CANTERRA SEEDS acquires trusted seed brand

May 02, 2025
By Farms.com

Alliance Seed joins the CANTERRA SEEDS family

CANTERRA SEEDS has announced the acquisition of Alliance Seed, a respected pedigreed seed company previously owned by Paterson Grain, which has over 115 years of history in Canadian agriculture. This strategic step strengthens CANTERRA SEEDS’s presence in the seed market and helps bring more high-quality seed varieties to farmers across Western Canada.

This acquisition adds top-performing varieties like CDC Endure milling oats and AAC Leroy VB CWRS wheat to CANTERRA SEEDS’s offerings. It also supports the company’s ongoing collaboration with Limagrain through their joint venture, Limagrain Cereals Research Canada, which focuses on wheat breeding and crop innovation.

By bringing Alliance Seed into its network, CANTERRA SEEDS plans to expand its distribution and build stronger connections with a growing number of seed growers. The move is expected to improve access to proven seed varieties and foster innovation in Canadian agriculture.

“We’re excited to welcome Alliance Seed into the CANTERRA SEEDS family,” said Brent Derkatch, CEO of CANTERRA SEEDS. “Alliance Seed has built an impressive portfolio and a network supported by committed seed growers. With our experience, we’re confident we can build on this strong foundation, help the brand grow, and offer even more value to Canadian farmers.”

Alliance Seed will operate as a standalone brand, and key staff will remain in place to ensure smooth operations and continued customer service.

“Founding and growing Alliance Seed has been an incredible journey, and we’re proud of what the team has accomplished. As we looked for the right successor, it was important to find someone who aligned with Alliance Seed’s culture and commitment to personalized service — and we found that in CANTERRA SEEDS. This new chapter brings exciting opportunities for the Alliance Seed brand, and we look forward to continuing our support through our retail network,” said Shane Paterson, Director of Trading and Transportation for Paterson Grain and former President and Chairman of Alliance Seed.

This acquisition marks another step forward for CANTERRA SEEDS as it builds a stronger, more innovative future for Canadian agriculture.

Photo Credit:

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.