At 103 years old, there’s not much that surprises Reg Harrison.
He survived four plane crashes as a fighter pilot in the Second World War.
Still, the Saskatoon man can’t help but laugh when he recounts receiving news of an unexpected honour.
“I’m a yellow pea,” he said, with a chuckle.
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A new variety of yellow field pea has been registered under the name AAC Harrison by FP Genetics, a Regina-based seed company that now names all of its new plant varieties after veterans.
Harrison, a Saskatchewan farm kid who grew up in the Dirty ’30s, called it “a great honour.”
An idea takes root
Choosing names for new crop plant varieties can be challenging because of the international principle that dictates “one variety, one name” worldwide.
Chris Churko is the chief executive officer of FP Genetics, which is owned by more than 170 seed growers and farm operators.
FP Genetics was struggling to find a name for this red spring wheat. It’s now named AAC Hodge after a Second World War veteran. (Stamp Seeds)
A few years ago, the company was having trouble getting a name approved for a new wheat variety.
“We’d been rejected three or four times for names we’d come up with,” Churko recalls.
He flipped open a coffee table book about Canadian war heroes and found the name of Frederick Hodge, a young soldier who stormed Juno Beach. He was later taken prisoner and executed.
“I said, ‘Let’s try this one,'” Churko said.
Frederick Hodge served as a major with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles during the Second World War. On D-Day, he was taken as a prisoner of war, then executed. (Cecil Pittman)
FP Genetics registered a variety of wheat as AAC Hodge.
“It just felt good,” Churko said. “We picked the name of somebody none of us knew, never met, never knew his story, read the biography, learned a little bit about his history, and we put his name onto something that’s going to be here forever.”
It’s a symbolic way for the agriculture industry to show appreciation for people who have sacrificed for their community and country, said Churko.
The company decided to formalize a partnership with the Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command to name all new seed varieties after veterans— about 20 so far.
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“Variety names don’t get reused,” said Churko. “So whether it’s 100 years from now, or 200 years from now, there will only be one wheat named AAC Hodge.”
‘A field of Juliuses’
One of the first names submitted by the legion was Julius Brown.
Brown, originally from South Carolina, is a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force as a military policeman. These days, he lives in Regina and co-ordinates a Canadian Mental Health Association support program, called OSI-CAN, for veterans and first responders who are dealing with occupational stress injury.
Since Brown is a fairly common name, and has already been used for most crops, FP Genetics called a new high-yielding yellow pea “AAC Julius.”
Churko and Brown met for the first time this week, while speaking to CBC News. During their conversation, Churko told Brown that while AAC Julius peas might feed people for the next five years, the varieties of today are used to build varieties of tomorrow.
Chris Churko, CEO of FP Genetics, stands next to Julius Brown, a veteran honoured by the seed company’s initiative to name all new plant varieties after veterans. (Kirk Fraser/CBC)
“So, the genetic background of Julius may be around for 300 years, long after we’re all long gone. So, symbolically, you continue to give back.”
Brown said he’d never thought about plant genetics before, but he’s impressed by what he’s learned since having a pea named after him.
He’s happy to be honoured by an industry that’s also committed to helping people in its own way — with food security.
“I never imagined there being a field of Juliuses, but it’s a wonderful feeling,” Brown said.
A field of AAC Julius yellow peas. (Stamp Seeds)