If you've ever grown Green lentils in Saskatchewan, chances are you have grown lairds or you are at least familiar with them.

Lairds have been chosen for the Seed of the Year West for 2013-14. Lairds were developed by Dr. Al Slinkard at the Crop Development Centre and released in 1980. Lairds were the first lentil variety to be licensed in Canada.

They are often described as the single most important factor contribuiting to the rapid expansion of the Lentil Industry in Canada.

"Seed of the year is a bit of a misnomer because it's really a life time achievement award for the variety and the breeding program that brings it forward," Said Todd Hyra, Western Business Manager for Secan. "It considers the innovation that went in and the impact on the marketplace and the longevity of that particular product in the market. So it's really about it's overall contribution to the Canadian economy rather than just one single year."

Dr. Slinkard will be recognized Monday afternoon with the Seed of the Year honor at the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers AGM.