Exhibitors during the SSA Convention. (Chris Lusvardi photos)

Clearwater Beach, FL (January 20, 2023) – The Southern Seed Association (SSA) Annual Convention was held Jan. 13-16 at the Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater Beach, FL.

For more photos from the event, see Seed Today's Facebook page.

Mary Hartney

Tourism with events such as the SSA Convention is getting back to business after the COVID pandemic and surprises from Mother Nature, says Mary Hartney, president, Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association, a position previously held by Andy LaVigne, who is currently president and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).

“Agriculture was the backbone of the state during COVID and one of the services that was able to keep working,” Hartney says.

Recent hurricanes, however, she points out have ravaged the state, impacting 375,000 of the 400,000 citrus acres currently in production. Oranges, which are used in juice, are on pace to be the smallest crop since 1929, Hartney notes. Therefore, the state will have difficulty supplying the domestic market for orange juice.

“Growers in this state are nothing but resilient,” Hartney says. “They know how to bounce back.”

Incentives for growers to replant trees are one of the reasons Hartney says there continues to be hope for Florida’s citrus industry.

ASTA Meetings

Jim Schweigert

The SSA isn’t the only seed association holding meetings in Florida this year, helping to support the state’s tourism industry.

During an ASTA update, ASTA Chair Jim Schweigert says the Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference is scheduled to be held Jan. 27-31 in Orlando.

The group’s largest event, formerly known as the CSS & Seed Expo which has been held in Chicago, IL since 1946, will be moving to Orlando from Dec. 5-8, he says.

Schweigert says the conference is being moved out of a desire for it to be in a warm weather location and in a place that is considered economically friendly for exhibitors and attendees.

It will be renamed the Field Crop Seed Convention, which Schweigert says is intended to be inclusive of all field crops as the seed industry expands and grows, not just corn, soybeans, and sorghum.

ASTA’s Leadership Summit, scheduled for June 10-14 in Sacramento, CA, will have a theme of resiliency. Schweigert says the goal is for attendees to think about approaches for adapting to changes, making for resilient businesses and people. The keynote speaker is scheduled to be P.J. Fleck, University of Minnesota head football coach.

Transportation Issues

Daniel Booth

Transportation is an issue that is impacting all of the seed industry, SSA Executive Vice President Richard Taylor says. Logistics become tougher each year as it becomes more expensive and challenging.

Taylor points to one of the logistical challenges being the difficulty of shipping corn and soybeans along the Mississippi River during a drought leading the lowest depth of the river on record.

The supply chain was broken prior to the pandemic and continue to be broken today, says Daniel Booth, Straightline chief operating officer.

Booth says challenges stem from the emergence of mega vessels and ocean carrier alliances, precision schedule railroading, labor problems, and chassis problems.

Meeting Notes

  • Dave Abrams, senior advisor for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2022 campaign, provided an update to the group about DeSantis’ Blueprint for Success after he was reelected.
  • Receptions were held Saturday and Sunday, along with a group dinner Sunday evening. Jimmy Adams led a devotional service Sunday morning followed by the Scholarship Golf Tournament at the Bardmoor Golf & Tennis Club.
  • A luncheon was held outside overlooking the Gulf of Mexico beach on Monday. The President’s Banquet Monday evening featured the group’s annual drawdown fundraiser for scholarships, silent auction, and a reception.

Written by Chris Lusvardi, Seed Today editor

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