b'tionship between ASTA and the Canadian seed industry stays focused.The relationship will be more difficult because the two organizations will be so different in terms of priori-ties and membership. With the proposed Canadian NSO, there is a limited number of board positions representing such a huge membership. ASTA has always had a direct link at the board level to CSTA, and I dont expect to see that with the existing board structure of the proposed NSO just by its very nature, at least not at first.Perhaps the key, he says, will be good negotiation between the two sides in figuring out how best to con-tinue helping one another.The biggest challenge for ASTA right now is working with a membership affected economically by the imbal-ances COVID has introduced. Pigs are being slaughtered rather than being sold. Different produce industries are going through difficulties with foreign worker programs. Field crop producers went through a hard, wet year in 2019. There are issues at the seed trade level to help members navigate, he adds. All that affects us and our members since were the ones feeding the animals or producing the produce usingWayne Gale is owner of the Ontario-based Stokes Seeds.foreign worker programs. At the end of the day, its each organizations task to make sure their respective govern- Hear our recent interview with Wayne on how his seed sales ments hear whats happening on the ground and what thespiked during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen at germination.ca/wayne-gales-trying-week-a-boon-for-beans-and-barriers to success are in maintaining food security.basfs-contingency-seed/12GERMINATION.CAJULY 2020'