The Journey of Life through First-The
Seed
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Andrew Lauver, Age 3, Lauver Family Farms, 1993 |
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Lauver Family Farms, 2009 |
The Iowa State University career fair opened my eyes to the immense opportunities, where over 200 companies were present. After meeting the many professionals attending, I accepted an internship with MaxYield Cooperative and spent the summer scouting crops and interacting with farm families. Upon returning to ISU in the Fall, my heart was set on the seed industry and I began to look for future opportunities. It was during this time I became aware of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) through their Campus Connections program. I applied with great interest and was provided an opportunity to attend the ASTA Annual Conference in 2011.
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ASTA Metors Jim Schweigert and John Chism |
After returning to campus with the tools I
gained from the Campus Connections program, I recognized an even greater disconnect
between rural and urban agricultural education. Seeking an opportunity to
positively influence and address this issue, I began writing for the Iowa State
Daily, our campus newspaper, which was missing a focus on agriculture. I
regularly composed agricultural opinion articles to provide insight into
industry issues such as GMO awareness, leveraging the resources ASTA has
available for those with questions to find answers. This initiative led to learning
more about ASTA’s resources to advocate for agriculture through Manjit Misra,
who is actively involved as a member and a professor at Iowa State. In June of
2012, I once again attended the American Seed Trade Association’s annual
conference in Washington, DC on a scholarship from Manjit and Iowa State
University. While in DC, we visited the congressional offices of our national
leaders and I was able to understand how local, state, and federal regulations,
laws, and guidelines affect seed businesses.
Possessing an intrinsic
motivation to truly make a difference as a result of this experience through
ASTA, I pursued an opportunity to learn from outstanding leaders on Capitol
Hill as a Legislative Intern in the United States Senate. An opportunity
enabled by ASTA through my interest in giving back to the state and country
which has given so much to me, I witnessed firsthand the positive impact an
agricultural enthusiast can make. This
experience provided unique perspectives on Capitol Hill relating to issues such
as immigration and agriculture, strengthening interest in serving others
throughout the seed business and rural America.
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Lauver on the Prairies of Western Canada, 2014 |
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Lauver operating a UAV while scouting crops, 2015 |
In 2015, an opportunity presented
itself to sell precision agriculture services across Western Iowa and also farm
with my family. Digital technology is rapidly evolving and ASTA is providing
support at the front of the revolution that is occurring right before our eyes
as agriculturalists. Assisting farmers with variable rate seeding and variable
rate nitrogen is not only good for the environment, but also good for farm gate
profitability. Yet again I noticed the connection between the policies that
affected the farmers at the farm gate and the priorities of the American Seed
Trade Association.
Throughout my time building my
precision services business I remained connected to ASTA through the Future
Seed Executives (FuSE). This was an outstanding way to have communication with
industry peers who worked for companies across the country, even though I was
isolated to a specific sales area and work on the farm.
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Lauver analyzing corn emergence on the family farm, 2017 |
After serving on several local Farm Bureau and
Corn Grower’s boards I felt the desire to develop a greater understanding of
the connection between the law and the farm gate, so I enrolled in Agricultural
Law School at Drake University. Drake Law does an excellent job of providing a
practical legal education and I knew right where I wanted to spend the summer
after my first year of law school, which was immersed in agricultural policy on
Capitol Hill with the American Seed Trade Association.
Over the course of the summer, I was
actively involved in projects ranging from composing information to be reviewed
by White House staff, meeting with members of Congress to discuss priorities
for our ASTA members, and composing information related to the Food Safety
Modernization Act. The American Seed Trade Association is a champion for seed
companies across the country and I am grateful for my experience to contribute
to such an important organization within the fabric of American agriculture. I
look forward to contributing to and giving back to the seed industry throughout
my career, since it has done so much to enhance my personal and professional
quality of life.
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Lauver at the American Seed Trade Association, 2018 |