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This Is #FCSC2025: Inside the Seed Industry’s Biggest Week

Congratulations to the Summit Seeds team on winning the SW U.S. Insiders of the Year for 2025. Joseph Young, Gene Beiker, and David Henze.

From full meeting rooms to quiet corners where serious conversations unfolded, the seed sector has arrived in Orlando ready to work. Across the conference space, the tone is unmistakable: people are comparing notes, asking tough questions, and leaning hard into the relationships that help them navigate a shifting landscape. Conversations this year feel focused and more intentional than ever — a reflection of an industry feeling the weight of change.

Everyone here is navigating the same realities: tighter margins, shifting competition, new technology demands, and an ag economy that’s rewriting expectations in real time. And yet, woven through the discussions is something steadier: a quiet optimism, a commitment to adapt, and a belief that collaboration still moves this industry forward.

Call it resilience. Call it recalibration. Call it a sector that understands moments like this require clarity, honesty, and working together more than ever.

With that spirit in mind, here’s a look inside #FCSC2025 so far — the conversations, connections, and moments that are shaping the seed industry’s biggest week. Welcome to Orlando!

We’re officially rolling once the nametags and conference bags get handed out! Seed World’s Madeleine Baerg is ready, set, GO!
Iowa State University Seed Science Center’s Cynthia Hicks gets Seed World’s Aiden Brook excited about her GermiNation podcast. Have you heard it yet? It’s worth the listen. Check it out here.
Seed World’s Madeleine Baerg raises a glass to David Henze and Summit Seed Coatings: Seed World U.S. Insider of the Year! Check out Summit’s latest article here: What Avocados and Alfalfa Teach Us About Curiosity and Collaboration.
These smiling faces are a big part of the ASTA team that pulls together countless pieces huge and small to make ASTA FCSC possible. Kudos, ladies, and thank you! Left to right: Ann Ward, Libby Hogen-Heath, Aida Spalding and kaity Crawford.
As Madeleine Baerg said during Tuesday night’s Seed World Thought Leadership reception, “Status is a social conclusion. People decide you’re an expert when you let them see what you think, how you think, and how often you show up. When you put your ideas into the world, you build a track record and a reputation. People — even people you’ve never met — think: ‘Oh, I know them. I trust how they see the world.’ That’s the power of thought leadership.” Raising a glass to thought leadership in the seed sector: SGS’ Jenna Heylens and Amanda Patin with Gro Alliance’s Jim Schweigert.
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