b'FROM VICTORIA TO WASHINGTON, SEED RULES SHAPE WHO FEEDS THE WORLDAs global pressures mount and a new generation enters the fray, AOSCA is building momentum with fresh tools, tighter standards, and a deepening relationship with its Canadian counterparts.Marc ZienkiewiczSOUTH CAROLINAS Sarah AdamsCanada, where certification is more Wilbanks has seen firsthand how fragiletightly embedded in policy, participa-the foundations of modern agricul- tion is stronger. But Wilbanks warns ture can be. As chief executive of thethat neither side of the border can Association of Official Seed Certifyingafford complacency. Challenges cross Agencies (AOSCA), shes spent the pastbordersand so must the solutions, four years pulling one of North Americasshe says.most arcane systems into the 21 stcentury.AOSCA has long been notorious for Her message to Canadian seed growersits dense standards book, she saysa in Victoria, B.C., this summer was blunt:manual of rules so thick with jargon we ignore the quiet crisis in seed certifi- that even seasoned inspectors get lost cation at our peril. in it. Wilbanks has made simplifying Canada makes up about a thirdthat labyrinth her signature project. A of all certified seed acres in Northnew inspector credentialing program, America, she told the Canadian Seedlaunching this year, will establish a pro-Growers Association (CSGA) annualfessional benchmark for inspectors and meeting. Thats a staggering number.bring younger professionals into a system And it underscores why our partnershipfacing a looming retirement cliff. Sarah Adams Wilbanks is CEO of the with the CSGA is so critical. In an industry that lives in acronymAssociation of Official Seed Certifying Seed certification isnt cocktail-partysoup, clarity matters. Agencies (AOSCA).material. But it is the plumbing of the global food systemensuring that theSpeed Becomes a Survival Trait Its a reminder that certification isnt seed traded across borders is geneticallyPerhaps the most striking shift is howjust a bureaucratic function. Its a gate-pure, disease-free and verifiable. Its thefast AOSCA is moving on innovation.keeper for whether new technologies get difference between orderly markets andWhen Corteva Agriscience pushed fortractionand whether North America chaos. And right now, Wilbanks argues,certification standards for nuclear male- stays competitive in global markets where the system is under strain. sterile hybrid wheata technology withEurope and Asia are moving aggressively.In the U.S., certified acres are inbig implications for U.S. grain marketsWilbanks also points to a new, decline. The reasons are murkybio-AOSCA delivered in less than a year.publicly available variety description tech advances, shifting economics, andSomething like that used to take years,database. It sounds like small-bore paper-a regulatory culture slow to adapt. InWilbanks says. work, but it solves a big problem: until 8 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA NOVEMBER 2025'