Seeds have always played a dominant role in agriculture, serving as a mechanism by which crop plants are propagated. During the past 50 years Seed Science and Technology has gained recognition as a sub-discipline of Crop Science, which was enhanced by the establishment of graduate training in Seed Biology at many Land Grant Universities. These programs provided leadership to the C-4 Division, which led to the sponsorship of nine special CSSA publications, two major reviews, many journal publications and several excellent text books which were not previously available in this area. The division sponsored more than 15 symposia at annual CSSA meetings during the last two decades covering seed production, seed health, synthetic seeds and distance education. The efforts of seed scientists enhanced the quality control programs of the seed industry by contributing to the development and use of seed vigor tests, sophisticated genetic and herbicide trait tests, improved techniques for seed production and storage, and seed enhancements including film coating, priming and pelleting. The Plant Variety Protection Act and the granting of patents on cultivars, the influence of genetic engineering on seed production and testing, the ability to test seeds routinely at the DNA and protein levels and the use of the internet in teaching and training have all had major impacts on seed research and training. Seeds will continue to provide a means for the propagation of crop plants, but in the future they may assume new roles as a delivery tool in high technology agriculture both as a medium to transport biocides and intrinsically through changes in the plant genome through biotechnology. However, the polarization of socio-political viewpoints, especially those of the eventual consumer of food products, may strongly influence the future direction of seed research and training in the global seed industry.