Leader's Letter
Dennis Lutgen
I am honored to serve as the IPSA President through next January's Annual Conference. David Hingst has done a great job and will be a tough act to follow, but the Board has tremendous experience and a strong desire to do the right things on behalf of all IPSA members.
Being family owned seed company for over 75 years, Star Seed Inc., located in Osborne, Kansas has seen a lot of changes of seed products marketed and grown over many years.
Star Seed is a regional seed company that offers a diverse portfolio of seeds and seed products, ranging from cereal grains and native grasses and wilflowers , to forage crops and wildlife food plot mixes. The product mix is as diversified as our customer base, which ranges across several states.
During my remaining term as President and IPSA Board member, there are several priorities I hope to lead toward a successful conclusion. I will take a minute to highlight each.
First, planning for a successful 22nd Annual IPSA Conference continues through the summer. IPSA's Business Development Committee will be meeting again this month to make definitive plans regarding program content and speakers for this program. This early planning effort lets us provide member-companies with plenty of lead time to make plans to attend - January 18-20, 2011 at the Sheraton Westport in St. Louis.
Second, the July IPSA Board meeting will focus almost exclusively on evaluating a group of proposals we requested this summer. The proposals address the need for a member's survey and a 2011 strategic planning meeting based on members' input. One other feature will also be an Annual Conference program highlighting future opportunities for regional seed companies.
Another important activity this Fall is that IPSA is establishing a presence at several genetic field days - locations like Olivia and Champaign to name a couple. These field days give IPSA a chance to meet members directly and hear their wants and needs - an opportunity that is invaluable during these times of dramatic change in the seed business.