Seed Business Management
Meet Our Presenters
Janae Brady
American Seed Trade Association (ASTA)
Vice President, Government Affairs
Presentation: Navigating Change: How the Seed Industry is Responding to Federal Policy Trends
Janae Brady
Vice President, Government Affairs
Janae Brady joined the ASTA team in 2020. Brady served as staff for Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry during his time as both Chairman and Ranking Member. Most recently as Senior Professional Staff, she advised the Chairman on policy issues including international trade, agricultural research, biotechnology, crop protection and agricultural defense. Brady successfully led negotiations on the trade and research titles during Senate and Conference consideration of the 2018 Farm Bill. Additionally, Brady represented the Chairman during the consultation process for multiple international trade negotiations, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Brady previously worked on trade and food security policy issues at Gordley Associates, an agriculture policy government relations firm, where she represented organizations such as the American Soybean Association. Prior to this, Brady served as a high school English teacher.
Brady grew up working on her family’s wheat and sorghum farm located in Kansas. Janae holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University as well as a master’s degree at the George Washington University.
Keri Carstens, Ph.D.
Jord BioScience
Chief Executive Officer
Presentation: Leading a Startup Seed Company
Keri Carstens
Dr. Keri Carstens is CEO for Jord BioScience, a leading global provider of novel microbial technology solutions to agriculture companies. Keri grew up on a farm, continues to farm, and has devoted her career to delivering safe, sustainable solutions that benefit farmers globally. Under her direction, Jord has expanded its product development space and throughput to serve its growing list of clients, secured investment and revenue to scale, and Jord was awarded the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award. Prior to Jord, Keri spent 14 years at Corteva Agriscience, where she led global regulatory strategy, served on the leadership team to build and launch Corteva’s seed applied technologies and biologicals businesses, and held key roles in regulatory science and program management. In 2019 she was recognized as a Laureate in Corteva’s R&D organization, one of the company’s highest honors for scientists. She is a recognized industry leader, having served as Chair of the American Seed Trade Association’s Seed Treatment & Environment Committee, and served in steering roles for the Honey Bee Health Coalition and Entomological Society of America. In addition, Keri holds adjunct graduate faculty status at Iowa State University, where she mentors graduate students and co-teaches in regulatory toxicology and pesticides courses. Keri earned her B.A. in Biology and Education from Wartburg College, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Toxicology and Entomology from Iowa State University. She and her family enjoy their small farm that includes row crops and pollinator habitat outside of Ames, IA.
Han Chen
ZeaKal
Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Presentation: Regenerative Agriculture, Low Carbon Products & A Better Bean
Han Chen
Han Chen is the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of ZeaKal, a USA-based agricultural biotechnology company. Under his leadership, ZeaKal focuses on enhancing crop efficiency and sustainability. Han has been a pioneer in changing how agricultural trait technologies are commercialized, focusing on innovative public-private partnerships between industry, venture, and research.
Chad Hart, Ph.D.
Iowa State University
Professor of Economics
Presentation: Ag Market Outlook for 2025 and Beyond
Chad Hart
Chad Hart was born and raised in southwest Missouri. His parents raised a few cattle and operated a small meat locker. He received a B.S. in economics with minors in mathematics, history, and astronomy from Southwest Missouri State University in 1991. He received a Ph.D. in economics and statistics in 1999 from Iowa State University. Chad became a faculty member at Iowa State in 2008. He is a professor in economics, extension economist, and the crop markets specialist for the university.
Samuel Crowell, Ph.D.
American Seed Trade Association
Senior Director, International Programs and Policy
Presentation: Navigating Change: How the Seed Industry is Responding to Federal Policy Trends
Samuel Crowell, Ph.D.
Senior Director, International Programs and Policy
Samuel Crowell joined ASTA in 2022. Prior to ASTA, Sam served in the U.S. government for seven years, including as a Section Chief for Biotechnology and Trade at the U.S. Department of State, a Director for Agricultural Affairs in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Policy Fellow within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Scientists. In these roles, he was a proud advocate for U.S. agriculture and served as the lead on negotiations and initiatives related to food security, trade, regulatory, and science policy issues.
Sam grew up in West Virginia and completed his B.S. in biology at West Virginia University. He holds a Ph.D. in the plant sciences and international development from Cornell University, where he conducted field work on rice germplasm, genomics, and high-throughput phenotyping at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Philippines.
Diana Horvath, Ph.D
2Blades
Co-Founder
Presentation: Leading a Startup Seed Company
Diana Horvath
Co-Founder, 2Blades
Diana Horvath has helped to translate advances in plant science into practical uses for agriculture. In 2003, she co-founded 2Blades, a novel, non-profit, agbiotech company that develops and delivers genetic solutions to pre-harvest crop losses and serves as its President. Prior to 2Blades, she served as Science Director at ATP Capital, a venture capital firm that invested in companies developing biotechnologies for improved agriculture. Diana carried out research in plant disease resistance as a National Science Foundation and Zeneca Plant Science postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller University, following her Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry at Northwestern University. She also participated in pest and disease research on maize and millet at Botswana’s Department of Agricultural Research under the aegis of US Agency for International Development and the UK’s Department for International Development.
Scott Raubenstine
Perdue Farms
VP Agricultural Services
Presentation: Regenerative Agriculture, Low Carbon Products & A Better Bean
Scott Raubenstine
Scott Raubenstine serves as the Vice President of Agricultural Services at Perdue Farms. He focuses primarily on developing relationships with growers to help them link their farms with the increasing focus on regenerative agriculture. His department offers seed technologies, grower risk management tools, agronomy services, and grower support that implement the Perdue Regernative Agriculture and Sustainability Programs and support the company’s “Raising a Better Future” initiative.