b'Want to learn more about the ASTA CSS & Seed Expo?Make sure to visit page 64 to learn more. for sustainability due to the precision in the field. If youre looking at the difference between soil and foliar, its 1/10 to 1/100 less to use a seed treatment than if you were to spray foliar, May says. Seed treatments provide a level of precision ag that you wouldnt other-wise have. Not only that, but they control diseases and insects.Particularly, May says seed treatments are impera-tive for tackling diseases and pests that affect seedlingsonce you get those, he says, theres no protection afterwards that can help. Of course, Im biased when it comes to seed treat-ments, May jokes. But it all comes back to communi-cationseed treatments are great tools for farmers, and we need to communicate what they are and how they benefit our customers.The Bridge to ASTASeed treatments arent his only passion in the seed industry. While he served as liaison to Gustafson, he got involved in ASTA. While he didnt start participat-ing in ASTA for the meetings, education or the indus-try participation, it eventually caught him in ways he couldnt imagine. Originally, I started attending the ASTA meetings30-SECOND BIO Were using proper safety measures, so were for networking, more or less, he says. It wasnt untilgoing to get a lot of people coming to Chicago, he Bayer purchased Gustafson and I began taking overHOME STATE says. Im lucky to be the chair this year, because the key accounts that I became more involved in ASTA.North Carolina. committee working on the conference is really goodFrom there, networking aspirations grew into find- they have good speakers, excellent breakout sessions ing ways to help the industry. May started workingALSO LIVED IN and additional ways to do some networking.on the seed treatment committee before branchingIndiana, Minnesota,While networking might not be his complete focus into positions with ASTA such as director-at-large andKansas andat ASTA conferences anymore, he is still excited to net-regional vice president.Duesseldorf, Germany. work and meet more members. He also looks ahead to ASTA is fun to work with, but once you startsome of the changes ASTA and the board made to the understanding that ASTA is more than networking,NO. 1 HOBBY? strategic plan. suddenly you see there are more intense topics thatGolf and backpacking. We added a sustainability pillar to our plan, and need attention, May says. Seeing policies and under- thats exciting, May says. Sustainability and seed standing how intellectual property protection factorsFIRST JOB are synonymous for sure. Someone once said we can into breeding helps to understand portions of the seedMarketing farmingnever really define sustainability, but we can define industry puzzle, he says. Its not just enjoyable, butequipment. what its not.also rewarding.Finally, May reflects back to 2020, where uncer-He found it so enjoyable and rewarding he wasBIG BREAK tainty permeated the airand says he doesnt know eventually nominated as second vice chair, first vice1983 when he startedwhy he was ever concerned about the resilience of the chair and finally, chair of ASTA from 2021-2022. Thisworking for Mobayseed industry. year, he will host the first ASTA CSS & Seed Expo in- Chemical Company (orIts impressive how resilient people are when times person in Chicago since the pandemic began.Bayer as we know it). are difficult, May says. We were worried about worker Last June was our first in-person conference, andsafety, along with the ability to work with each other the people attending were very upbeat and happy toASTA INVOLVEMENT without face-to-face meetings. But, weve been able see each other, he says. While we didnt have as many10 years on the board,to meet a lot of government officials through videopeople because it was a hybrid virtual and in personand currently servesmore so than usual because they werent travelingconference, the people who came really showed up. as chair. and weve been able to attend a lot more international As COVID numbers decrease and vaccinationsconferences because they were video conferences. increase, May believes people are ready to come backIts really amazing what can happen now that we to in-person conferences.can continue, May says.SWDECEMBER 2021SEEDWORLD.COM /63'