Welcome, Visitor | Login
  • Membership
    • Join ASTA
    • Student Membership
    • Committees and Working Groups
    • Committee Sign Up Form
  • E-news
  • Contact
  • The Issues
    • Intellectual Property Rights
    • State
    • Federal
    • Innovation and Policy
    • Organic
    • Phytosanitary
    • Seed Treatment and Environment
    • Environmental and Conservation Seed
    • International
  • About ASTA
    • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Committees and Divisions
    • ASTA Staff
    • Industry Honors
    • ASTA Annual Report
    • ASTA Strategic Plan
    • Anti-Trust Statement
    • Affiliated Organizations
    • State and Regional Seed Associations
    • Career Opportunities
  • News
    • COVID-19
    • News Releases
    • Member News
    • State News
    • Federal News
    • International News
    • Meetings & Education News
    • Other News
    • Media
  • Events
    • ASTA Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • ASTA Sponsorship Opportunities
    • #JustGrowIt
  • Resources
    • Seed Industry FAQ’s
    • Key Seed Laws
    • Hemp
    • What’s in a bag?
    • University Seed Programs
    • Lawn Seed Handling Guide
    • The Guide to Seed Quality Management
    • Guide: Evaluation of Genome Edited Plants
    • The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship
    • Environment and Conservation Seed Companies
    • Seed Testing and Accreditation Schemes
    • Simple Sequence Markers
    • Plant Disease Guides
    • Acronyms
    • Trade Leads
    • ReFreSH Draft Concept Paper
    • Phyto-Risk Model
    • Better Seed Better Life Podcast
    • Submit A Classified Ad
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Who We Are
  • Leadership
  • Committees and Divisions
  • ASTA Staff
  • Industry Honors
  • ASTA Annual Report
  • ASTA Strategic Plan
  • Anti-Trust Statement
  • Affiliated Organizations
  • State and Regional Seed Associations
  • Career Opportunities

Committees and Divisions

  • Home 
  • About ASTA
  • Committees and Divisions
Tweet

Most issues addressed by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) are bottom-up, driven from member representatives on ASTA committees or divisions. ASTA has seven divisions to which any member can belong, and it has 11 standing committees that address key seed science, policy and education issues.

ASTA members determine the future of the seed industry through active participation. Our success depends on your involvement. Grassroots efforts, quality discussions on policy issues, strategic goals and actions are the cornerstone to ASTA’s ability to advocate for the industry. Below are the ASTA Committees:

Committees

    • Innovation and Policy
    • Environmental & Conservation Seed (ENVCON)
    • Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
    • Legislative & Legal Concerns
    • Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Committee
    • Phytosanitary
    • Seed Industry Relations
    • Seed Treatment and Environmental
    • International Executive
    • Organic Seed
    • Communications Committee
    • CSS Program Planning Committee
    • Meetings Committee
    • Stewardship Committee
    • Vegetable & Flower Permanent Research Fund Committee
    • Vegetable & Flower Program Planning Committee

Divisions

  • Corn & Sorghum Seed
  • Farm Seed
  • Lawn Seed
  • Soybean Seed
  • Vegetables & Flower Seed
  • Associates
  • Brokers

Back to Top

Innovation and Policy Committee: This committee focuses on policy and regulatory issues in the areas of new plant breeding innovations and research that have an impact across the seed industry. Examples of topics addressed by the committee are domestic and international regulatory policies for seed products developed through innovative breeding technologies such as genome editing and U.S. policies related to breeding and seed research. Advocacy and development of ASTA positions are initially developed through topic-specific working groups that report back to the committee.


Back to Top

Environmental & Conservation Seed Committee: This committee represents the interests of ASTA members who provide quality seed for land restoration, rehabilitation, and reclamation. The primary focus of the committee is to promote native seeds, introduced and released plant materials in projects on private and public lands. A basis for all aspects of the committee is the need for sound, science-based principles and efficiency in government programs. Committee members meet regularly with policymakers from the USDA and Department of Interior on issues directly impacting the environmental and conservation seed industry.


Back to Top

Intellectual Property Rights Committee: This committee develops and recommends policy positions on matters related to intellectual property protection at the domestic and international levels. The committee works with the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Office, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other parties regarding rules and procedures related to intellectual property protection at the domestic and international levels and the administration of the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Acts. At a global level, the committee also advises ASTA representatives to the International Seed Federation’s (ISF) Intellectual Property Committee, as well as the International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV), and International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. This committee conducts many activities through the emerging issues ad hoc working group as the need arises.


Back to Top

Legislative and Legal Concerns Committee: This committee is responsible for setting and communicating legislative priorities and policy positions that are representative of ASTA’s diverse membership. Primary to ASTA’s legislative agenda is to ensure that state and federal regulations relating to the seed industry remain consistent and practical. This committee hosts ASTA’s annual Congressional fly-in lobbying event.


Back to Top

Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Committee: This committee is responsible for providing ASTA members with opportunities to expand their knowledge and gain experience in skills necessary to sustain and grow a career in the seed industry. This is delivered via distance learning, on-site tours of ASTA member companies and in-person at ASTA meetings. The committee is focused on building leadership skills by involving those new to the industry up to those that are advanced in their careers.


