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KPU Small Farm Sessions - Alex Ausustyniak - Opportunities with West Coast Seeds 1

West Coast Seeds Ltd. 5300 34B Ave

Ladner, British Columbia

WCS Retail Store on Elliott St.

We have worked hard to improve our corner at Elliott Street and River Road, and look forward to maintaining this as our retail location.

West Coast Seeds

• Approx. 16 acres of certified organic farm • Provide opportunity for agri tourism, education centre on sustainable agriculture and seed trials. • WCS is a certified organic operation • CFIA, licensed seed import & export and audited yearly • We spend large amounts of money and time to ensure we have the fattest best quality seed with

the most vigour and germ • All WCS seeds have been tested by a third party seed lab, for phyto, purity and germ, currently

there are no seed labs in BC, we use 20/20 in Alberta • Our values are to provide, Untreated, Non GMO seeds, Open pollinated and Organic if possible,

many varieties are F1 and are appropriate for farms looking for consistent quality produce • We guarantee that we sell Canada no. 1 seed • WCS by offering OP, gives farms the opportunity to save their own seeds • WCS encourages farms to save their own seed, continue to grow out hierloom and heritage seeds

just as farmers have done for centuries • We are looking for farms that are willing to look at different varieties to trial, document, photo and

sell in different parts of BC and Canada. Giving us feed back and vision on varieties to offer the home gardner and farms alike.

• Remember we are focused on what grows well in our northern coastal climate

Site plan

House current Barn

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Barn and garage West Coast Seeds Ltd. • West Coast Seeds provides the best quality, untreated seeds for Organic

growing Non GMO • We are active supporters of the Bauta Family Initiative for Canada’s seed

security, in line with Farm Folk City Folk and the Young Agarians local to BC.

• Some seeds, Our seed garlic, seed potatoes, soon to come Hops are from BC.

• West Coast Seeds is looking to partner with universities and colleges, one being Kwantlen College, on what we can do to help set up a registered and certified seed lab in BC, able to fully test seeds to Canadian and US standards.

• West Coast Seeds’ trial gardens will be used to grow out our vegetable, herb and flower seeds for demonstration and research purposes.

• West Coast Seeds’ values support sustainable agriculture and support the ideals of the ALC and are working with the Kwantlen College Sustainable agricultural program in addition to the UBC botanical gardens.

Sunflower trials

WCS trials are currently conducted in many place across the Lower Mainland.

West Coast Seeds at UBC Botanical Garden

We will continue to work closely with the UBC Botanical Garden.

All food grown at the UBC Botanical Garden is donated to the Salvation Army Foodbank

West Coast Seeds works with many school gardens in BC, nurturing a passion for gardening in young people. Our seed donation and school fundraising programs have enabled numerous schools to start gardening programs. In addition, all returns of seed that did not sell in our retail partners, are donated to both Canadian and third world causes, preferably non profit registered charities and schools.

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Historic Kirkland House

Demonstration garden, Kirkland House New raised beds at Kirkland House, 2012, donated by West Coast Seeds.

Demonstration garden, Kirkland House Demonstration garden, Kirkland House

Lettuce demo, Kirkland House

Kirkland House trials

Demonstration Garden, Kirkland House

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West Coast Seeds Ltd. – Items to note • In BC, farm land values are high in comparison to US and remainder of Canada • Canada has a short growing season, but also presents other opportunities • Young and small scale farms need to find their niche and focus on what sells well

and grows well here in BC • Plant breeding and seed production takes a large amount of man power,

experience, high levels of quality control, infastructure and knowledge • Many people in the industry are available to help farms looking to get into seed

production, understand what equipment is needed or required • A major opportunity is certified organic seedlings, with WCS organic seed, signage,

and promotion. • WCS supports the current retail partners and is looking to support our current

market gardeners, CSA’s, farmers with our promotion and advertising • WCS has a large presence on social media, namely newsletters, catalogues,

facebook, twitter, instagram and various other standard media • Example: recent news article on WCS, in the Vancouver Sun • If you are buying our seeds, have signage showing you are using WCS to grow your

veg at markets, have signage at markets, we will support you with facebook and our website

Ladner Community Garden

WCS conducts trials in 14 raised beds at Holly Park. Above is our wildflower trial, 2012.

Ladner Community Garden

2013 Cabbage Trials, Holly Park

Westham Island Herb Farm

WCS has conducted seed trials at Westham Island Herb Farm, and plays an active role in their annual Day at the Farm event.

2011 WCS Lettuce trials, Westham Island Herb Farm

West Coast Seeds Lettuce Trials West Coast Seeds Onion Seeds

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WCS Education – Feast of Fields Trial Gardens

Trials Trials

Trial tour Demonstration – for Organic farmers

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West Coast Seeds Ltd. – What we offer • WSCs works hard to help and educate our local and worldwide

community of growing your own food from seed and buying locally • WCS has a large following on our website, newsletters going out to

60K people, facebook with 73K likes • Many news articles in local and regional papers help to promote

WCS and yourself • We continue to promote sustainable agriculture and are looking for

farmers that are growing our seed and selling the produce, so we can get photo’s to promote you and your business

• We understand without you being successful we don’t have customers

• As you can see, WCS has continually created and maintained demonstration and trial gardens throughout the lower mainland

• We want the opportunity to work with more farmers to produce different varieties based on taste