38 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2019 explain why your position is supportable. “Always tell the truth, back it up with facts and have solutions ready for your problems if they’re available,” she says. “Sometimes, there are cases when a solu- tion has not been determined but provid- ing the solution and following up is the best approach. Legislators want you to bring them solutions to your problems.” John Latham, president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds and second vice president of ASTA, couldn’t agree more that the seed industry benefits greatly by working closely with the government. “There are so many senators and members of Congress who don’t have agriculture backgrounds anymore,” he says. “We need to build understanding for our industry in the halls of Congress.” ASTA encourages members to get involved with members of Congress through its SeedFirstPAC and Storm the Hill. “SeedFirstPAC was a political action committee formed in 2015 to help build and support members of Congress that support the seed industry,” Latham says. “ASTA’s Storm the Hill is really important in building relationships with members of Congress, but Seed First PAC is a tool to take these relationships to the next level, especially when key pieces of legislation is being considered.” To get involved at a local level, Bryan Gentsch says to serve on a local school board or a water district. “Many our members serve on their local school boards,” he says. “In small communities, that isn’t always a difficult seat to win, but it gives them an idea of how the democratic process works. It provides great close-to-home examples of how difficult it can be to get consen- sus, but also how easy it can be. Talking to your own state senator or representative as a local elected official gives you great credibility.” Denise Gentsch said they have some members who occasionally run for other offices as well. “One of our past presidents decided to run for city council and won,” she says. “Agricultural groups in Texas are also pushing for those who have the resources to recruit people to run for legislature or to contribute their knowledge of agricul- ture by running themselves.” Stay Informed Bryan Gentsch says half the battle after getting involved is learning the issues. “It’s hard to say how much time we spend looking at regulatory issues, but it’s definitely more than half of what we do,” he says. “It’s not necessarily intuitive. If you aren’t paying attention, then things can happen without notice. The invisible hand sometimes makes things happen and that’s politics.” Currently, Bryan Gentsch says that the TSTA is watching artificial trade barriers and new trade issues. “We need to do everything we can to make sure seed sales are consistent. We need to make sure that we can use the best new technologies and breed- ing techniques to do that, and that those techniques don’t end up as a barrier for seed companies.” Another policy Bryan Gentsch would love to see amended is portions of the Seed Law. “Those laws have been in place since 1939 and haven’t changed much since,” he says. “They need to be opened up to chat about how they’re enforced. We’ve been working on that in Texas, and it’s not prov- ing easy, but it’s not impossible.” Denise Gentsch says the biggest prob- lem she continues to see are advocacy groups working to change laws concern- ing agriculture that have an agenda con- trary to the right to farm. Bryan Gentsch remembers what a former sales manager once told him. “If you are not in front of your customers then you can bet your competitors are.” “At the state level, we have to maintain scrutiny over groups trying to change or increase regulations that affect the seed industry,” she says. “As an example, a friend of ours in the legislature recently dropped a pollinator bill that would create an “advisory council” giving it undue authority to bring attention to pesticides used on crops. This legislator tries to be helpful to agriculture but sometimes is used. Those who want to shift policy unfavorable to our interests work behind the scenes every day in ever so subtle ways.” Denise Gentsch says never to look away from policies — there’s always something that can pop up, even if you think that it could never change. As an example, Bryan Gentsch says that in Texas, there’s a common miscon- ception that Texas is a “rural” state, and nothing bad will ever happen to agricul- ture. “We’re not rural anymore — we’re urban,” he says. “If you think urban legis- latures will take care of agriculture, you’re wrong.” By staying informed and working to get your voice heard, the daunting task of lobbying can become a little easier. SW John Latham, president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds and second vice president of ASTA.