Seed E-News

March 5, 2004

ASTA Announces USDA-Seed Industry Workshops
ASTA is pleased to announce two important workshops that will be held in March 2004 at headquarters of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. On March 18, 2004 a workshop for native seed companies will be conducted to discuss Farm Bill implementation, opportunities for native seed companies and efforts to communicate and coordinate programs affecting native seed. The second workshop will take place on March 25 and will be devoted to organic seed issues. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be on hand to discuss implementation and enforcement of the National Organic Program. ASTA's Board of Directors established a standing Organic Committee to address issues affecting the seed industry. Both workshops will take place at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact ASTA on 703-837-8140.

Rooms have been reserved at a special ASTA group rate of $159 single/double at:

Hilton Crystal City Ronald Reagan National Airport
2399 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington VA 22202
Phone: 703.418.6800 or 800-695-7551 for reservation
Fax: 703.418.3762

Please mention that you are with the American Seed Trade Association when making your reservation. The hotel is within walking distance of the Crystal City Metro station. The closest Metro to USDA Headquarters is the Smithsonian stop. The hotel also offers complimentary shuttle service to Reagan National Airport. Visit www.wmata.com for a map of the Metro system. A taxi to USDA headquarters would cost approximately $15; a Metro ride would be approximately $5 round trip.

USDA Grants Protection to New Plant Varieties
In Washington, DC on March 2, 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued certificates of protection to developers of 20 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include cotton, fescue, pea, rice, safflower, tobacco and wheat. The 20 certificates are being issued under the Plant Variety Protection Act. The certificates require that the varieties be new, distinct, uniform and stable. The owners will have the exclusive right to reproduce, sell, import and export their products in the United States for the duration of protection. The 20 certificates are:

• the Acala Ultima* variety of cotton, developed by California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors, Shafter, California;
• the DP 4025, DP 4049, and DP 388 varieties of cotton, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Corporation, Scott, Mississippi;
• the PSC413 variety of cotton, developed by Phytogen Seed Company, LLC, San Diego, California;
• the Sure-Grow 585B and Sure-Grow 125R varieties cotton, developed by Sure-Grow Seed, Inc., Centre, Alabama;
• the Coronado Gold and Wolfpack varieties of tall fescue, developed by Pure Seed Testing, Inc., Hubbard, Oregon;
• the Ashton variety of pea, developed by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc., Oxnard, California;
• the WRS-4431 and WRM-3538 varieties of rice, developed by Western Rice Research Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc., Pleasant Grove, California;
• the AB1542 and AB2975 varieties of rice, developed by Busch Agricultural Resources, Inc., Jonesboro, Arkansa;
• the Calhikari-201* variety of rice, developed by California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, Inc., Biggs, California;
• the CW 2889 variety of safflower, developed by Cal/West Seeds, Woodland, California;
• the RGH4* variety of tobacco (F1), developed by F.W. Rickard Seeds, Inc., Winchester, Kentucky;
• the Benton* and Douglas* varieties of common wheat, developed by Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri; and
• the Goodstreak* variety of common wheat, developed by Board of Regents, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.

* In the United States seed of this variety (1) shall be sold by variety name only as a class of certified seed and (2) shall conform to the number of generations specified by the owner of the rights (84 STAT. 1542, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2321 ET SEQ).

USDA Announces Second Partial 2003-Crop Counter-Cyclical Payments for Peanuts and Rice
In Washington DC, on February 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will begin issuing the second counter-cyclical program (CCP) payments for 2003-crop rice and peanuts. CCPs are available to producers who participate in the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP), authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill. Producers are eligible for counter-cyclical payments when effective prices are less than the “target prices” specified in the Farm Bill. For more on this, please follow this link CCP.

China Approves Import of GM Crops
On Monday, February 23, the Chinese government announced that it had approved the imports of GM crops produced by Monsanto, specifically Roundup Ready soybeans, one version of Roundup ready corn, soybeans, one version of Roundup ready corn, YieldGard ® Corn Borer, Bollgard ® cotton and Roundup Ready cotton. A statement issued by Agriculture Secretary Veneman and U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick can be found by following this link Release. Following this approval, the Chinese Agriculture Ministry said that it is considering applications to import GMOs from four other foreign companies – Switzerland's Syngenta; the United States' DuPont Co.; Dow AgroSciences, a unit of U.S. firm Dow Chemical Co.; and Germany's Bayer AG.

Chile May Expand Range of GM Products
On Monday, March 1, 2004, Chile’s Agriculture Minister Jaime Campos said, in a statement ahead of an international biotechnology forum, that the country is considering expanding its current production of GM products to include foods beyond its present seed output. "Today we're debating possible new legislation that would regulate the production of transgenic organisms that could be sold in the country," including genetically modified animal and vegetable products, Campos said. That would include both imports and local production of genetically engineered food, he added. So far, Chile produces GM seeds for export on some 10,000 hectares, less then 0.1% of the Andean country's total 180 million cultivated hectares.

Stricter GM Trade Rules
In a move, certain to dismay producers such as the Unites States, nearly 90 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and most of Latin America agreed to tighter rules governing trade in GM seeds. The deal requires detailed information on shipments of GM crops such as maize, cotton and soy, to help importers decide whether to accept them. To read more on this story, follow this link New Rules.

