WINTER 2022
NEWS BULLETIN
ISA News & Updates
Inside This Issue: 
  • Save The Date! Annual Seed Forum & Annual Meeting
  • Join Us To Recognize The ISU Scholarship Recipients
  • Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crops Initiative
  • IDALS Crop Insurance Discount Sign Up
  • Online Testing for Pesticide Applicators
  • Iowa Seed Association Reminders And Events
  • Thank You To Renewing 2023 Members
  • Thank You To Our Sponsors
Save The Date!
Annual Seed Forum & Annual Meeting
The Iowa Seed Association Annual Meeting and Seed Forum will be held on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. The ISA Annual Meeting will begin at 9 am and will include the election of new board members and officers for the upcoming year. Partnering with the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference (ASC) will allow ISA to once again expand the education and networking opportunities available at our Seed Forum and Annual Meeting.

The 2023 ASC will also be held on February 14 - 15. Through the partnership with the ASC, ISA members will have the opportunity to attend a wider variety of workshops and network with all facets of the ag industry. The Seed Forum workshops are dedicated solely to information pertinent to the seed industry. Registration information will be sent out soon to all ISA members. Please feel free to share with others in the industry that you think would benefit from these sessions.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
9 AM-Noon
Iowa State Fairgrounds
Varied Industries Building
 
Lunch and ISU Seed scholarship recognitions to follow the forum.

Join Us To Recognize The
ISU Scholarship Recipents
Each year we recognize the Iowa State University students who received an Iowa
Seed Association scholarship for the current academic year. The Bill Latham scholarship will be awarded at this time as well. This year’s recipients will be recognized at the Seed Forum to be held on February 15, 2023. We plan to have the students join and we will have the opportunity to learn a little about their education and future plans. This is a great opportunity to recognize the future leaders of the seed industry.
Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crops Initiative
The Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crops Initiative is a project developed by the Iowa Seed Association in conjunction with the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, and Iowa Corn. A Water Quality Initiative grant from the Iowa Department of provides funding for the project, which was recently extended for another three years. The initiative focuses on ways to help increase adoption of cover crops specifically within the seed corn production system in Iowa. This focus is driven by the seed corn industry in Iowa, and their efforts to help promote and support the use of cover crops as part of Iowa’s Nutrient Strategy.
 
New additions to the project include hiring Erica Lydolph as project coordinator and additional emphasis on edge of field practices such as saturated buffers and bioreactors. Lydolph is originally from Charles City, Iowa and resides with her husband and three children in Van Buren County, Iowa where they raise corn, soybeans, cattle, and hogs. She graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy and is currently working on a Master of Agribusiness Degree from Kansas State University.

Applications are still being processed for this past fall, but over 10,000 acres of cover crops have been incentivized saving over 30,000 tons of soil.

For more information, visit https://www.sustainableseedcorn.org/.
IDALS Crop Insurance Discount Sign Up
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages farmers and landowners who planted cover crops this fall to apply for the Crop Insurance Discount Program by January 13, 2023. Eligible Iowa farmers and landowners can receive a $5 per acre discount on spring crop insurance premiums for cover crop acres located within Iowa.

“Iowa farmers are continuing to invest in and implement proven conservation practices, like cover crops, to enrich soil health and improve water quality,” said Secretary Naig. “This successful program was started in Iowa and has become a model for other states as it has been an effective incentive to get more cover crops planted.”

Farmers can sign up now for the cover crop insurance premium reduction program at https://apply.cleanwateriowa.org/. To qualify, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or federal cost share programs.
Online Testing for Pesticide Applicators
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Pesticide Bureau offers online pesticide applicator testing options for private and commercial applicators. Private pesticide applicators who want to obtain or renew their certifications can register to take the private certification exam online. To register for the online exam, visit https://iowaagriculture.gov/pesticide-bureau/applicator-licensing-certification.

Commercial pesticide applicators can create an account to take the online exam at https://data.iowaagriculture.gov/pest_signup/#online. The online exams are monitored, recorded, and reviewed by a third-party proctoring service. A web camera, high-speed internet connection, and government-issued photo ID card are required for online testing. There is a $25 fee for each commercial pesticide applicator test completed online, payable directly to the third-party online testing service.
Iowa Seed Association Reminders & Events
February 15, 2023
ISA Seed Forum & Annual Meeting
ISU Scholarship Recognition
Iowa State Fair Grounds VI Building | Des Moines, IA

June 22, 2023
ISA Golf Tournament & Scholarship Fundraiser
Veenker Memorial Golf Course | Ames, IA
Thank You To Renewing 2023 Members
Thank you to all that have renewed your 2023 ISA membership. We look forward to serving all of you. Membership packets were mailed that included a membership invoice and ISA sponsorship form. If you have not done so, please return to the ISA office. Please be sure to look over your company contact information, and let us know of any changes before returning your forms. Each company is allowed to have up to five additional contacts, which will receive correspondence from ISA. To ensure the best possible service please provide accurate information on all other contacts. Dues payments for the 2023 membership year need to be received by December 31, 2022. If you have a referral or know of anyone who is interested in becoming an ISA member, please let us know!

Questions about your dues packet or sponsorship? Contact the office at 515-262-8323 or email bgleason@agribiz.org. See member information online at www.iowaseed.org.
A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Peterson Genetics, Inc.

Growmark, Inc.