The founding president of the Canadian Seed Institute died Jan. 25.
Graydon Bowman was instrumental in creating the institute and served as its president from its inception until 1998, when he retired due to illness, said a seed institute news release.
He was born and raised in the New Liskeard area of northern Ontario and graduated from the agricultural college in Guelph, Ont. He returned to the family farm and grew his first pedigreed seed crop in 1966, continuing that practice throughout his life.
Bowman helped bring leaf cutter bees to northern Ontario for alfalfa seed production and was noted as an innovator in use of new crop varieties and tillage methods.
He was chair of the Ontario Seed Grower’s Association and director of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association.
