JUNE 2026  SEEDWORLD.COM /  1
CONTENTS / JUNE 2026
Features
Back to the Future and the 
Power of Seed
ASTA Chair Bryan Gerard 
draws on family legacy, 
entrepreneurial energy and 
a conviction that seed sits at 
the center of food security, 
innovation and agriculture’s 
future.
Heritage Driving What’s 
Next
How KWS applies generations 
of breeding discipline to today’s 
challenges and opportunities in 
North American agriculture.
06
10
When Policy Gets 
Personal for Seed
Domestic farm programs 
and global trade fights may 
seem separate, but both are 
reshaping the cost, timing 
and certainty seed companies 
depend on.
The Power Player you 
Don’t See Coming
The first Seed World 
Connector of the Year’s 
impact isn’t loud or obvious. 
It’s built in the introductions, 
the trust and the relationships 
that move the seed industry 
forward.
Why the Fertilizer Crisis 
Won’t End When the War 
Does
A fragile fertilizer system meets 
geopolitical shock, exposing 
deeper cracks in supply, pricing 
and farmer profitability that 
won’t disappear when conflict 
subsides.
Sharp Decisions, Smarter 
Seed
On one South Carolina farm, 
AI is cutting paperwork and 
changing how certified seed 
management.
14
18
34
42
28
Teaching Machines to Read Plants
With imaging platforms, aerial analysis and growing datasets, breeders 
are beginning to shorten selection timelines and improve accuracy.

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