b'Its always difficult to get people to step up and speak with that sort of technology. Its different trying to run a meeting over the internet where you need input from everyone. COVID has changed the rules of the game.Wayne Galevoices and visual cues that people use which prompt them to speak up. Its not as dynamic and the flow isnt as free over a platform like Zoom.Still, he successfully saw the board through a difficult number of months and will stay on as past chair for another three years. Prior to serving as chair he spent a year as second chair followed by a year as first chair. Its a six-year commitment, really. I think I accomplished what I set out to which was to bring ASTA closer to the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA).He helped do that by encouraging the CSTA to adopt the Better Seed, Better Life promotional program originally started by ASTA.There has been good cross pollination in terms of ideas with me serving as that conduit between the two boards.Of course, with success comes challenges, and Gale sees some coming in the future. With Canada embarking on an effort to merge five of its seed associations to create one single National Seed Organization (NSO), he says there will be hard work ahead to ensure the relationship between ASTA and the Canadian seed industry stays focused.The relationship will be more difficult because the two organizations will be so different in terms of priorities and mem-bership. With the proposed Canadian NSO, there is a limited number of board positions representing such a huge member-ship. ASTA has always had a direct link at the board level to CSTA, and I dont expect to see that with the existing board structure of the proposed NSO just by its very nature, at least not at first.Perhaps the key, he says, will be good negotiation between the two sides in figuring out how best to continue helping oneWhile half of Gales term as chair was derailed by COVID-19, hes another. been working on new ways to communicate with ASTA members.The biggest challenge for ASTA right now is working with a membership affected economically by the imbalances COVID All that affects us and our members since were the ones has introduced, he says. Pigs are being slaughtered rather thanfeeding the animals or producing the produce using foreign being sold. Different produce industries are going through diffi- worker programs. At the end of the day, its each organizations culties with foreign worker programs. Field crop producers wenttask to make sure their respective governments hear whats through a hard, wet year in 2019. There are issues at the seedhappening on the ground and what the barriers to success are in trade level to help members navigate. maintaining food security.SW8/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2020'