JUNE 2026 SEEDWORLD.COM / 35 Trade Volatility Moves From Policy to Paperwork The impact isn’t limited to policy. It’s show ing up in logistics and documentation. Crowell says U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is working through a new reimbursement process tied to tariffs that are no longer legally defensible. “So imagine all of the tariffs that were in effect in 2025 are no longer legally defensible, so CBP has to create a new process to issue refunds for importers that paid those tariffs at the border,” he says. His advice is simple: document every thing. “The most important thing is to docu ment everything very explicitly,” Crowell says. “You keep all your paperwork, all your receipts, making sure you under stand when and at what level you pay the tariff and be prepared to submit (https:// www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-admin istration/trade-remedies/ieepa-duty- refunds) that material if you do make a mistake or you submit the wrong informa tion. I'm not sure how long it could take to fix that. So it really is important to get, get your house in order, if you will.” Conservation Seed Needs Certainty Too Back on the domestic side, Brady says conservation funding deserves more attention from the seed sector. “It stays in line with the theme that we've been talking about, which is cer tainty and providing some stability to the industry into the conservation programs, whether Farm Bill or otherwise,” Brady says. “The seed industry plays a really integral part in supporting those efforts through our very robust conservation seed sector, whether we're talking about cover crop seed or Conservation Reserve Program, seed mixes or wildfire restora tion seed through the Bureau of Land Management.” But those markets depend on predict able demand. “There's a lot of different opportunities for the seed industry to support conser vation efforts,” she says. “Some of the programs… have been supported through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or previ ous infrastructure packages, and some of them have not.” The Farm Bill Fight Is Not Over ASTA continues to push priorities tied to export programs, research and conservation. “There's still uncertainty around the ability to build that funding into future baseline so that we can have that continued support in future farm bills,” Brady says. Just as important is whether the broader coalition can come back together. “I think the major signal is the ability to bring the community together around all of these issues,” she says. “It's become so fractured in the last few years because of the individual priorities.” Even so, ASTA is using the moment to stay engaged. “We are continuing to use the oppor tunity,” Brady says. “It’s moving and that gives us a chance to talk to congres sional offices, and hopefully we'll find success.” Seed as the Solution Despite the pressure, Brady says the industry should not lose sight of its role. “With many of the challenges that agriculture faces, we often view seed as one of the opportunities that's out there,” she says. “The seed is the solution to so many problems. I think that is something that we have a lot of opportunity to con tinue to talk about.” Crowell says the same environment is also forcing stronger collaboration. “The silver lining is that this situa tion is bringing a lot of folks in the seed sector together,” he says. “So we really need to take a hard look at how we're collaborating…” His call to action is simple. “So I would encourage folks dedi cate an hour a week to give back to the sector… It won't always be like this… but it's on us to come up with solutions and to work together to try to figure out the world we want to build for the seed industry. Whether you’re an active member of ASTA who hasn’t been to a recent meeting, or you’re a seed com pany getting to know us for the first time, we invite folks to come to our meetings (more info at betterseed.org/events) and get involved.” SW Sam Crowell (left), ASTA vice president, science, trade and global affairs and Janae Brady, ASTA vice president, government affairs
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