History of the Farm
The Johnson family has been in the seed business since 1948. Keith and his wife, Doris, are the present owners of this thriving seed grain farm north-west of the town of Wainwright, in the east-central area of Alberta, in western Canada, but its history goes back to before the Great Depression.
William Johnson orginally purchased the mixed grain and
livestock farm in 1920. Then in 1947, his son Howard took over the operation, and a year later
started growing pedigree seed grain. The third generation started with grandson, Keith, who became actively involved in 1963 and started growing plots on his own in 1970. He purchased the farm in 1980 and expanded the operation to include many grain varieties. Keith's son, Derek, has been involved in plot production since 1992.
Keith, Howard, and Derek are all Select Seed Growers which allows them to have multiple plots for propagation of new seed varieties. Their combined experience totals 100 years of growing pedigree seed.
Johnson Seed Production, farms approx 3300 acres of which 75% is in seed production. Crops we produce include wheat ( CPS, hard red and winter ), barley ( both 2 row and 6 row), field peas (yellow and green), as well as a number of different canola types. We have been instrumental in moving forward a host of varieties over the years, taking product from breeder seed to the certified level.
In past years we have hosted many field days in conjunction with a variety of chemical and fertilizer companies. This has given us an opportunity to show our products and introduce new varieties to our customers. With the field days we have included a showcase of new farm equipment from several local dealerships and close the day with a meal and refreshments.
We currently market the product lines for SECAN and CANTERRA SEEDS. These two organizations give us a wide range of product to satisfy all our customer demands. We pride ourselves in offering nothing but the very best to our customers.
Credentials
Howard grew his first pedigree seed crop of wheat in 1948, over 50 years ago!Keith was recognized as a Pedigree Seed Grower with the C.S.G.A. in 1963.
Keith became a Select Seed Grower in 1974.
Keith received the 1993 Outstanding Service Award in recognition of his contribution to pedigreed seed production in Canada.
Keith, Doris and family earned the prestigious Alberta Farm Family Award in 1994.
In 1998 Derek graduated from Olds College with a diploma in Seed and Grain Technology.
Howard and Keith were honored with Long Service Certificates in 1998 for pedigree seed production that spanned 50 and 35 years respectively.
In the spring of 1999, Johnson Seed Production was designated as an accredited seed establishment through the Canadian Seed Institute.
In July, 1999 Keith has elected as a Robertson Associate of the Canadian Seed Growers' Association for his role in agriculture. This is one of the highest honours awarded in the seed industry.
In 2003, Keith received his 40 year Long Service Award for the production of pedigreed seed. Johnson Seed Production, with Keith's father Howard and his son Derek, have a total of 100 years of seed production.
Keith is involved in a number of other seed related organizations including 25 years on the Board of Directors of the Wainwright Seed Cleaning Co-op. From 1989 to 2004, Keith was a director of the Association of Alberta Co-op Seed Cleaning Plants Ltd. From 1992-2004, Keith was president of this organization and under this title was instrumental in a number of activities. On of which he is most proud is the formation of the Seed Industry Partnership, which together with Alberta Agriculture, the Alberta Branch CSGA and the Association of Co-op Seed Cleaning Plants share and office and a general manager.
Keith has been a director on the Board of the Canadian Seed Institute for 8 years, 2 of which he served as chairman.
In 2005, Keith was awarded the Outstanding Service Award by the Association of Alberta Co-op Seed Cleaning Plants Ltd and the Honorary Life Award by the Alberta Branch of the Canadian Seed Growers' Association.
Keith and his wife Doris have three gown children, Denise and her husband Mark Hughes, reside on the farm and have two girls Brianna and Alyssa. Daughter Andrea and her husband Jamie Walker with their son Ethan reside in Lloydminster. Son Derek is employed with Agricore United as a Marketing Rep in Lethbridge.