b'L-R: Sam Crowell, ASTA Director of International Programs and Policy; Carlos Vanderloo, Minister-Counsellor for Economic and Trade Policy at athe Canadian Embassy ot the United States; Jason Hafemeister, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Acting Associate Administrator; Carlos Vazquez Ochoa, Agricultural Minister at Mexicos Embassy to the United States.Our seed trade relationship is built on complementaritySeeds in the Shadowsand fairness, he says. Since NAFTA, agricultural tradeDespite seeds enormous global footprint, all three pan-between the U.S. and Mexico has grown tenfold. But rightelists agree it rarely grabs the spotlightespecially com-now, we are in a moment of tension. pared to bulk grains, livestock or steel.He warns of the chilling effect current U.S. tariffs couldSeeds dont often make the front page, because a lot have on trustnot just economically, but diplomatically.of times, it just works, Crowell says. But that doesnt mean Then, he turned to CIMMYT, the International Maize andwe can take it for granted.Wheat Improvement Center, based in Mexico. Hafemeister echoes that sentiment.The U.S. has cut its funding to CIMMYT by $80 millionWhen you talk to companies, especially U.S. seednearly 40% of its budget, he says. That threatens globalexporters, the challenges arent just tariffs, he says. corn and wheat research. If it continues, this research hubTheyre phytosanitary headaches, regulatory delays, could be reallocated outside our region, and with it, we loseinconsistent IP protections. Sometimes it takes a little vital resources, germplasm, and scientists whove dedi- policy sugar to get through the thicket of bureaucracy.cated their lives to feeding the world. Im asking for your helptake this message to USDA, to Congress, to theProtecting IP, Enabling InnovationState Department. Defend seeds. Intellectual property may not be flashy, but its essential. SEPTEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /13'