St. Paul, MN (November 19, 2024) - The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) will convene its 122nd annual meeting on January 29, 2025. 

The meeting, which all MCIA members are encouraged to attend, will be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Along with MCIA’s annual business meeting, the agenda will include an industry trade show and an awards luncheon. At the meeting, members will be joined by MCIA’s board members, field supervisors, and administrative staff.

Dr. Fawad Shah, the President and CEO of MCIA and the event’s host, characterizes it as, “a great opportunity for Minnesota's seed producers and processors to come together, network, exchange knowledge and skills, and listen to industry leaders about the most recent advancements in the seed industry.” 

Program Topics and Guest Speakers

  • Cover Crops: The Fundamentals and More—A panel discussion with Matthew Kelly, Aggasiz Seed & Supply; Stephanie McClain, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Michael Merriman, Minnesota Department of Agriculture; and Alex Udermann, Farmer.
  • Creating Opportunities for Farmers and Businesses—Mitch Hunter, Associate Director, Forever Green Initiative.
  • US Identity Preserved Program: Global Impact—Shane Frederick, Manager Strategic Programs, Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance.

Awards Luncheon

The awards luncheon will include the presentation of the Premier and Honorary Premier Seed Grower awards and the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award.

Evening Social Gathering

MCIA invites early arrivals to a social gathering from 7–9 p.m. at Legends Bar and Grill, at the hotel, for those arriving the night before the meeting.

Meeting Registration

Registration for the meeting is required, but there is no registration fee. Registration forms and other meeting documents are available on the Annual Meeting page of the MCIA website: www.mncia.org/annual-meeting.

Since 1903, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) has provided programs and services to meet the needs of an ever-changing agricultural world. These services include seed certification, organic certification, foundation seed production, and a variety of customized third-party verification programs for seed and identity-preserved grains. MCIA operates from facilities on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus with field staff located throughout Minnesota.