The future of the seed industry is in good hands if the students who are attending this year’s American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting are any indication. ASTA has a strong interest in encouraging young people pursuing careers in the industry in a number of ways, from programs that mentor students to supporting the efforts of the American Seed …
#ASTAannual Selects New IEC Chair
Karen Withers will be taking the reins for American Seed Trade Association’s International Executive Committee for the coming year. Withers works for Pennington Seed handling their international sales, so she’s well versed in trials and tribulations that come with work on the international level. She’s also had two years serving the committee as vice chair, joining the year before that as …
#ASTAannual Honors Exemplary Members
When it comes to volunteering and service there are some people who just seem to stand out. Here at the American Seed Trade Association annual meeting the board took the opportunity to honor a few of those people and thank them for the contributions they’ve made to the industry. Mike Gumina was recognized with the ASTA Lifetime Honorary Member Award. Gumina …
Seeds of Tomorrow at #ASTAannual
If NASA is looking for extraordinary out in space, CASIS is looking for extraordinary right here on earth. The Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) manages the laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS), providing resources needed to launch research and innovation that comes from experiments in micro gravity. Breakthroughs in space often lead to breakthroughs on earth. …
#ASTAannual Honors #Seed Industry Legend
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) instituted a new award at the 133rd annual meeting in Portland, Oregon this year, the Lifetime Industry Achievement Award, and the first honoree is Dr. Owen Newlin, retired from DuPont Pioneer. Presenting the award, ASTA Chair Risa DeMasi called Newlin a legend in the industry. “When someone spends a lifetime, more than 50 years, …
Krysta Harden Keynotes #ASTAannual
Attendees of the American Seed Trade Association were privileged to hear, not just a great speaker, but someone who has a lot of experience in the agriculture industry. Krysta Harden recently made the move to chief sustainability officer at DuPont from her previous position as deputy secretary of the USDA. Her experience has taught her a thing or two about …
#ASTAannual Opening Reception Jam
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) got the ASTA-OSA Jam Band together for the opening reception, sponsored by Syngenta, at the 133rd annual convention in Portland, Oregon. The venue was historic Edgefield, built in 1911 as the county poor farm, now transformed into a neighborhood gathering spot with pubs, historic hotels, local artisans, and more. The band was put together …
#ASTAannual Gets Social
As the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) 133rd annual meeting kicked off in Portland, Oregon over the weekend, the Management Skills Committee focused on using social media to fight the spread of misinformation about agriculture and technology. Jim Schweigert, president of Wisconsin-based Gro Alliance, started off the social media session by presenting a montage of tweets and Facebook posts deriding …
Blazing Trails Theme for @Better_Seed Meeting
A trail blazing joint convention of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) with the Oregon Seed Association this year will highlight the diverse seed industry of the Beaver State. “Oregon is known as the cool season grass capitol of the world,” says ASTA Chair Risa DeMasi of Grassland Oregon, who will be hosting this year’s meeting. “Over 90 percent of …
Harden Announced as Keynote Speaker at ASTA Annual
The ASTAOregon Seed Association Annual Convention is coming up June 18-22. The event will be held in Portland, Oregon and will kick off with a keynote address from the Former Deputy Secretary of the USDA, Krysta Harden. Harden recently joined DuPont as the Vice President of Public Policy and Chief Sustainability Officer. She will be sharing lessons from her experiences …