President's Message

ASA President's Message

by ASA President, Marcus Alley

May 2009

Sustainability, Adaptability, and Agility: Key Words for ASA in 2009

The fact that ASA has begun its second century indicates that it is both a sustainable and adaptable institution. However, just because an institution has existed for a century does not mean that it will continue to exist for another century. Many external influences have changed during ASA’s first century. Too often, especially when we personally like the services, structure, and activities of an institution, we feel that it should not change. While this is a natural reaction, such a view neglects a recognition, understanding, and acceptance that institutions are subject to the external forces of the world as well as the internal forces of its members. It is a credit to our members, boards, staff, and officers that during its first century, ASA adapted to changing forces and grew into the institution we have today.

Currently ASA is facing demographic challenges with many of our members approaching retirement and not as many individuals being hired at universities, federal and state agencies, and private companies in North America. We know our members have been very productive in the past, and our industry is efficient; so efficient that society apparently perceives that not as many of us are needed to provide the basic and applied information for producing food, feed, fiber, and fuel while protecting our natural resources. And so, traditional ASA member numbers have declined in recent years. Although I fully believe that this will change in the long term because of population growth and natural resource constraints, in the short term, ASA must deal with the issues at hand, which brings us to being adaptable and agile.

ASA membership has been and still is focused in North America (87%). However, we have members in 81 countries outside North America, and we know that there are significant numbers of “agronomists” in various regions that can benefit from ASA membership, ASA services, and collaboration with members of our Society. ASA Global is a committee, chaired by ASA member Andrew McDonald from Cornell University, that was created to determine potential regions and individuals that can benefit from ASA activities and to explore possible means for linking these individuals to ASA. For example, on our websites this year, we’ll provide real-time interactive video and audio from selected sessions at our Pittsburgh Annual Meetings that can be accessed around the world. Also, individuals in different parts of the world who cannot attend the meetings will have the chance to participate in presentations and discussions remotely. ASA Global is exploring further specific actions that will increase, and in some cases re-establish, links with agronomists working outside North America.

Increasing Membership through Expanded Services

Our headquarters staff is working to extend ASA publications to individuals and institutions outside of North America. Publishing contracts have been developed with a partner in China, and library subscriptions have increased significantly. Having our journals and books in libraries in China greatly increases the impact of published research, provides high quality research information for Chinese researchers and students, and increases the potential for ASA membership. Our publications director, Ms. Fran Katz, is currently working on the potential to establish similar publishing relationships in India. ASA has many members with links to India, but only 31 members living in the country. I believe we have significant opportunities to increase membership through our services not only in India, but all of South Asia, a region that has a great need for increased crop productivity and natural resource conservation.

Our certification programs are also currently engaged outside North America. We are working with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), private companies, universities, research centers, and the federal government in India to develop a Certified Crop Adviser program as part of IRRI’s Cereal System Initiative in South Asia. The initial objective is to increase yields in the rice–wheat system in India. The lack of individuals who have the education, expertise, and experience to provide agronomic data to farmers is seen as a major impediment to implementation of research information. We expect to sign the contracts for implementation of the India Certified Crop Adviser initiative in late April.

In addition to our efforts in India, our director of certification programs, Mr. Luther Smith, traveled to Argentina in March at the request of several groups for the purpose of discussing the development of a Certified Crop Adviser program there as well. Estimates are that Argentina has 12,000 to 15,000 practicing agronomists but lacks a certification program. ASA has 29 members from Argentina who publish regularly in our journals, contribute to books, and attend the Annual Meetings. Argentina has a strong soil science society, which has celebrated its 50th anniversary, but does not have an agronomy society. I think there is significant potential to gain members in a country that has outstanding soil and crop production resources. 

Sustaining our Society requires that we (ASA) maintain core values and services for our members. However, sustainability also requires that we evaluate new opportunities. The needs of our members and the world are constantly changing. ASA’s current structure is more agile than in the past and enables us to evaluate opportunities and act on them. Sustainability is a direct function of adaptability and agility in a world where real-time communications to all parts of the world is a reality. Our current members, and potential new members, bring great value to the human enterprise of sustaining our population now and in the future. ASA as an institution will continue to evolve because we have members and staff with great insight and creativity. I will continue to keep you updated as we progress through 2009 and take advantage of new opportunities for service to current and future members.