A Welcome to a Big, Diverse, and Passionate Family: A Scholarship Winner’s Account of the Seed Industry

Henry Cordoba Novoa, the 2023 Roger Krueger Memorial Scholarship recipient, shares his take on ASTA meetings and the seed industry.

We all have different reasons to get up every day and go to work in various fields. Some people enjoy numbers, others focus on finance, marketing, research, policy, and advocacy. Yet, in the seed industry, we all find common ground in supporting farmers and listening to consumers. Receiving the 2023 Roger Krueger Memorial Scholarship has been a life-changing experience, allowing me to connect with like-minded, smart, and humble individuals who find joy in working in agriculture.

When I decided to study Agronomic Engineering in my hometown of Bogota, Colombia, I wanted to explore one of the most natural relationships that humans have with nature: food production. What I did not anticipate was discovering a global, multidisciplinary field with a major goal – feed a hungry planet. Awarded by the Seed Science Foundation (SSF) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), the scholarship took me to the Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference in Monterey, CA. This was my first experience in an industry setting with hundreds of participants. What captivated me the most was the fact that even commercial competitors, big and small companies come together to get updates, set industry-wide goals, and design action plans for sector improvement. After all, together, we are stronger.

I was fortunate to receive extraordinary support from the SSF board members and ASTA staff. Teresa Mitzel, Syngenta Seeds and a member of the SSF board, became my mentor and partner in adventure. Together we discovered numerous sessions and engaged in conversations with professionals working on areas from product design to commercialization and seed trade. I saw how my research could potentially contribute as a small but valuable piece of a system with global impact, such as plant breeding and seed production. Whether we do fundamental or applied science in different areas, with time, it all contributes to better and more resilient production systems.

Participating in the conference made me aware of the vast dimensions of the seed industry and how hardworking people thrive in an environment where science transforms into innovations and solutions like seeds! The ASTA Leadership Summit in Nashville, TN was another excellent occasion to connect with leaders and students. We received training in leadership skills specifically applied to the seed industry. I expanded my network and met people from companies, universities, and associations who showed me how complex yet fascinating working in the seed industry is.

The opportunities given by this award became a perfect platform to apply my communication and leadership skills. A platform to connect with future colleagues and kind people I hope to call friends one day. Among the many supportive individuals, I am particularly grateful for the time, mentorship, and guidance from Teresa, David Bubeck and Marc Cool from Corteva, Samantha Thomas from Bayer, Shannon Carmody from Ball Horticulture, and Ann Jorss from ASTA, as well as the warm welcome I received from the seed industry family.

Jim Tobin presents Henry Cordoba Novoa with the 2023 Roger Krueger Memorial Scholarship Award at the 2024 ASTA Leadership Summit.