A seed distribution company from Regina reaches an agreement with the Legion to honour war heroes and RCMP officers
Next time you’re driving down a country road, admiring farm fields that are sown with new varieties of wheat, barley, oats or field peas, take a minute to think about a Canadian war hero or an RCMP veteran.
That’s what Canadian seed distribution company FP Genetics is hoping you’ll do. And it’s one reason why FP Genetics has partnered with the Royal Canadian Legion’s Saskatchewan Command in a unique project that will name new crop varieties after Canadian military or RCMP heroes.
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In late January, the Regina-based seed company announced that all new FP Genetics seed varieties will be named in honour of veterans who made personal sacrifices for their country or communities.
“The legislation that applies to naming plant varieties operates on the principle of one variety, one name,” said FP Genetics’ chief executive officer Chris Churko.
“This affords us a unique, timeless and global opportunity to recognize veterans for their contributions to Canada by naming new crop varieties in their honour.”
Each time FP Genetic acquires distribution rights to a new and yet-to-be-named crop variety, the Legion’s Saskatchewan Command will accept and review applications from military and RCMP veterans and their families.
After reviewing the applications, the Legion will make recommendations to FP Genetics for a preferred variety name.
Applicants are also encouraged to submit biographies and veterans’ stories that they wish to share.
Once a variety bearing a veteran’s name is officially registered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s variety registration office, the public will be able to access variety information via FP Genetics’ website and will be able to follow a link to the Legion’s website where they can learn more about the person behind the name and the contributions they made.
The first new variety to be named under the program is AB Hague, a new high-yielding feed barley variety bred by Pat Juskiw and her colleagues at the Field Crop Development Centre at Olds College in Olds, Alta.
The variety was named after Harold Hague, a Canadian war veteran who was born in Earl Grey, Sask., and grew up in Regina.
After graduating from high school, Hague joined the Royal Canadian Navy as a signalman and served during the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War.
On D-Day, Hague was part of the Canadian 31st minesweeping flotilla aboard the HMCS Cowichan at Omaha Beach.
Hague and his crew members were responsible for sweeping the ocean for mines, cutting them loose and firing at them until they exploded.
Other new FP Genetics varieties bearing the names of military and RCMP veterans will be announced in the future, said Churko.
In addition to gaining access to a nearly limitless list of meaningful names, the project seems like “the right thing to do” to honour Canadian veterans, Churko said.
After coming up with the concept, FP Genetics contacted the Legion’s Saskatchewan Command and asked if it would be interested in leading the process.
The Legion jumped at the opportunity.
“We just planted the idea,” Churko said.
“We told them we were thinking about naming varieties after veterans. I would say they were quite surprised at first. They thought it was a really neat idea.
“I think the funnest thing for me has been how many people have reached out to us to say how much they like the idea and to share stories about veterans who have touched their lives.”
Churko said FP Genetics’ primary concern was that the naming process should be carried out respectfully and would not be perceived as a marketing gimmick.
In that regard, the participation of the Legion lent an element of legitimacy.
In many cases, names that are attached to a new plant variety mean little to the public and serve mostly as a placeholder, Churko added.
The FP Genetics naming process aims to change that.
“We just thought it was kind of a unique and a special way to ensure that the names of our new varieties actually mean something,” Churko said.
“We also wanted to make sure that the intended purpose was to honour someone and wasn’t just a marketing piece.”
A total of seven additional FP Genetics varieties will be named under the system in 2021.
“Our priority right now is to try to recognize World War Two veterans who are still alive,” Churko said.
“For us, it’s a very cool opportunity to share the stories of veterans on a year-round basis, not just one day a year.”
