The ASTA Leadership Summit is being held this week at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, CA. (Chris Lusvardi photos)

Sacramento, CA (June 11, 2023) - The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Leadership Summit in Sacramento, CA started Sunday by describing some of the challenges and opportunities in agriculture.

For photos from the event, go to the Seed Today Facebook page.

Using Technology in Agriculture

Don Cameron

Particularly in California, Don Cameron says the agriculture industry faces challenges related to water, labor, and regulation. He adds climate is another issue impacting growers in the state, as there has not been a slight variation between extreme weather events such as drought and flooding over the past decade.

"With the variation in climate, we're seeing problems we haven't see in the past," says Cameron, general manager/vice president of Terranova Ranch and California Department of Food and Agriculture board president. In addition, the availability of labor has led growers such as Cameron to look more at using automation in their operations.

"People don't want to get into farming, so it can be difficult to attract young talent," Cameron says. "We're on the right road with automation. Technology is moving fast. The appetite from the grower community is there."

Technology is being used in various ways including improving more accurate water delivery to ensure exactly the amount of water that growers want is being applied. Without the added technology, applying water could be uneven between fields, he says.

"We want to move toward automation in any way we can," Cameron says. "Technology is getting better, but it's still got a ways to go. We need to move in that direction."

International Trade

Christine McDaniel

From an economic point of view, international trade economist Christine McDaniel says the agriculture industry is facing a rocky economic recovery, geopolitical tensions, challenges with regrouping supply chains, and USMCA. In terms of the economic recovery, she says a weaker recovery in advanced nations is expected in 2024.

"We're going to see slower growth next year than what we've seen in the past few years," notes McDaniel, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center and the inaugural nonresident fellow at the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

As far as opportunities, McDaniel says regulatory agreements could provide benefits, including USMCA, Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, US-UK Trade Agreement, and US-EU Trade Technology Council.

"I hope for optimism, but it could be a bit of a rocky road," McDaniel says.

Sustainability in The Seed Business

Dan Foor

Dan Foor spoke about sustainability as an opportunity for seed businesses by turning it from a buzzword to reality. He described how being more sustainable could help with resilience, which is a theme for sessions coming up Monday and Tuesday during the conference.

He says sustainability impacts the environmental, social, and economic aspects of a business. Companies need to decide how to be more sustainable, says Foor, senior vice president for distribution for the North American Strategic Business Unit of DLF North America.

Foor encourages them to jump into opportunities to get involved in sustainability-related conversations and figure out what to start measuring.

"At the top of the tree, it's about how to change the metrics and where in the business to make meaningful improvements," Foor says. "In a business, it's one thing to talk about it and another to have leaders and those assisting to believe in what you're doing with the business. It can be a competitive advantage as look you look at your operations and products to enhance sustainability.

Foor says he isn't suggesting there is one answer to the issue, but encourages businesses with some help to figure it out.

"Being more sustainable can help you and your company be more resilient," Foor says.

The Leadership Summit continues Monday with University of Minnesota Head Football Coach PJ Fleck delivering the keynote address during the opening general session and ASTA annual meeting.

Written by Chris Lusvardi, Seed Today editor


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