LETHBRIDGE – At first glance every sample on display at a seed show looks identical.
Closer examination of each entry under glass reveals a few broken seeds, some chaff or maybe some insect parts. A discerning judge can pick out seeds that received too much nitrogen or those exposed to weathering.
More than 400 samples of cereals, pulses, grasses and oilseeds were entered for judging at the Lethbridge Ag Expo Feb. 25-28.
Judging is handled by 22 plant breeders and growers, who spend three to four hours looking at the uniformity, colour and size of seeds. They also look for foreign objects, broken kernels or signs of weathering.
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“A lot of it has to do with the colour,” said Ed Kiffiak, a member of the seed show committee.
The judges do not know who submitted each sample or whether it is pedigreed or open seed stock. Samples can only be machine cleaned except for the junior category for youths where seeds can be hand selected.
The Lethbridge show had a large selection of well known varieties, but there were also special displays of lesser known crops like the oilseed camelina that some hope to see grown for biofuel.
Each entry receives points based on its placing. The aggregate winners are selected on the number of points received in all the categories they entered.
The grand aggregate winner in the pedigreed seed category was Benci Seeds of Carmangay, Alta., which won with a first place pea sample, first in hard white wheat and second in barley.
The open grand aggregate winner was Joel Tschetter of Granum, Alta., who won with two top class winners of wheat and barley and a second place oat entry.
The champion pedigreed cereal came from Richard Huvenaars of Hays, Alta.; champion pedigreed forage went to Allan Kushniruk of Melville, Sask.; top open coarse grain was Bryan Corns of Grassy Lake, Alta.; champion open oilseed went to Andre Saunders of Manitou, Man.; champion open forage was Nikkel Farms of Coaldale, Alta.; and champion open special crops was Luke Wipf of Cranford, Alta.
