Seed World Magazine: History, Seed World Group, Global Editions and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Seed World magazine has covered the seed business under that name since 1915, making it one of the oldest trade titles in agriculture. Today it is the flagship of Seed World Group, which unified its U.S., Canadian, European and Latin American publications under the Seed World brand in late 2023. Its readers are seed companies, plant breeders, seed dealers and researchers.
| Name in use since | 1915 (U.S. publication) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Seed World Group |
| President | Shawn Brook, leading Seed World for nearly 20 years |
| Editions | Seed World U.S., Canada, Europe and LATAM |
| Website | Single global website since December 2023 |
| U.S. editor | Aimee Nielson |
| Official website | SeedWorld.com |
History of Seed World
The U.S. publication has carried the Seed World name since 1915, and by 2009 it was billing itself as having covered the industry for more than 90 years, with Issues Ink named as its publisher at that time. Over the following decades Seed World became the main trade magazine for the American seed business, covering seed companies, breeding, regulation and trade.
Its publisher, now Seed World Group, built a family of regional titles. In Canada, Germination was published for more than 25 years; in Europe, European Seed reached its tenth anniversary; and Seed World LATAM launched in 2023 for Latin America. In a December 2023 letter, Seed World Group president Shawn Brook announced that all of them would carry the Seed World name, with Germination becoming Seed World Canada and European Seed becoming Seed World Europe, served by one global website.
Seed World Today
Seed World now publishes four regional editions with a shared global website. Each edition has its own editor, and the U.S. magazine continues to report on seed business, plant breeding, seed trade and policy, and the people who lead the industry.
The magazine also runs recognition programs, such as nominations for Europe's promising young plant breeders, and has long drawn veteran seed journalists; Joe Funk, retired executive editor of Seed Today and a 2017 American Seed Trade Association Distinguished Service Award winner, joined Seed World as a contributing editor in 2017.
What Seed World Is Publishing Now
Seed business and trade
Company news, mergers, market trends and trade data, such as U.S. seed exports of $1.62 billion in 2020 cited from ASTA figures.
Plant breeding and innovation
Breeding technologies, gene editing, variety development and research news from public and private programs.
People and recognition
Profiles of seed industry leaders and awards for young plant breeders across the regional editions.
Seed World Editors and Staff
Seed World's own editor introductions and letters name:
- Aimee Nielson - Editor, Seed World U.S.
- Marc Zienkiewicz - Senior Editor, Seed World Canada
- Marcel Bruins - Editorial Director, Seed World Europe
- Elena Mansur - Editor, Seed World LATAM
- Shawn Brook - President, Seed World Group
- Joe Funk - Contributing editor (joined 2017)
Who Reads Seed World
Seed World is read by seed company executives, plant breeders, seed dealers and retailers, regulators and researchers. The seed sector sits at the start of every crop's value chain, and its customers are the corn, soybean, wheat and specialty crop farms counted by USDA's Census of Agriculture. Industry groups such as the American Seed Trade Association are frequent sources and partners.
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Seed World Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Seed World: Get to know all four of your Seed World editors - the regional editions and editors.
- Seed World: Rebranding under one global name - Shawn Brook on the 1915 roots and the 2023 rebrand.
- American Seed Trade Association: Joe Funk joins Seed World - the national seed industry association's announcement.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - federal data on the farms that buy seed.
- USDA NASS Highlights - summaries of national crop and farm statistics.
Seed World FAQ
How old is Seed World magazine?
The U.S. publication has used the Seed World name since 1915.
Who publishes Seed World?
Seed World Group, led by president Shawn Brook.
What are the Seed World editions?
Seed World U.S., Seed World Canada (formerly Germination), Seed World Europe (formerly European Seed) and Seed World LATAM.
Who edits Seed World U.S.?
Aimee Nielson is the editor of Seed World U.S.
More than a century after it first took the name, Seed World magazine now speaks to the seed industry on four continents.