UK Delays GM Crops After Cabinet Leak
An expected statement to the House of Commons by Margaret Beckett, the Environment Secretary, that the UK is to go ahead with the first commercially grown GM crop has been delayed after a leak to a British newspaper. The planting of GM crops themselves cannot take place for at least another year, and maybe not even then, an environment minister, said. The delay results, he claimed, from the time required to sort out proper separation distances between crops, and a liability regime for contamination of conventional or organic crops. Although the issue of distances between crops might be relatively easy to resolve, the problem of compensation if all goes wrong, and who pays for it, remains intractable. Companies remain adamant that they will not foot the bill, and that it is a matter for insurance by farmers. The government refuses to set up a fund with taxpayers' money. Paul Rylott, head of Bioscience at Bayer CropScience, the company which has the first GM crop likely to be grown commercially in the UK, said biotech companies would under no circumstances pay for a compensation fund. They had not been asked to do so anywhere in the world and did not intend to start in Britain. To read the original article, follow this link The Guardian.

Mendocino County passes Measure H
We have reported in recent months on the attempt by Mendocino County in California to pass the nation's first GM ban. On March 2, with 57% of the votes cast, voters passed Measure H to may make their county the first in the nation to ban the "propagation, cultivation, raising, and growing of genetically modified organisms" although Mendocino County does not cultivate any GM crops. The ban will not, however, prevent processed food made with GM ingredients from being sold in stores. The success of Measure H is expected to affect similar measures, now in the signature-gathering phase, in Marin, Sonoma, Humboldt, and other California counties. With this in prospect, the biotechnology industry is considering its legal options. For more on this story in the San Jose Mercury News, follow this link Measure H.

Future Biotech Lab goes Underground
Doug Ausenbaugh, an entrepreneur from Indianapolis has plans for a 60-acre former limestone quarry close to Marengo Cave National Historic Landmark. He sees, 200 feet underground, a factory deep within the quarry where his Controlled Pharming Ventures can raise corn and other crops bioengineered for drugs. The crops will be protected from pollens and other contaminants and the underground factory will prevents the pollen from GM crops reaching the outside. He has a wider vision which is to see areas of Indiana, far from the state’s life sciences centers of Bloomington, Indianapolis and West Lafayette as GM players. For more on this story from indystar.com, follow this link Underground Lab.

2004 Congress of the African Seed Trade Association
The 2004 Congress of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) is scheduled for March 24-26, 2004 in the historic city of Tunis, Tunisia. Since its inception in 2000, AFSTA has grown significantly in regional stature and membership. The AFSTA Congress is now the premier event for the seed industry in Africa and offers unparalleled opportunity for those that wish to develop business relationships with the African seed industry. In addition, the Congress program has been designed to foster discussion on all critical issues facing the seed industry throughout the continent. The National Organizing Committee (NOC) of AFSTA Congress has obtained a 50% discount on all flights with Tunis Air for all the participants of the AFSTA Congress. To benefit from this offer, please contact Tunis Air agency or your travel agency by specifying that you are a participant in AFSTA Congress 2004. Visas can be obtained from the Tunisian Embassy in your country. You should contact the NOC of the congress at espace.vert@planet.tn or info@afstacongress.com to request for an invitation letter to complete your visa application. The NOC has already informed all the Tunisian Embassies to facilitate delivery of the visa. Registration for the 2004 AFSTA Congress is open and registration materials and information on the Congress program, pre- and post Congress tours, can be found at www.afstacongress.com.

ISF International Seminar on the Protection of Intellectual Property and Access to Genetic Resources
ISF is organizing an international seminar on the Protection of Intellectual Property and Access to Genetic Resources in Berlin, on May 27-28, 2004, just after its Annual Congress. This is a subject that is under intense discussions at the moment, at both governmental and industry levels, as illustrated by the discussions on the adoption of the document "ISF View on Intellectual Property" in Chicago in 2002 and in Bangalore in 2003. The presentations by a panel of eminent speakers from all over the world, as well as the discussions, should facilitate the development of a new industry position in the coming months and we hope that many of you will attend. Please note that the deadline for early registration is February 28, 2004. For more information on the seminar, please follow this link IP Seminar.

World Conference on Organic Seed
On July 5-7, 2004, a conference for stakeholders in the organic seed sector will be held at the headquarters of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. Delegates are expected to include scientists, plant breeders, seed producers, farmers, certifiers, and others interested in organic farming and seed production. ASTA is represented on the conference organizing committee by Frederick ‘Chip’ Sundstrom of the California Crop Improvement Association. The conference is sponsored by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), the FAO and the International Seed Federation. The focus of the conference will on the scientific and technical aspects of organic seed issues and participants will also evaluate regulatory requirements. Registration information and a provisional program can be found by visiting www.organicseedconf.org.

Industry and People
If you have any personnel changes, or other developments in your company, that you would like included in E-News, please send details to ppatterson@amseed.org.

Upcoming Events

May 24-26, 2004
International Seed Federation Congress
Berlin, Germany
www.worldseed2004.com

June 27-30, 2004
121st ASTA Annual Convention
Wyndham Franklin Plaza
Philadelphia, PA
Tel: 1-888.890.7333
For more information on this joint meeting with the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies, please follow this link Speakers.

November 7-8, 2004
ASTA 50th Farm & Lawn Seed Conference
Westin Crown Center
Kansas City, MO

December 8-10, 2004
ASTA 34th Soybean & 59th Corn & Sorghum Conferences and Seed Expo 2004
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL
Tel: 1-888.890.7333

January 22-25, 2005
ASTA 44th Vegetable & Flower Conference
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
San Francisco, CA.

June 19-22, 2005
122nd ASTA Annual Convention
Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Tower
Seattle, WA

July 7-14, 2006
Joint ASTA-CSTA Annual Convention
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL