16 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2018 MANY CHILDREN DREAM about growing up on a farm. For Chris Varner, this was a reality, although she laughingly recalls that she didn’t always appreciate this. “I was raised on a farm in Central Michigan where we raised Michigan Certified wheat and navy beans,” she says. “We worked hard growing up and had to do things like picking up stones in the fields and hand hoeing the dry bean fields. I am the youngest of 10, and we always had a huge garden that we would have to work in. My mother canned and froze a lot of produce. I credit my parents for instilling a work ethic in their children at a very young age. This is something I am very thankful for as an adult, but wasn’t when I was 8!” Following in the footsteps of her five older brothers — who all went to Michigan State University to study agriculture — Varner was very active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school and always knew she, too, would go to Michigan State and major in crop and soil science. She earned her bachelor of science degree there in 1987, and then spent the first 17 years of her career working in seed corn production. Through that experience, Varner says she met many wonderful people in the seed industry and seed growers. “My passion for the seed business grew during those years,” she recalls. “The trust that is placed in a seed com- pany and their products by customers is enormous! When you think of being the first choice they make every season, it is very humbling. I’ve always strived to put our customers first and to provide seed that is of the highest quality, and placed correctly on their farm to give them the capability of achieving their yield goals. It is one of the most satisfying things when This busy seed industry executive has attended many IPSA annual meetings, but it was just a few years ago that she became a board member and grew more involved in the association on a larger scale. Lisa Kopochinski lisakop@sbcglobal.net Meet IPSA President Christine Varner a customer lets you know in the fall after harvest how well his crops did.” As president of DF Seeds LLC., which is based in Dansville, Michigan — a company that offers soybean and wheat varieties specifically selected for each microclimate throughout the Great Lakes State — it is her responsibility to promote the interest of family-owned or closely held seed companies. Varner is also president of the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA), an association she joined more than 20 years ago. Formed in 1989 by a group of seed producers who recognized the need for an organization to represent the unique needs of independent seed companies, IPSA is not only dedicated to promot- ing the interests and capabilities of family-owned companies, but addresses research and biotechnology issues, and increases the media presence of the industry in an increasingly competitive and dynamic business culture. “It is my responsibility to assist the other board members and IPSA Executive Director Todd Martin in the guidance of the policies and activities of the association, which focus on education, member services and business development,” she explains. While Varner has attended many IPSA annual meetings over the past two dec- ades, it was not until 2013 that she became a board member and grew more involved in the association on a larger scale. When asked what the biggest benefit is that she receives from IPSA membership, IPSA President Christine Varner.