Looking Forward to 2022
We are looking forward to 2022! There is a story behind why 2022 is the 100th annual meeting of the Illinois Crop Improvement Association. You can learn about the details of that story as you read on.
February 23 IL-IN Seed Conditioning Workshop – Holiday Inn Champaign IL: On February 23 in Champaign, IL, please join us for the 36th Annual IL-IN Seed Conditioning Workshop! We have a schedule filled with expert speakers who will help you with plant maintenance, supply chain issues, treater use, safety, seed testing, and more. View the workshop program on our Calendar of Events (ilcrop.com) page.
June 15th & 16th Illinois Crop Improvement 100th Annual meeting -– I-Hotel Champaign IL: Please help us celebrate a milestone as we honor the past, recognize the present and look towards the future. Support the Illinois Seed Trade Association’s scholarship program through their annual golf outing on June 15. Illinois Crop will host a reception for all attendees on June 15 at 6 pm. June 16 starts coffee and memorabilia at 10 am, Luncheon Program at noon, and Annual Meetings at 1:30 pm. More information will be posted on our Calendar of Events (ilcrop.com) page as it becomes available.
2022 Industry Events: We look forward to seeing you at the following events. Look us up or contact us ahead of time to arrange a meeting. Please be sure to check with the host organization for information on the following events.
- IPSA Annual Conference & Corn Belt Seed Conference* – January 24-28
- ASTA Vegetable & Flower* – Jan 28-Feb 1
- IL-IN Seed Conditioning Workshop – February 23
- AOSA/SCST Annual Meetings- June 4-9
- IL Crop & ISTA Annual Meetings – June 15 & 16
- AOSCA Annual Meeting- June 19-22
- ASTA Leadership Summit-June 25-29
- ASTA Farm and Lawn & Western Seed Association*
- ASTA CSS & Seed Expo* – December (Chicago IL – Last Year in Chicago)
- For more information on these meeting see our Calendar of Events (ilcrop.com) page.
President Lowe Cancels Annual Meeting – 1945: “Mr. L. L. Lowe was an early grower of hybrid corn and developed the Lowe Hybrid Seed Corn Company, Aroma Park, Illinois, into a large and successful seed company. He was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1938 and served on many committees until elected president in 1943. Mr. Lowe had to direct the destiny of ICIA through the trying years of World War II and in 1945 had to call off the annual meeting of the Association because of Federal restrictions of meetings and other activities using needed resources. During this time, the annual meeting of the Association was changed from February to June, and Mr. Lowe served as president until June 1946.” – Fifty Years of Service – A History of Seed Certification in Illinois 1922-1972.
Looking back, you may ask why there were Federal restrictions in place. The war was over in 1945. VE Day was May 8 and VJ Day was August 15. Doing our best to exclude the knowledge that the end of World War 2 was near, we should imagine the winter of 1944-45. From December 16 to January 25, the Battle of the Bulge saw the small town of Bastogne as the only thing standing in the way of losing the port of Antwerp. In the Pacific, Allied forces initiated a return to the Philippines. An invasion of Japan was still in the planning stages. The world was still a very dark place and the eventual victory, less than a year away, was far from certain.While 2022 marks 100 years of service this should be our 101st annual meeting. Circumstances beyond our control may alter our day-to-day plans but our core values are what sustain us. I hope we can look back on the winter of 2021-22 as the beginning of the end of the war against COVID. So, with a fraction of the optimism needed for a world war, please mark your calendar and make plans to join us! We look forward to a healthier 2022.