b'125 Years StrongCelebrating a century and a quarter of progress, the Indiana Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) reflects on its commitment to advancing agriculture and seed quality through the Corn Belt Seed Conference.By Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. EditorTHE INDIANA CROPImprovement Association (ICIA) is celebrating a significant milestone this year, marking its 125th anniversary of advancing seed quality and supporting the seed industry. At the 2024 Corn Belt Seed Conference, ICIA CEO Craig Nelson reflected on the associations deep history and how agriculture has transformed over the past 125 years."From the beginning, ICIA has been committed to bringing together the agricultural community," Nelson shared with attend-ees. "In fact, we\'ve had some form of a meeting or conference for 125 years. You might be wondering why were celebrating the 125th anniversary nowwell, in 2023, we actually held two Corn Belt Seed Conferencesone in the traditional time in February and another this past November. So, technically, this conference marks our 125th anniversary."A Look Back: Agriculture in 1900 ICIA CEO Craig Nelson welcomes delegates to the 2024 Corn Belt As part of the celebration, Nelson took a moment to explore lifeSeed Conference.in 1900 and its stark contrasts with todays world. "In 1900, William McKinley was the 25th president of theagriculture, but today, fewer than 2% of the labor force works in United States, and the nation only had 45 states," Nelsonag," he said. "The change from small, diversified farms to large, explained. "Thats a far cry from todays 50 states. Education wasmechanized operations has been a remarkable shiftand one not as widespread back thenfewer than 2% of young peoplethat continues to evolve as technology advances."graduated from high school, and American women could vote in only four Western states." The Future of AgricultureThe agricultural landscape of the early 1900s was significantlyLooking ahead, Nelson acknowledged the ongoing changes different.shaping the future of agriculture. "At that time, 41% of the U.S. workforce was involved in agri- "Its sobering to think about the sheer magnitude of these culture," Nelson noted. "Today, that number has dropped to lesschanges, and it makes one wonder what life will be like 125 years than 2%. Back then, farms were small, diversified and relied heav- from now," he said. "With grain technology trends, innovations in ily on work animals. There were 22 million work animals in use,crop breeding and shifts in climate and sustainability practices, we and most farms produced five or more different commodities." are entering an exciting time in agriculture. The work were doing today will lay the foundation for the next generation of progress."Agriculture\'s Transformation: From Work Animals toHe also emphasized the importance of being forward-look-Mechanized Farms ing. "Its our responsibility to anticipate how these changes will Nelson emphasized how much agriculture has changed in theimpact our businesses, our communities and the agricultural last century.industry we care about. This conference is one opportunity to "The 1900 farm was much more diverse, producing multiplereflect on the progress we\'ve madeand also to look ahead and crops, and a significant portion of the population lived in ruraladapt to the next generation of change."areas. Today, major production agriculture is concentrated on aNelson encouraged attendees to embrace the future with small number of large, specialized farms," he said. "Farms nowopen minds. rely on 5 million tractors in place of horses and mules, and they"I hope that this conference helps you, in a small way, to typically specialize in one or two crops." embrace and adapt to the changes coming in the next genera-Nelson also pointed to how mechanization and technologicaltion of agriculture," he said. "What we do now is vital in shap-advancements have transformed the agricultural workforce.ing the future of our industry, and its up to each of us to stay "Back in 1900, 41% of the U.S. workforce was involved inengaged and continue pushing forward."SWJANUARY 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /33'