Ella McDonald is a local Perth lass who moved to Wyalkatchem in 2016, and she has worked in various occupations over the years, finally landing up back in Perth with Pacific Seeds in 2022. Ella is one of four people in the sales team in central WA, and she told us that one of Pacific Seeds most prominent products is Canola. Other products include sorghum and corn. Ella focussed on Canola though, and she described how her Company provides seeds for numerous growers around the State, many of whom are part of the CBH Co-operative. WA produces around half of all Canola crops in Australia, and there are large tracts of land devoted to this pursuit in our State. The last two years or so have seen bumper crops of Canola which has latterly been priced at nearly $800 per tonne. The product is used to make cooking oils, margarine and biodiesel – a form of diesel fuel. Interestingly Pacific Seeds has introduced Hybrid Canola Seeds, as these have a higher yield potential as well as better growing reliability across a variety of farming environments and differing seasons. These Hybrids are also herbicide tolerant and disease resistant. They are grown in relatively isolated fields, pollinated by bees, and after harvesting are sent to Toowoomba for processing. Canola products are largely genetically modified (GM) to make them herbicide tolerant, and independent research has found that the risks associated with GM Canola are negligible. Producers of and retailers selling GM products are required to do a stewardship programme to better manage the impacts of products through their life cycle. We were all blissfully unaware of these things, so it was very interesting to learn all about it!