Farrellton seed grower Catherine Wallenburg named Outaouais finalist in provincial agriculture competition

Tashi Farmilo

Catherine Wallenburg, the organic seed grower behind Northern Seeds in Farrellton, has been chosen as the Outaouais region's finalist in La Financière agricole du Québec's 21st annual Turn Towards Excellence competition, the corporation announced July 15 in Lévis. She is one of 10 finalists selected from across the province for the strength of their entrepreneurial profiles, their achievements and their management abilities.

The competition recognizes young agricultural entrepreneurs, and Wallenburg was singled out for her work advancing seed diversity and adapting plant varieties to Canadian growing conditions. According to the corporation's profile, her business has found commercial success while staying rooted in sustainable development, with an approach meant to strengthen biodiversity and food resilience for the gardeners who come after her.

That mission sits at the centre of the company Wallenburg founded on a 100-acre property in Farrellton, roughly 45 minutes north of Gatineau, in January 2020. Northern Seeds now offers more than 120 varieties of vegetable, herb and flower seed, all of them certified organic and open-pollinated, and none genetically modified, according to the company's website. The farm grows the plants, lets them go to seed, then cleans and packages the seed to sell under its own label. It also raises grass-finished cattle.

The company frames its purpose around a changing climate. Its stated aim is to develop varieties suited to Canada's cold winters and short growing seasons, running trials to find seed that is productive, disease-resistant and able to withstand extreme weather. Wallenburg has described that work as tied to the resilience of the food system itself, the idea being that seed adapted to local conditions gives farmers a better chance as growing conditions shift.

Wallenburg was born and raised in Montreal before building her life on the land in western Quebec, working farms in the Gatineau Hills and spending several seasons at a community-supported market garden in the La Pêche area before striking out on her own. Her seed business drew wider attention during the early pandemic years, when demand surged and gardeners rushed to secure supply.

The winners of the Turn Towards Excellence competition will be announced in November at the management symposium organized by the Quebec Centre of Reference in Agriculture and Agri-food, with prizes totalling $18,000. Over its 21 editions, the competition has supported more than 500 young agricultural entrepreneurs and awarded close to $250,000 in scholarships.

For Wallenburg, the recognition lands close to the reason she started. "I am proud to advance seed diversity and the adaptation of varieties to the Canadian context," she said.