Back to Top

Phytosanitary Committee: Representing ASTA in all national and international regulatory matters dealing with seed health, this committee focuses on the phytosanitary aspects of seed movement. It maintains a close relationship with USDA’s APHIS and foreign government plant quarantine bodies including the International Plant Protection Convention, the North American Plant Protection Organization and other regional organizations, including national and regional seed associations. Through this network, the committee monitors plant quarantine developments that might affect the movement of seed.


Back to Top

Seed Industry Relations Committee: Serving as a liaison with related industry associations, the Seed Industry Relations Committee fosters communications and cooperation on issues of mutual concern. The committee keeps abreast of domestic and international developments in seed testing methods, regulations, and policy.


Back to Top

Seed Treatment and Environmental Committee: The STEC committee serves as a source of information to the industry on issues relating to the regulation and labeling of seed treated with pesticides and biologicals, as well as how treatments relate to the environment, health, safety and well-being of employees and consumers. The committee promotes product stewardship, uniformity in labeling, and provides advice to ASTA on issues regarding the safety of the seed industry’s workers, and environmental implications of laws or regulations as they relate to the seed industry. A biologicals working group has been created under STEC to address specific issues for that subset of products.


Back to Top

International Executive Committee: This committee plays a vital role in developing ASTA’s global agricultural policy development and international programs. It is comprised of the chairs of the Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation & Policy, Phytosanitary, and Seed Industry Relations committees; ASTA’s representatives to the International Seed Federation (ISF) and other regional and international organizations; the chairs of ASTA’s Country Working Groups; and the chair of ASTA’s Board of Directors. The committee sets global and country priorities, develops strategies for ASTA representatives to ISF, and designs strategies for ASTA’s participation in USDA Cooperator Programs, including the Foreign Market Development program, Market Access Program and Agriculture Trade Promotion program. It conveys ASTA’s message and policy priorities to U.S. government and other stakeholders.


Back to Top

Organic Seed Committee: The committee focuses on issues relevant to organic seed production, treatment, use and marketing. Open to all ASTA members interested in the development of the organic seed industry, the committee formulates policy recommendations to be submitted to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) and National Organic Standards Board. The committee supports the organic seed industry for all commodities and interfaces with the USDA-NOP and the National Organic Standards Board.


Back to Top

Communications Committee: Committee members will support both ASTA specific and industry-wide communications initiatives. These efforts will include, but are not limited to: help develop and coordinate industry messaging, as appropriate, to support advocacy goals and drive public opinion; apprise each other of emerging issues and media interests; share communications research & resources; and support industry initiatives including the Seed Treatment Stewardship Guide, Innovature, First the Seed Foundation, LEAD and more.


Back to Top

CSS Program Planning Committee: Committee members are responsible for selecting speakers and topics for the CSS (Corn, Sorghum and Soybean) conference session programming. The committee offers a variety of perspectives from experts working in the private sector to academia.


Back to Top

Meetings Committee: The ASTA Meetings Committee continually monitors, evaluates and seeks to enhance ASTA meetings in order to maintain and increase the value of ASTA events for its members and grow participation and engagement in those events.


Back to Top

Stewardship Committee: Established to develop and implement a living work plan focusing on seed product quality, the committee is able to address related emerging issues. Developing industry guidelines and educating/reaching out to domestic and foreign governments, growers, and other stakeholders who have expertise in stewardship and quality assurance and management are a few of the committee’s activities. The committee primarily works on a project by project basis.


Back to Top

Vegetable & Flower Permanent Research Fund Committee: The committee determines the need for basic research relating to the vegetable and flower sector. Meeting once a year at the Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference, committee members vote on and fund research projects. A 3-year financial commitment is required, which entitles committee members access to all previous and current research results. This committee is managed by the Seed Science Foundation.


Back to Top

Vegetable & Flower Program Planning Committee: Committee members are responsible for selecting speakers and topics for the ASTA Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference. The committee offers a variety of perspectives from experts working in the private sector to academia.

Scroll
  • ASTA Events
  • Who We Are
  • Membership
  • ASTA Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Copyright 2020 - American Seed Trade Association - 1701 Duke Street, Suite 275, Alexandria, VA 22314

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Please indicate your acceptance of our cookie policy. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Welcome
    • Logout
  • The Issues
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • State
  • Federal
  • Innovation and Policy
  • Organic
  • Phytosanitary
  • Seed Treatment and Environment
  • Environmental and Conservation Seed
  • International
  • About ASTA
  • Who We Are
  • Leadership
  • Committees and Divisions
  • ASTA Staff
  • Industry Honors
  • ASTA Annual Report
  • ASTA Strategic Plan
  • Anti-Trust Statement
  • Affiliated Organizations
  • FuSE
  • State and Regional Seed Associations
  • Career Opportunities
  • News
  • News Releases
  • Media
  • Events
  • ASTA Events
  • Calendar of Events
  • ASTA Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Resources
  • Key Seed Laws
  • University Seed Programs
  • Lawn Seed Handling Guide
  • The Guide to Seed Quality Management
  • The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship
  • Seed Industry FAQs
  • Seed Testing and Accreditation Schemes
  • Simple Sequence Markers
  • CGMMV Brochure
  • Acronyms
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Membership
  • Join ASTA
  • Committees and Working Groups
  • Committee Sign Up Form
  • E-News
  • Contact