b'1. From left to right: Wayne Gale, John Latham, Linda Latham and Jim Schweigert.2.Though Dick Crowder couldnt attend the show, he was honored to receive a Heritage Award from ASTA. 3. From left to right: David Bubeck, Manjit Misra and Jim Schweigert.4. Don Cummings and Jim Schweigert. All photos courtesy of ASTA4.3.Achievement award in 2010. He passed away on July 31, 2015,Newman is the former president and CEO of AgReliant after a battle with myeloid leukemia and graft versus host disease.Genetics. Following his retirement in 2012, he began consulting This years recipient of the Seed Science Foundationswith Finding Black Ink, LLC. Hes also served as president of the Excellence in Science award was Manjit Misra, director of theIllinois Seed Dealers and as Central regional vice president and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and formerlychairman of the board of directors for ASTA. executive director of the Iowa State Seed Science Center.My first ASTA board meeting, I sat between two other new The award recognizes the outstanding achievement by aboard members, and we were anxious about the meeting, public or private researcher whose accomplishments have hadNewman says. We wondered what we were getting into. Well, an impact in the areas of breeding systems, seed quality, seedI ended up being in complete awe, because we learned what production and technology, seed health and pathology, digitalASTA did for all the seed companies. We are so blessed to be agriculture or seed applied technology.part of such an important industry.Misra has worked in the seed industry for a significant amount of time and was recently appointed director of NIFA follow- David Armstrong Takes Over as Chairing his retirement at the Iowa State University Seed ScienceOn June 13 at the closing reception of the Leadership Summit, Center. In addition, he was appointed as the chair of the USDASchweigert concluded the meeting and passed off the ASTA National Genetic Resources Advisory Council for two terms bychairmanship to David Armstrong of Sakata Seeds. the Secretary of Agriculture. Hes served on more than 60 local,Schweigert thanked the team at Gro Alliance, the team at national and international boards and committees.ASTA, his parents and his wife, Jen Schweigert, for the support I accept this honor with a sense of humility, Misra says.that allowed him to work with ASTA over the last year. Since he Seeds are the foundation of agriculture, and agriculture is thefirst joined the ASTA board in 2009, Schweigert reflected that foundation of civilization and all life. Im so proud to accept this. the industry has changed tremendously.Finally, ASTA awarded the ASTA Distinguished Service AwardThe change in agriculture and in the seed industry weve and the Lifetime Honorary Member Award. The Distinguishedseen over the last 14 years has been remarkable. Weve seen Service Award was given to Donn Cummings of the Nationalincreased diversity of GMO development and the emergence of Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB), and the Lifetimegene editing in seed and seed enhancements as well, he said Honorary Member Award was given toCraig Newman ofduring the reception. Weve gone from farming for yield and Finding Black Ink, LLC. weight to farming for green characteristics and improved output. Don Cummings had a 30-year career with Pfizer Genetics,These changes have definitely created some challenges, but Dekalb and Monsanto and was a highly successful corn breeder,even more opportunities.station manager and area research director. He was activelyWe need to grow more and on less land, produce more involved and a founding member of NAPB, has served as NAPBoutput with less input and be more stable in an increasingly membership committee chair, and finally as a mentor for NAPBsunstable world, Schweigert continues. The task is enormous, Borlaug Scholars program. and even overwhelming at times. But its our calling and its what At this point in my career, Im just kind of an ASTA groupie,were meant to do. Thank you for the trust you placed in me this Cummings joked. I have a passion for mentoring, and goinglast year as chairit was truly the honor of a lifetime.forward as we work on workforce development, we have to thinkASTA presented Schweigert with an ASTA past chair lapel pin about the scalability of mentoring I encourage you to thinkas well as a flag, which was flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor about scaling up mentoring as we go forward to build the work- of his year as chair, as well as his birthday by the request of force we need, and I encourage you to think about the rewardsSenator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.of mentoring.SEPTEMBER 2023 SEEDWORLD.COM /31'