SeedMaster’s new CEO says the company is focusing on providing solutions for farmers as it pushes forward with a major expansion in a tough market, with looming trade and exchange rate uncertainty.
The Saskatchewan-based seeding equipment manufacturer plans to open a $10 million 6,000 square-foot expansion to its manufacturing facility at Emerald Park, Sask., this summer.
Allan Wiens, who stepped into the role of CEO in December, acknowledges there are challenges ahead.
“We’re entering into this in a bit of a downturn market, and managing all aspects of the business where sales may not be as robust as they’ve been, that’s something we think about a lot about,” he says, speaking with RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney at the Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, Sask. earlier this month.
The possibility of tariffs on sales into the U.S. is certainly a concern in the immediate future, says Wiens.
“It would be dramatic. It’s hard to even think that tariffs are even a possibility,” he says. “More than that, exchange rate is on our mind right now, and just trying to understand where that exchange is going to go over the next six months to a year. We’re in the middle of pricing model year ’26 product right now… If you look at what the banks are forecasting, you can look at all six of the majors and you get a different answer from every single one of them.”
As the company navigates the uncertain market, he says understanding customers’ needs remains a priority, focusing on solutions that range from high-tech to practical.
Wiens, who grew up on a farm at Domain, Man., has worked in the agricultural equipment industry for nearly two decades, spending time with Deere and Brandt prior to joining SeedMaster.
He succeeds Don Henry, who served as CEO of SeedMaster from 2020 to his retirement at the end of 2024.
Listen to new SeedMaster CEO Allan Wiens share an outlook for 2025:
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