b'From Victoria tocation is more tightly embedded in policy, participation is stronger. But Wilbanks warns that neither side of the border can afford complacency. Challenges cross Washington, Seedbordersand so must the solutions, she says.AOSCA has long been notorious for its dense standards book, she saysa manual of rules so thick with jargon that even seasoned inspectors get lost in it. Rules Shape WhoWilbanks has made simplifying that labyrinth her sig-nature project. A new inspector credentialing program, launching this year, will establish a professional bench-mark for inspectors and bring younger professionals Feeds the World into a system facing a looming retirement cliff.In an industry that lives in acronym soup, clarity matters.As global pressures mount and a newSpeed Becomes a Survival TraitPerhaps the most striking shift is how fast AOSCA generation enters the fray, AOSCA isis moving on innovation. When Corteva Agriscience building momentum with fresh tools,pushed for certification standards for nuclear male-sterile hybrid wheata technology with big implica-tighter standards, and a deepeningtions for U.S. grain marketsAOSCA delivered in less relationship with its Canadianthan a year. Something like that used to take years, Wilbanks says.counterparts.Its a reminder that certification isnt just a bureau-By Marc Zienkiewicz, Seed World Canada Senior Editor cratic function. Its a gatekeeper for whether new tech-nologies get tractionand whether North America stays competitive in global markets where Europe and Asia are moving aggressively.S OUTH CAROLINASSarah Adams Wilbanks hasWilbanks also points to a new, publicly available seen firsthand how fragile the foundations of modernvariety description database. It sounds like small-bore agriculture can be. As CEO of the Association ofpaperwork, but it solves a big problem: until now, there Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA), shes spentwas no central source to track varieties across borders the past four years pulling one of North Americas mostand regulatory systems. Transparency is the currency arcane systems into the 21st century. Her message toof global trade, and AOSCAs move inches North Canadian seed growers in Victoria, B.C., this summer wasAmerica closer to it.blunt: we ignore the quiet crisis in seed certification at our peril. Why It Matters NowCanada makes up about a third of all certified seedWith climate shocks battering yields and geopolitical acres in North America, she told the Canadian Seedtension making food security a national priority, the Growers Association (CSGA) annual meeting. Thats aunderpinnings of agriculturethe rules, records, and staggering number. And it underscores why our partner- trust that come with certified seedare no longer ship with the CSGA is so critical. niche. Theyre strategic.Seed certification isnt cocktail-party material. But itWe do a lot of work behind the scenes, Wilbanks is the plumbing of the global food systemensuringsays. But its work that keeps agriculture moving for-that the seed traded across borders is genetically pure,wardand keeps markets open.disease-free, and verifiable. Its the difference betweenCanada will host AOSCAs annual meeting in 2027, orderly markets and chaos. And right now, Wilbanksa symbolic move that underscores how much Ottawas argues, the system is under strain. partnership matters in shaping the next chapter of In the U.S., certified acres are in decline. The reasonsseed certification. By then, the question wont be are murkybiotech advances, shifting economics, and awhether certification has modernized. It will be whether regulatory culture slow to adapt. In Canada, where certifi- it modernized fast enough.SW74/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2025'