The Seed Technology and Business graduate program at Iowa State University completed its second annual Seed Science & Technology short course Nov. 5-9.

The weeklong short course, a companion course to the Seed Business Management short course, was attended by seed industry professionals from across the U.S., Canada and South America.

The Seed Science & Technology short course benefits both new and veteran seed industry leaders by providing a one-of-a-kind learning experience focusing on the seed product life cycle and current industry technologies.

What’s new in seed production?
This comprehensive course, led by ISU Seed Science Center faculty and seed industry experts, provides hands-on demonstrations, industry tours and discussion sessions on the many facets of the seed industry. It examines seed production, crop improvement, postharvest management, seed health and quality testing, and seed physiology.

“There was a great connection between academic concepts to how these concepts are used in industry,” says Chad Kimmelshue, ISU graduate research assistant in agronomy.

The November session included tours of the Corteva Agriscience DuPont Integrated Seed Science Center, Ankeny; North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, Ames; Huxley Learning Center, Huxley; and the Bayer seed production facility, Boone.

Guest speaker David Beck, an independent plant breeding consultant and a former corn breeding project lead for Syngenta, gave a presentation regarding the Pigeon pea: from breed to seed.

The course also hosted speakers Jeanne Serb and David Wright, who shared a brief look into the biotechnology services available at ISU.

Short course participants say the session topics were broad and understandable, and provided critical information to anyone involved in the seed industry. “If you’re seeking a further understanding of the seed industry and how various modules relate to and interact with one another, this is the course for you,” says Tanner Odom, Genective USA Corp.

The graduate program will continue to offer these short courses annually as a way of giving industry professionals more opportunities for continued education.

Seed Business Management course
The Seed Business Management short course will be Feb. 4-8. Guest speakers from Corteva Agriscience, Renewable Energy Resources and faculty from the Ivy College of Business are a few of the highlights scheduled for the week.

For more information, or to register for the Seed Business Management short course, or the Seed Science & Technology short course on Nov. 4-8, visit seedgrad.iastate.edu/stbshortcourse, or email [email protected] or call 515-294-6947. Seating is limited.

Source: Iowa State University