Tom Pick and Martin Pick, Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively, of the Pickseed Companies Group, have been selected as the 2006 recipients of the Canadian Seed Trade Association’s Honorary Life Membership Award. This award recognizes and honours significant volunteer contributions to the Canadian seed trade. Tom and Martin received the award in July at the joint ASTA/CSTA Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Traditionally presented to one CSTA member, the partnership of the Pick brothers makes them both truly deserving recipients of this award. Pickseed Canada was founded in 1947 by their parents, Otto and Marie Pick, as a seed company selling forage mixtures directly to Ontario farmers. Tom and Martin have been running the company since 1959. Over the last four decades, they led the company through a solid growth period including establishing six locations across Canada, launching Pickseed West Inc. in Oregon in 1970, and being selected as one of the Top 50 Best Managed Privately Owned Companies in Canada.

While Martin and Tom grew the company from a home business to the largest forage and turf company in Canada, and one of the largest in the U.S., they were also very active in the CSTA. In addition to being CSTA President from 1991-92, Martin had numerous responsibilities including Chairing the Statistics, Seed Multiplication, Forage Crops, and Turfgrass Committees. Tom also held a CSTA presidency position, from 1973-74. Some of his additional roles included Chair of the Seed Multiplication Committee, Chair of the International Committee, the CSTA representative on a trade mission to Russia, and the Canadian V.P. on the American Seed Trade Association Board.

“Martin and Tom’s partnership has played a significant role in the growth of their company and their role in the CSTA,” says Charles Pick of DNA Landmarks, one of the nominators of the Pick brothers. Although they have scaled back their roles in the CSTA, they are still involved and committed to continuing the work of building a better Association.

Headquartered in the nation’s capital, the CSTA represents the interests of 138 corporate members engaged in all aspects of seed research, production and marketing, both domestically and internationally.