grows several certified crops under irrigation, including barley and wheat. He also grows dry beans for the commercial market. FEATURE