Attendees at the NSTA Annual Meeting on July 21 toured Empower Field at Mile High, where they met with Turf Technician Abe Picaso to talk about the natural grass playing surface. (Chris Lusvardi photo)

The tours on July 21 included a stop at Applewood Seed Co., Arvada, CO, where NSTA attendees could see the expanding warehouse, SCST laboratory, and extensive trial gardens. (Chris Lusvardi photo)

Broomfield, CO (July 26, 2021) - The Northern Seed Trade Association (NSTA) held its annual meeting July 20-22 in Denver, CO.

The meeting was held in-person at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, CO, with tours of Empower Field at Mile High in Denver and Applewood Seed Co. in Arvada, CO, along with a golf outing at TopGolf Thornton.

For photos and more information from the tours, see the Seed Today Facebook page.

“I’m glad we made the decision to go forward,” says NSTA President Mike Fritz, general manager of Stock Seed Farms, Murdock, NE.

Presentations included information about hemp production, buffalograss, and business succession planning along with updates from the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and Seeds Canada.

Kim Alberty and Stan Friesen were presented with NSTA lifetime memberships.

Hemp Topics

Brian Koontz provides a Colorado Hemp Program update. (Chris Lusvardi photos)

Laura Pickett Pottorff, director of Colorado Seed Programs, says lessons have been learned from hemp production challenges.

She says as the industry has more matured and hemp has become a more legitimate crop, seed sellers need to protect themselves and offer value to farmers.

Pottorff says challenges remain, with a wide variability, a lack of research, and many characteristics unknown about hemp.

The definition of a variety is unique, uniform, and stable, which has not been true of all hemp varieties. Hemp seed that is not certified can pose a risk to farmers and those who service the industry, Pottorff says.

“Research is imperative,” she says. “It is an immediate need.”

In order to remain compliant with regulations, hemp needs to be 0.3% THC or under. The THC level can only be determined by testing.

“A producer needs to be a chemist or have a lab in the vicinity to do constant testing so as to remain compliant,” she says.

After Pottorff presented, Colorado Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Program Manager Brian Koontz provided a Colorado Hemp Program update. He says Colorado is in the process of updating regulations about how hemp can be cultivated.

Buffalograss Establishment and Management

Dr. Roch Gaussoin speaks about buffalograss establishment and management myths and misconceptions.

Dr. Roch Gaussoin, professor agronomy and Extension specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recommends considering buffalograss as a viable alternative turfgrass. He says it is a warm season perennial species with unique characteristics and significant cold tolerance.

Buffalograss can be grown as far north as Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“Its inherit genetic foundation is its adaptability to extreme conditions,” Gaussoin says.

Gaussoin says research has shown buffalograss to be water efficient, even more so than other widely-used options. For example, he says about 20-25% of the grass at a new housing development in Lincoln, NE was converted to buffalograss, with 40% less water used.

Other factors have been studied, including shade tolerance, traffic tolerance, seeding rates, planting depth, mowing response, irrigation, weed control, and spring and fall color.

Transitioning or Succeeding the Farm or Business: There is a Difference

Allan Vyhnalek talks about the importance of succession planning.

Having a succession plan in place is something business owners, including farmers, should consider doing, says Allan Vyhnalek, University of Nebraska Extension Educator for Farm/Ranch Succession and Transition.

According to Vyhnalek, planning is often deferred until a crisis happens. However, he says it should happen sooner, as changes can be made to the plan. In fact, Vyhnalek recommends revisiting the plan every 3-5 years.

“Changing the plan is good rather than having a bigger problem,” Vyhnalek says. “Do it and do it right.”

Business owners should figure out what they want their legacy to be. Not everyone has a plan ready, though, as over half of farmers surveyed say they never fully plan to retire. For many, Vyhnalek says work is their generational value.

ASTA Update

Pat Miller updates the group about the latest issues ASTA is tracking.

Director of State Government Affairs Pat Miller says ASTA has been tracking seed-related legislation proposals on both the federal and state levels.

At the federal level, he notes issues involve sustainability and climate, funding (budget reconciliation), immigration, the 2023 Farm Bill, and trade.

Miller says he has been tracking more state-level issues than normal, which involve seed treatment pollinators, pesticides, funding/administration, sustainability, biotechnology, weeds/invasives, and conservation.

Seeds Canada Update

Claudio Feulner

Seeds Canada Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Trade Claudio Feulner says the organization was formed to provide a leading voice for the Canadian seed sector. Seeds Canada, which brought together the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA); the Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada (CSAAC); the Canadian Seed Institute (CSI); and the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA), officially started on Feb. 1.

“All together, we provide a stronger voice,” Feulner says. “We will provide enhanced services to our members and clients and strengthen the competitiveness of the industry. We will provide larger, more inclusive networking opportunities.”

Feulner says Seeds Canada recently completed its first annual meeting.

Among the issues Seeds Canada is working on, Feulner says seed regulatory modernization is a top priority.

He notes, “These proposed amendments would modernize the Seed Regulations as they apply to seeds that are imported, conditioned, stored, tested, labelled, exported, and sold in Canada. The proposed amendments would reduce overlap and redundancy; increase responsiveness to industry changes; address gaps, weaknesses, and inconsistencies; and provide clarity and flexibility to affected regulated parties.”

Lifetime Membership Awards

From left to right, Stan Friesen, Mike Fritz, and Kim Alberty. (NSTA photo)

Fritz notes that both Alberty and Friesen are deserving of the lifetime membership recognition because of their contributions to the organization over the years. Both are past NSTA presidents and have been a part of the meetings as far back as Fritz can remember.

Alberty started Agassiz Seed, West Fargo, ND, in 1985 and transitioned day-to-day operations to his son, Chris, in 2019.

Alberty says the seed industry has been part of his life since he was growing up. His dad worked for a seed company in the 1960’s and remembers walking through sweet clover and pasture grasses.

“Those triggered something in me because it became a passion,” Alberty says. “This has become a big part of my life and career and something I really enjoy.”

Alberty says he has taken business seriously, while having fun, with luck being a big part of it while working to have success.

He says NSTA was one of the first organizations the company joined. Alberty was NSTA president in 2001-2002.

“It has had a lot of value to us in the past 35, 40 years,” Alberty says. “We will continue to be involved in NSTA for years to come.”

Friesen has worked for Kaup Forage & Turf, Norfolk, NE, for over 20 years.

He did not plan on growing up to be in the seed industry.

With his ancestors being nothing but farmers, Friesen says, “I knew ag was important and wanted to do something related to ag engineering.”

But then while at college, Friesen met Dave Curry of Curry Seed and began a career in the seed industry. He has worked mostly for family-owned seed companies ever since.

“Working for family-owned companies has been a blessing,” Friesen says.

Friesen says his memories of being involved with organizations such as NSTA are the people.

“I’ve met mentors who are valuable resources when you have questions,” says Friesen, who was NSTA president in 2017-2018. “This has been an honorable vocation. Trust is built over a long period of time. This is an industry where a handshake is still considered a binding contract.”

Written by Chris Lusvardi, Seed Today editor

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