CropLife Canada announces new board chair
Dec. 11, 2025 - CropLife Canada, the national trade association representing the manufacturers, developers and distributors of plant science innovations, including pest control products and products of plant breeding innovations, has announced that Glenn Houser, senior director of crop inputs and assistant vice president at Cargill Limited, has taken on the role of chair of the board of directors.
Houser takes over as chair from Trevor Heck, president of Syngenta Canada, who is retiring and held the role since March of 2023. Heck’s steady leadership was critical through a period of significant change both in the domestic political environment and in the geopolitical landscape. He led the board through the association’s most recent strategic planning process, which resulted in a strong and focused plan that sets the organization up to capitalize on an opportunity to deliver bold and meaningful change.
“It’s a privilege to take on the role of board chair at this critical time in our industry,” says Houser. “CropLife Canada’s position as a trusted and respected leader in the industry has never been more important than it is today.”
CropLife Canada’s strategic plan sets clear priorities related to driving towards a high-functioning, high-efficiency regulatory environment that enables innovation in Canada; driving recognition and continued development of Canada’s plant science industry as a leader in sustainable agriculture; and driving an enabling global trade environment to support food security and economic growth.
“With a federal government focused on driving economic growth for Canada, there’s an opportunity to elevate the profile of the agriculture industry as an important strategic sector for the country,” says Houser. “And plant science innovations are critical to supporting the growth and resilience of the sector but we need the right regulatory environment to attract and enable innovation.”
CropLife Canada’s president and CEO, Pierre Petelle, recognizes the strength of CropLife Canada’s board and its collective commitment to advancing the industry.
“Having Glenn, who represents Cargill’s retail and wholesale business, step into the role of board chair highlights the diversity of our board. And it’s this diversity and the group’s unwavering commitment to working together towards the greater good of the industry that is its strength,” says Petelle. “We are poised to deliver some significant results on behalf of our members under the direction of our board.”
The CropLife Canada board of directors are:
Dr. Darren Anderson, Vive Crop Protecton
Boyd Bergstrom, Nufarm Agriculture Inc.
Antoine Bernet, Bayer CropScience Inc.
Brent Derkatch, CANTERRA SEEDS
Glenn Houser, Cargill Limited
Jesse Hamonic, Nutrien Ag Solutions (Canada) Inc.
Trevor Heck, Syngenta Canada Inc.
Todd Hyra, SeCan
Casper Kaastra, Sollio Agriculture
Leta LaRush, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada Inc.
Trent McCrea, UPL AgroSolutions Canada Inc.
Devron McLeod, FMC Canada
Trish Meyers, Federated Co-operatives Limited
Loralee Orr, Corteva Agriscience
Geneviève Potvin, Scotts Canada Limited
Russ Reich, Richardson International Limited
Cornie Thiessen, ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
Fred Thun, United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Limited
David Van Dam, WinField United Canada