Officers of the American Seed Trade Association are very pleased with the outcome of the CSS 2015 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago, with great attendance and an informative program hitting on many key industry issues.
American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) chair Risa DeMasi of Grassland Oregon was thrilled with how the big session on cover crops turned out. “The panel was fantastic … to get all those different perspectives and just connecting the dots and get everybody talking about it,” she said. [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/asta-css15-risa.mp3″ text=”Interview with ASTA Chair Risa DeMasi”]
Both DeMasi and First Vice Chair Mark Herrmann of Monsanto mentioned the emphasis on communications at the meeting – from within the industry and key stakeholders, to lawmakers and the general public. “Some of the key focus is how do we have policy and regulations for all seed companies to operate,” said Herrmann. “If we can share the key points of view and make sure decisions are made with a good view of the impact it will have.” [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/asta-css15-hermann.mp3″ text=”Interview with ASTA First Vice Chair Mark Herrmann”]
ASTA will now be focused on preparations for the 2016 ASTA annual meeting which will be held June 18-22 in DeMasi’s home state. “It will be in Portland, Oregon and we’re very excited about doing it in conjunction with the Oregon Seed Association … it’s just another opportunity for us to get together and talk about our shared values and how we can tell our story on a bigger stage,” she said.
ASTA CSS 2015 and Seed Expo Photo Album
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