b'You can recommend (new varieties) to your neighbours. Or if they dont quite work the way you thought, then you can always switch it up and go a different direction. But its being on the cutting edge of genetics when theyre coming out and beingI want to be able to see released, he explains.Oatways wife, Lori who works at AAF, also helps out onthat its going to work for the farm. His youngest daughter, Brie, who is in high schoolsomeone my size and not works on the farm during the summer, and his older daughter, Ezri, who attends the University of Alberta, has been helpingjust multiple employee this year as well as her classes have moved online due to thetype, large operations. COVID-19 pandemic. Ward OatwayMore than a Seed GrowerIn 2010, Oatway decided to join the ASG board. He had attended meetings over the years and was interested in becoming more involved with the industry. Things had been going well on the farm and he had some time to spare.A board position at SeCan had opened up and Oatway was Over the next decade he plunged himself into the group as itinterested. He asked around and quickly discovered he would went through a number of changes. From 2017-18 he served asbe a good fit for it, so he put his name up and was elected to the president of the organization and is now finishing out his finalboard. year as past president. I kind of like to see that SeCan sticks to the way it was Theres been the Seed Synergy vote and the VUA, talksoriginally, or the way it was set up, supporting the independent on that were starting and theyve been contentious issues,seedsman, not necessarily a big company but everybody right especially here in Alberta. We were trying to get the informationdown to well, like even for me, Oatway explains. I want to be out, the misinformation was hard to disseminate, Oatwayable to see that its going to work for someone my size and not explains. just multiple employee type, large operations.He also worked closely with the Alberta government onBack on the farm, Oatway expects to keep on working for the fusarium file as the agriculture community lobbied to getthe next 10 to 15 years. His wife will probably work at AAF for fusarium removed from the provinces Pest Act. Oatway was partaround the same amount of time and then the two plan to retire of the agriculture industrys Fusarium Action Group with Whiting.together.We saw things very similar. It was a good collaboration onBoth of his daughters are looking at careers away from the things. We could discuss things with each other openly andfarm, which means Oatways Seed Farm may be on its final honestly, which I think is really good. Nobody ever got bent outchapter. But Oatway isnt worried about his neighbours when it of shape or anything like that, Whiting says. comes to their seed needs.Theres another young seed grower in the area, started up Beyond the Farm in the last three, four years. So, I know people are going to be As Oatways time as past president of ASG neared to a close,able to access what they need without a big gap in service or SEC_CERT17_ABSG_SEC_CERT17_ABSG.qxd2017-10-155:49 PMPage 1he began looking at what else he could do to help the seedanything like that, Oatway explains.industry. Ashley RobinsonProduced by: SeCan Ad Number: SEC_CERT17 Campaign: Certified SeedDate Produced: October 2017 Publication: Alberta Seed Guide Size: 7.125 x 3.25Our genes only come in blue.When you purchase SeCan certified seed youregetting the promise and performance of SeCangenetics. And with certified seed, youre investingin the future of plant breeding and new varietiesthat contribute to your bottom line. Make the comfortable choice. Choose SeCan certified seed.For genes that fit your farm, visit www.secan.com26seed.ab.ca Ad Number: SEC_CERT17'