b'MESSAGES | Alberta Seed ProcessorsGREETINGS ON BEHALF of the Alberta Seed Processors board of directors,At time of writing in early September, its one of the earliest harvests I remember. This is a harvest with quite a few surprisessome good and some not so good. Needless to say, yields are all over the map and rain makes grain and a shower or two has really helped some areas! One thing we know for surethere are no two years that are identicalwhich after this year is a good thing for most Alberta farmers.One thing about the business of agriculture, is that there are no guarantees. When growing conditions get tough, thats when management of the fine details seem to make or break a crop. Going into next year, there may be a knee-jerk reaction to cut-back on many inputs, including seed and seed protection. However, managing for a successful crop means doing the things that matter right. Ensuring that you have the best seed genetics possible, the highest quality lab-tested seed, whether you are using farm-saved or pedigreed seed is always good management. Disease loading may be reduced in drought conditions but germination and vigour can be negatively affected. Be Seed Smartget a seed test! Investing in quality seed treatments to protect your seed investment, again, is plain and simple good management. When bushels are abundant, marketing grain on volume seems to work just fine, however, in years when harvest volumes are expected to be lower than the five-year average, quality becomes a bit more import to adding value to your farming economics. Many of our 67 seed and grain processing facilities in Alberta have state-of-the-art @CoppockT equipment that can not only clean seed, but also can be utilized to upgrade [email protected] grains for domestic or export markets. (403) 489-9999 Lots is happening in the seed and grain processing business, ranging from opportunities in filling shipping containers for export markets to retailing/distributing pedigreed seed. Additionally, we currently have a new build in progress in Camrose, where the board of directors of the plant deemed it necessary to rebuild to meet the needs of their local market. There are lots of reasons to stop by your local seed and grain processing plant to submit seed samples to a seed lab for testing, to book seed or grain cleaning, and/or to place an order for pedigreed seed. In a year with forecasted low yields planning ahead is vitally important to ensure you have the best seed possible for success next year.This edition of the Alberta Seed Guide is all about charging ahead. In the fall 2021 edition we endeavor to address pertinent topics related to the great things happening in the seed and crops sector of western Canadian agriculture. Articles in the seed guide address the steps being taken to ensure the future growth of the industry.Enjoy this edition of the Alberta Seed Guide.Tom Coppock, President, Alberta Seed ProcessorsFall 2021 5'