Seed E-News

April 29, 2005

Future Seed Executives 2005 - Leading and Reacting to Change
ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) initiative is pleased to announce its second Educational Unit to be hosted by Fontanelle Hybrids in Freemont, NE on Friday, May 20, 2005 (8:00 am - 3:30 pm). During the first part of the day, senior management from Fontanelle will provide an overview of their history and activities and lead participants on a brief tour of its facilities. They will also hold a question and answer session for participants. During the second part of the program, faculty from the University of Nebraska will lead participants through an interactive discussion and analysis of a case study.

Cost for attending this event is $100 for ASTA members and $150 for participants who are not members of ASTA. Click here to download the registration form. Space is limited to the first 25 paid participants, so register soon! For participants joining from out of town, FuSE will organize an optional cash-bar social event on Thursday evening, May 19th.

FuSE Educational Units target individuals with less than seven years of seed industry experience. These units complement programs offered by the ASTA Management Academy and are designed as regional opportunities to expand learning, promote networking and improve general understanding of the seed industry. Participants from the first FuSE Educational Unit, held at Landec Ag, provided great reviews:

• "I highly recommend the program for young people looking to move up in their organization." - Scott Brolsma, Corporate Marketing Manager, AgReliant Genetics
• "This session was a great opportunity to learn about a completely different business model (and a company) that thinks outside the box." - Jim Wolf, VP of Administration, iCorn
• "We don't take enough time from our present jobs to discuss industry topics; the session stimulated very good interaction among participants." - Wade Wiley, Regional Sales Manager, JGL, Inc.

For more information about other programs offered by FuSE, contact Alexis Ellicott at (703) 837-8140. Future FuSE Educational Units will be held:

If you are interested in hosting a FuSE Educational Unit at your facility, please contact David Nothmann at (314) 694-6957.

A special thanks to all FuSE sponsors:

• Monsanto
• Syngenta
• Gro Alliance
• Kincannon & Reed
• Fontanelle Hybrids
• Heartland Hybrids
• Jung Seed Genetics
• Landec Ag
• Purdue University
• University of Nebraska

ASTA Annual Convention 2005
The first opportunity to register for ASTA's 122nd Annual Convention, being held June 18-22, 2005 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, is now open on ASTA's web site. Featuring a top-notch line up of general session speakers, a variety of special events, fun sporting events, and a host of exciting optional tours, this year's Annual Convention continues to raise the bar on the ASTA convention experience. Some sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are also still available. Registration for the conference, hotel rooms, sponsorships, and exhibits, as well as an updated convention schedule and description of all special events are available. Early registration closes on May 13, 2005, on which date fees will increase. Register now and take advantage of the lower registration fees.

ASTA Seed Divisions
Currently, membership of ASTA's five Seed Divisions — Corn & Sorghum, Soybean, Farm Seed, Lawn Seed and Vegetable & Flower — is restricted to a member company's nominated ASTA representative who is the first point of contact on issues related to the Division(s). It is recognized, however, that, with an issue such as Asian Soybean Rust, the ASTA representative may not be able to devote the necessary time and effort to address it. As a result, ASTA has decided to expand membership of the Seed Divisions to include interested individuals. ASTA representatives are requested, therefore, to assign individuals to the Division(s) to which their company belongs. These new members will be added to the Divisions' e-mail address list. If you are uncertain about which Division(s) you belong to, please contact Peter Patterson. Please seek the advice of the Divisions' staff liaisons as necessary in considering the assignment. It should be noted that a company will still have only one vote at Division meetings.

Montana Legislature Rejects GM Liability Law
The Montana legislature has rejected a bill dealing with the liability of planting genetically modified wheat. Bill number SB218 failed, because it did not win over support from a majority of the 50 Montana Senators. The bill was originally proposed by Montana Senator Jon Tester (D), would have mandated that manufacturers of genetically modified wheat seeds were liable for any damages that might result from genetically engineered varieties crossing with conventional or organic varieties grown in the state of Montana. Full Story from www.checkbiotech.org. Text of the proposed legislation is available at http://data.opi.state.mt.us/bills/2005/billhtml/SB0218.htm.

USDA Grants Protection to Eight New Plant Varieties
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2005 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued certificates of protection to developers of eight new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include cotton, ryegrass and wheat. The eight 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 eight certificates are:

• the OA-265BR variety of cotton, developed by O & A Enterprises Inc., Maricopa, AZ;
• the ST 4646B2R, NG 1553R and NG 2448R varieties of cotton, developed by Emergent Genetics Inc., Memphis, TN;
• the Fiesta 3 variety of perennial ryegrass, developed by Pickseed West Inc., Albany, OR;
• the Truman* variety of common wheat developed by The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO;
• the Sturdy 2K* variety of common wheat, developed by Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, TX; and
• the Triple IV variety of common wheat, developed by WestBred LLC, Bozeman, MT.

