REGINA, SK – As the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League prepares to award its championship trophy, CANTERRA SEEDS is once again at the centre of the celebration, both as a partner (the trophy is named the CANTERRA SEEDS Cup), and as a company deeply connected to the communities the league serves.
For Patricia Huber, who joined CANTERRA SEEDS this past fall as pedigreed seed business manager, the timing couldn’t be better.
“This is kind of the Super Bowl for seeding,” Huber said. “It’s exciting times in seed right now.”
Huber works closely with the pedigree team across Western Canada, which she says is proudly rooted in the same region that fuels the SJHL.
“CANTERRA SEEDS is a seed company. We offer a very diverse portfolio of canola, wheat, barley, oats, pulses, and specialty crops,” she explained. “We’re deeply ingrained in Western Canada, and there’s a lot of pride in the products we have to offer. We are proud to be Canadian, we’re Western Canadian-rooted, and we cover everything from production to distribution to sales. It’s a very unique seed company.”
That Western Canadian identity, and a period of sustained growth, made CANTERRA an appealing destination for Huber.
“Honestly, when you look at the track record over the course of the past three to five years, the CANTERRA SEEDS business has grown quite substantially,” she said. “It’s sound, proven genetics that has grown this company. One of the reasons I wanted to be a part of it is that we are deeply rooted in Western Canada. You couple that with proven genetics, an innovative company, and a very forward-thinking approach, there’s lots of really good things happening here.”
It’s those same values, Huber noted, that align closely with the SJHL and have helped the partnership flourish in recent years.
“I’ve kind of watched this partnership for a few years, and I personally see the SJHL and CANTERRA SEEDS as having a lot of aspects that are very similar,” she said. “The SJHL is growing, and it gives us, as a company, a great way to serve some of our local communities.”
With teams embedded across Saskatchewan and rosters filled with homegrown talent, the league provides a natural connection point for CANTERRA SEEDS and its customers.
“There’s a lot of local Saskatchewan talent, and it’s a collaborative partnership that allows us to really be involved in this game right alongside our customers,” Huber said. “When you take a look at the good things the league is doing, it has been a great way for us to connect with customers and continue to grow our brand. At the same time, the rink is the heart of the community, so it really helps us serve our local communities and customers.”
This season also marks a major milestone for the company, as CANTERRA SEEDS celebrates its 30th anniversary.
“Thirty years ago, there were nine seed growers that started the company,” Huber said. “There’s a lot of those that were from Saskatchewan, so ideally it allows us to give back to the local communities.”
That sense of shared experience between agriculture and hockey is another reason the partnership resonates so strongly.
“When you really look at some of the values, we get to celebrate these athletes,” she said. “In agriculture, we know the trials and tribulations, we know the dedication it takes. That’s a lot of correlation to sports, right? You do the hard work, you set goals, it pays off.”
As the Flin Flon Bombers and Yorkton Terriers battle to hoist the CANTERRA SEEDS Cup, Huber says being part of that moment is especially meaningful.
“This is what these kids work so hard for,” she said. “So the fact that we get to be a part of it and celebrate in their success, alongside so many of the people that support our business, it’s kind of like the icing on the cake for us. There’s nothing better.”
Find the full interview with Patricia here:
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