2026 PGDC Annual Meeting Plenary Session Speakers Bio's

Mr. Anthony Parker is the Commissioner of Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and is the first Canadian to be elected as President of Council for the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

Prior to becoming the PBR Commissioner, Anthony held several positions within the CFIA including: National Manager of the Fertilizer Program, Acting Director of the Crop Inputs Division, and Acting Director of the Horticulture Division. Before transferring to the CFIA, Anthony worked in a public maize breeding program for 7 years (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and has a diverse educational background with a M.Sc. in Agriculture (Plant Breeding and Genetics), a B.Sc. in Environmental Studies, and B.A. in Political Science.

Anthony was raised on a small farm and has been passionate about agriculture his whole life.

Todd has spent his entire life immersed in agriculture. He grew up on a mixed grain and beef farm in North Western Manitoba. The farm is operated now operated by his brother. Todd is a graduate from the University of Manitoba with a Degree as well as a Diploma in Agriculture. Since the beginning of his career in 1990 with Proven Seed/UGG, Todd has held a variety of positions in the seed industry including Research Agronomist, R & D Manager, Product Manager, and Seed Business Manager.

Todd has served as Business Manager, Western Canada for SeCan since 2007. SeCan is the largest supplier of certified seed to Canadian farmers and has been a major supporter of plant breeding in Canada.

Over his career Todd has worked with Western Canada's major crops including canola, wheat, barley, oats, flax, soybeans, and all forage species. He has served on numerous industry boards and committees including:

• Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA) (past chair)
• Chair, Variety Names Working Group for the National Forum on Seed (2012-2015)
• Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) board (2011-2020)
• CSTA President 2018-2019
• Seed Synergy Oversight Committee 2017-2020
• Plant Breeders' Rights Advisory Committee 2016-2020
• Value Creation Working Group 2016-2020

Stamp Seeds a second-generation pedigreed seed farm and seed retail located at Enchant Alberta (200 KM SE of Calgary).

Greg Stamp is the seed sales manager, along with brothers Nathan Stamp (farm manager) and Matthew Stamp (seed processing).

Greg is a Certified Crop Adviser and his main roles on the farm include seed sales, marketing, customer support & variety management.

Tom Greaves is the President & CEO of Pitura Seeds, a multi-generation, family-owned pedigreed seed company in Manitoba, Canada, where he leads seed production, processing, and retail strategy across the Canadian Prairies.

Guided by a commitment to quality, curiosity, partnership, and integrity, Tom supports agronomy-driven innovation and trusted farmer relationships, while championing mutually beneficial industry collaboration. He has contributed to and supported many agriculture boards and organizations, helping strengthen the future of pedigreed seed systems on the Prairies.

Nick was born and raised on a pedigreed seed and commercial cattle farm in the community of Avonlea southwest of Regina in Saskatchewan. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and graduated with a Major in Agronomy and Ag-Business and began his ag career which includes experience in research and development, agronomy and sales with various Crop life and retail companies until the spring of 2020.

Currently, Nick and his wife Karlee own and operate Petruic Seed Company in partnership along with a diverse family and community centric workforce. They produce, process and retail pedigreed cereals, pulses, oilseeds, cover crop and forage seeds. An independent research company compliments the seed business and operates across the farm testing new seed genetics and agronomic products across 80 acres/ year. Nick is a Professional Agronomist that believes that economics and agronomics must both work together for long term success on all farms. Nick also believes in Service as a core value and is proud to serve as a Lion, parish council member, minor hockey board representative and Saskatchewan Seed Grower. He is a proud father of three children, a student of leadership and a big dreamer.

Dana Maxwell is the President, CEO and Director of Plant Genetic Services for Ag-Quest, which provides contract agricultural research services across Western Canada.

She has worked in agricultural research full-time since 2007, as a Research Biologist for Dow AgroSciences’ Nexera canola program, then coming to Ag-Quest in 2009 as Director of Plant Genetic Services. Dana has been President, CEO and co-owner of Ag-Quest since 2014. Dana has been a member of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale since 2010, and has served as Chair of the Committee since 2019.

Dana and her team work across all crops grown in Western Canada, testing genetics, traits, products and agronomic management plans to meet their clients’ needs.

Heather Ryan is a Specialist in the Variety Registration Office, CFIA. Since joining the VRO 4 years ago, her main focus (outside of the core work of the variety registration office) has been on modernizing the variety registration process.

Wendy Jahn is the National Manager of the Seed Section at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Wendy has been with the CFIA’s Seed Section since 2006 and she has wide experience in the agricultural sector, having previously held roles at Ontario Soybean Growers, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and Maple Leaf Foods International. In her current role at CFIA, Wendy is responsible for leading seed regulatory modernization, and she is the Registrar for Variety Registration.

She and her team are responsible for ensuring the quality and safety of seed in Canada.