Certified Seed Sampler Training - Imperial Valley

Registration form

Workshop Information: Will Close February 3rd

California Crop Improvement Association (CCIA) executes a Seed Sampler Certification Program under AASCO’s (Association of American Seed Control Officials) oversight. The objective of this Program is to ensure that certified seed samplers use methods and equipment that are approved by AOSA (Association of Official Seed Analysts).  Seed sampler training should lead to uniformity in sampling of all certified seed that is produced and used in or derived from our state. More importantly, it should also lead to accurate seed test results and labels that better reflect the quality of seed in warehouses being offered for sale and/or shipment. Therefore, CCIA requires that all seed samples sent to the seed laboratories for certification purposes be sampled by certified samplers. We are pleased to announce that we will hold an AASCO CCIA Certified Seed Sampler Training Workshop at the Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville, CA on 17 February, 2026. This workshop is intended for the Agricultural Commissioner and seed warehouse personnel that are or will be sampling seed according to the AOSA rules. We would be grateful if you made this announcement widely available to others that may wish to attend.

Workshop:

The workshop content will include: Industry scope and role of seed sampling; Ethics of seed samplers; Professionalism and safety; Sampling equipment; Sampling seed in bags; Sampling seed in mini-bulk containers; Sampling seed in bulk containers; Special sampling situations; Samples, their division and nomenclature; and Quality assurance. The workshop will also include a hands-on practical component. A content examination will be administered. Spanish speaking candidates are especially encouraged to attend. Spanish language translation facilities will be available. And the Spanish version of the AASCO Handbook on Seed Sampling and content examination will also be available. The workshop will start at 9:00 AM and ends no later than 3:00 PM. Qualifying candidates will be certified by CCIA and the certification will be valid for 3 years.

Location:

The Workshop will be held at the Desert Research and Extension Center [DREC], 1004 E Holton Rd, Holtville, CA 92250-9615 [ map to DREC ]. Free parking will be available but participants are requested to park outside the main gate (see attached DREC map).

Registration:
The registration fees are $125 for all samplers. Please note there will be no refunds after the registration deadline of X date^th, 2026.  The registration fee includes the cost of the AASCO Handbook on Seed Sampling and Lunch. You may need a small calculator, a pen and a notebook or pad for notes.

Coffee and lunch will be provided and is included in the fee. All samplers will take a CCIA content examination the day of the training. However, new samplers will be required to take an online test, at their convenience, in order to be issued an AASCO Sampler ID. After the training they will each receive an email notification from AASCO’s "QuestionMark" for logging into the system and testing; this will generate their Sampler ID and certificate.

You will need a small calculator, a pen and a notebook or pad for notes.