The current and incoming chairmen of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) are pleased with the state of the industry and looking forward to a bright future. Blake Curtis, Curtis & Curtis, has served as the chairman of the organization for the past year, which he says has gone by very quickly. “It has been a year of successes,” he …
Lowell Catlett talks future at ASTA annual meeting
The 130th American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting opened today with a look into the future of the seed industry provided by Dr. Lowell Catlett, the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at New Mexico State University. Catlett is a self-professed “weirdo” who provided his perspective on what it takes to look to the future with …
ASTA at the Grand Ole Opry
The opening reception for the 130th American Seed Trade Association annual convention was held at the Grand Ole Opry and the entertainment was provided by an up-and-coming country artist who is now starting to get so popular that he is having less time for his job as a Syngenta Seeds sales rep. Not coincidentally, the reception was sponsored by Syngenta …
ASTA Convention Tackles Industry Issues
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is holding its 130th annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee this week and it goes without saying that the organization is facing issues today that members at that first meeting never even dreamed about. “It’s really exciting when we look at 130 years of all the issues that impact the seed industry and how the …
Off to ASTA
What better place is there than Nashville to celebrate 130 years of the seed industry’s strong roots while charting a path for the progress and innovation of our present and future? I am heading to the 130th American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting at the Gaylord Opryland and joining me will be AgWired summer intern Maggie Seiler. Among the …
2013 National Ag Day Activities
It is time for National Ag Day and activities to celebrate it will kick off today in Washington, DC. National Ag Day is a project of the Agriculture Council of America. My coverage of this year’s activities is being sponsored once again by the American Seed Trade Association along with BCS Communications. I talked with Andy Lavigne, President/CEO, ASTA, about …
ASTA Seed Treatment Guide
A guide to seed treatment stewardship is a new project by the American Seed Trade Association along with a collaboration of seed companies, researchers and organizations like CropLife America, National Corn Growers Association and Farm Bureau. Growers will soon find “The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship” online. I spoke with Andy Lavigne, ASTA President/CEO, during Commodity Classic about this project …
Harvest Masters Unveiled New Mirus Software at ASTA
Just last month at the ASTA Seed Expo in Chicago, Harvest Masters by Juniper Systems, announced the release of their new harvest data collection software system they call Mirus. Cindy spoke with Allen Wilson, Ag Marketing Manager for Harvest Masters, during the event. Allen shared how the two year long process to develop this software resulted in a brand new …
The View From Inside
Last night we had our first snow of the season, if you can call it a snow. It was more like hurricane winds blowing around a few specks of white stuff. The roads aren’t bad but I don’t dare take my little car out for fear of getting blown off the road! Our horse decided that cold triumphed over food …
MS Technologies Collaborates to Innovate
One company that was generating some buzz at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2012 and Seed Expo was MS Technologies, which made a name for itself a few years ago by collaborating Bayer CropScience on LibertyLink soybeans. At ASTA, MS Technologies was talking about two new projects – Enlist E3™ with Dow AgroSciences and another Bayer collaboration currently …