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Superior Quality

Higher Standards For Seed Corn Quality

Seed corn that carries Canada’s ‘blue-tag’ certification is internationally recognized for its superior quality. Indeed, quality is the focus for all stakeholders – growers, processors, regulatory groups, and the Seed Corn Growers of Ontario (SCGO).

Canadian Seed Corn Standards

In Canada, development and enforcement of seed corn purity and quality standards is the responsibility of a network of private and public bodies. A federal agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), is responsible for designating production and grading standards for seed corn, which it sets in consultation with industry. CFIA is ultimately responsible for ensuring that seed corn production is inspected and conforms to those standards, such as adhering to minimum isolation distances.

The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) represents Canadian seed companies and is committed to Canada’s superior seed quality standards through continued research, development, distribution and trading of seed and associated technologies. The industry-funded Canadian Seed Institute is responsible for inspection at the processing level, including seed testing lab accreditation.

The The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) is the Canadian equivalent of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) in the U.S. Its membership includes companies which contract seed corn production. The CSGA has been the sole seed certifying agency in Canada since 1904.

Together, CFIA, CSTA, CSI and the CSGA are mandated to work with seed processors and the SCGO to foster quality standards that will protect and enhance Canada’s reputation for unsurpassed seed quality.

Isolation Standards

Canada has earned a solid reputation for producing seed corn that meets purity standards that are more stringent than those in the U.S. This is due to a combination of internal standards that are enforced by individual companies as well as regulatory requirements that cover, for example, isolation distances and detasselling procedures.

Isolation standards in Canada are more stringent than those required by AOSCA (Table 1). In the U.S., the state of Michigan probably comes closest to mirroring Canadian isolation distances.

With the available land base in southwestern Ontario, isolation compliance is easier, which is increasingly important with the development of new hybrid corn traits. Meeting isolation specifications requires neighbour communication on crop planning and rotation synchronization right up to plant pollination.

  • Seed Corn Prices (Click date for prices)

    • Seed Corn Prices for Monday, January 25, 2021

  • Trusted News On The Go

    The views and opinions expressed in articles shared below are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Seed Corn Growers of Ontario.

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  • Seed Corn Growers Brochure

    Click here to download our Economic Impact of Seed Corn Production in Ontario informational brochure.
    Click here to download our Ontario Seed Corn Growers informational brochure.


  • About the SCGO

    Our principal mandate is to work with the individual seed corn companies to negotiate production contracts that not only make our growers competitive, but also provide incentives to produce excellent seed.

    We work to ensure that our growers are provided with the best information and programs to maintain and broaden their seed corn production skills.

    more about the SCGO....

  • Contact The SCGO

    825 Park Avenue West
    Chatham, Ontario
    N7M 5J6

    Phone: 519-352-6710
    Fax: 519-352-0526

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