b'FROM OUR DESKPlanning for a World That Wont Hold Still: Momentum Without GuaranteesJANUARY HAS Away of sharpening things.Its the month when ambition meets reality, when planning collides with weather, markets and policy that rarely cooperate. For the seed industry, January arrives with a familiar mix of uncertainty and resolve. We dont get to wait for clarity. We build anyway.This issue of Seed World U.S. is about what it looks like to lead in that space between confidence and constraint.BY AIMEE NIELSON At the center is our 2025 Insider of the Year. Editor, Seed World U.S. Summit Seed Coatings earned this recognition byshowing up with a point of view, investing in profes-sionalism without losing its seedsman soul and treating thought leadership not as marketing but as respon-sibility. Their story is a reminder that trust is builtin a seed bank, is now inspiring new hybrids in the over time, and credibility still matters in an industryMidwest. Its a reminder that genetic diversity is cul-grounded in relationships. tural, practical and essential to long-term resilience.That theme carries through our conversationOn the technology front, UC Davis researchers are with incoming IPSA president Aaron Conaway. Hisasking seed to solve a different problem by reduc-outlook on independence is refreshingly clear-eyed.ing the most reactive gluten proteins while preserv-Independence today isnt about isolation. Its abouting wheat performance. Its innovation that connects agility. Its about knowing what you do best and havingpublic research, breeding and human health.the freedom to move quickly, form partnerships andThe economic and policy backdrop for all of this is adapt when conditions shift. anything but calm. Economist Dan Basse doesnt sug-That same mindset shows up in our look at smallarcoat the reality: global supplies are heavy, demand and specialty seed companies. As mass-marketis flattening and American farmers are becoming the options multiply, some of the most resilient innovationhigh-cost producer. And hovering over it all is a Farm is happening at the regional level. Companies rooted inBill that refuses to land. As ASTAs Brandon Pachman place, purpose and bioregional adaptation are provingexplains, extensions keep the lights on, but they dont that niche isnt a weakness. Its a strategy. fix the structure.The tension between global forces and local deci- Taken together, these stories point to a simple sions comes into sharp focus in our conversation withtruth. The future of seed wont be shaped by a single John Latham. Farming doesnt happen in abstrac- breakthrough or policy win. It will be shaped by people tions. It happens field by field, season by season, underwilling to lead through complexity and keep moving pressure that doesnt pause for market cycles or policyforward when certainty is in short supply.delays. His perspective grounds this issue in the livedThats the work. And thats the opportunity.reality where strategy ultimately meets soil.We also travel beyond U.S. borders, then backAs always, its an honor to partner with you.again. A forgotten maize line from Kenya, preservedAimee4/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2026'