Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. | Corporate Overview

The first annual and organizational meeting of the Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. (ICIA) was held on January 23, 1922, at the College of Agriculture, at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois. The need for preserving the identity and purity of the better varieties of seed produced by agricultural experiment stations was initially addressed in 1920 when the Crops Committee of the Illinois Farm Advisors Association (University Extension) met with Dr. W. L. Burlison and Professor J. C. Hackleman at the University of Illinois.

1921 marked the first year seed crops were certified in Illinois through Illinois Crop Improvement Association. The association was incorporated in 1924 as a non-profit, private corporation in the state of Illinois. Various state legislation was enacted which ultimately lead to federal governmental recognition of ICIA.

ICIA leveraged its expertise and knowledge in the discipline of seed certification to service companies offering branded seed products, farmer saved seed, commodity grain and identity preserved grain. As the seed and grain industries evolved in the state and significant international markets developed, service offerings of ICIA expanded.

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