The committee recommended that a Foundation be established by ASTA which would raise and distribute funds for seed research. The ASRF, a tax free foundation, was incorporated January 20,1959, under the laws of the state of Illinois as a scientific, benevolent, and educational corporation. As They Do.
Basic research is costly.
It is much too costly for seedsmen, regardless of the firm size, to undertake individually. State and Federal Experiment Stations do as much as their funds and facilities permit, but they have many commitments. They can't concentrate on the particular problems of seedsmen unless the research needed by the industry is underwritten by seedsmen. The fundamental conviction of the Foundation is that an investment in seed research will be translated into manifold benefits by its contribution to increased agricultural productivity. Since seed is basic to all agricultural production, even small increments of improvement will provide substantial returns producing more food and fiber for a needy world.