BY: Ashley Robinson
Seed treatments were designed to give seed a leg up, get the crop growing, and help it succeed. That may seem like a simple concept, there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes. While the science and regulations are meant to show the benefits of seed treatments, not everyone is in support of them which is where the political side of the business comes into play.
On the Aug. 30 episode of Seed Speaks, we’re taking a closer look at the politics of seed treatments. We’re joined by Cassidy Million, vice-president of ag science at Heliae Agriculture and Max Moncaster, industry affairs manager with BASF.
Million is responsible for overseeing agronomy training and product performance trials at Heliae Agriculture. Before joining Heliae Agriculture, she served as the senior agriculture research scientist at a liquid fertility and humic company. She had previously held a postdoctoral position with the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Crop Production and Pest Control Research Division where she researched non-host resistance in wheat and barley. Million received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana University Southeast and her master’s and doctorate degrees in plant pathology from Ohio State University.
Moncaster specializes in agriculture and natural resource policy at BASF. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and communications from Simon Fraser University, and a master of business administration from Purdue University. Prior to joining BASF in 2020, Moncaster worked at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture where he led the organization’s federal public policy efforts. He also worked with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in policy communications, Deloitte Consulting, and the office of the Canadian trade minister.
Join on Aug. 30 at 12 p.m. CDT on Seed World’s Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages to watch the discussion.