* 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's Agricultural Marketing Service administers the Plant Variety Protection Act, which provides time-limited marketing protection to developers of new and distinct seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants ranging from farm crops to flowers. For additional information contact the Plant Variety Protection Office at telephone (301) 504-5518, fax (301) 504-5291 or the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/science/PVPO/pvpindex.htm.

USDA Announces First Soybean Rust Find of 2005
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2005— The U.S. Department of Agriculture received notification today from the state of Georgia confirming the presence of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, or soybean rust, on soybean leaf samples taken in Seminole County. Full Story.

Soybean Rust Web Sites
The following links will be maintained through October 2005. Those interested, should bookmark them. USDA's interactive soybean rust web site Soybean Rust Information Site provides timely information on the extent and severity of soybean rust outbreaks in the United States, Caribbean basin and Central America. It will give users up-to-date forecasts on where soybean rust is likely to appear in the United States, reports where the disease exists by county, refers growers to county extension agents nationwide, lists the National Plant Diagnostic Networks laboratories and links to other web sites to give producers effective disease management options. North Carolina State University's Soybean Rust Forecast Center will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. On April 21, ASTA member Syngenta Crop Protection launched its Syntinel(TM) RustTracker system, www.soybeanrust.com, an early-warning Web-based system that provides growers with tools to obtain information regarding outbreaks of Asian soybean rust and assess their potential for risk associated with the disease.

Organic Pioneer Seeks New Challenges
Bonn, April 29th 2005 — The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) announced the resignation of Bernward Geier, its long-term employee and current Director for International Relations who will leave at the end of August 2005. Full Story.

UK Plant Variety and Seeds Gazette
The April 2005 issues of the Plant Variety and Seeds Gazette, issued by the Government of the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) can be accessed Here.

European Commission Sends Proposals on GMOs to Council of Ministers
Brussels, Belgium, April 26, 2005 — the European Commission adopted proposals to be sent to the Council of Ministers asking five Member states to lift their bans on certain authorized genetically modified organisms. The draft decisions concern the GM maize varieties T25 and MON810 banned in Austria, GM maize Bt176 banned in Austria, Germany and Luxembourg, the oilseed rape varieties MS1xRF1 banned in France and Topas 19/2 banned in France and Greece. The Regulatory Committee, which is set up under Directive 2001/18/EC and representing the Member States, did not reach the qualified majority necessary to support the Commission proposal to ask the five Member States to lift their national measures. The Commission's proposals are scientifically backed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The Council can either adopt or reject the proposals with a qualified majority. If no decision is taken after three months, the files return to the Commission who can then adopt them. If adopted, the Member States in question would have to repeal their national bans at the latest 20 days after they are formally notified of the respective decisions.

Argentina Planting Seeds Annual 2005
On April 25, 2005, the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service issued a report on Argentina. Report highlights include:

• Field crops planted area increased in CY 2005 harvest in almost every crop
• Exports of planting seeds in CY 2004 maintained similar levels than in CY 2003 while imports grew by US$13 million
• Seed companies continued to struggle with the Argentine Government to receive fair compensation for their investments in seed developments, including biotechnology.

The full report may be read in either PDF or MS Word formats.

US Grains Council Global Update
The weekly global update is provided at the request of the Corn & Sorghum Division. Follow the link for the update for week ending April 29, 2005.

Industry and People

If your company or organization has any personnel changes or other developments that you would like to see included in the ASTA E-News, please send details to ppatterson@amseed.org.

ASTA Conferences and Activities

June 18-22, 2005
122nd ASTA Annual Convention
Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Tower
Seattle, WA
Registration

November 5-8, 2005
ASTA Farm & Lawn Seed Meeting
Westin Crown Center
Kansas City, MO
(held in conjunction with the Western Seed Association)

December 7-9. 2005
60th Corn & Sorghum and
35th Soybean Research Conferences
Seed Expo (Dec. 7-8, 2005)
Hyatt Regency
Chicago, IL

January 2006
Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference
Amelia Island Plantation
Amelia Island, FL

Other Upcoming Events

May 2005
Seed Technologist Training Workshop
The annual seed technologist training sessions hosted by Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. will be held May 16-20, 2005 in Brookings, S.D. This week of workshop training teaches germination, purity, seed identification and tetrazolium testing theories and methods. New for 2005 is a one-day session lead by Ken Stoner, Canadian Seed Institute explaining the Canadian grading system.

Sessions are designed for seed analysts, seed technologists, genetic technologists, quality assurance personnel and others interested in traditional and seed testing analysis. They are particularly helpful for those planning to take future seed technologist examinations. The workshop format is comprised of both lecture and hands-on experience. Speakers include Dr. Loren Wiesner, recent retiree from the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Ft. Collins, Colorado; Dr. Denis McGee, Iowa State University; Sharon Davidson, RST and owner of Agri Seed Testing in Salem, Oregon; and various MWSS staff.

For more information or to register please visit www.mwseed.com/workshops.htm or contact Mid-West Seed Services, Inc at workshops@mwseed.com.

International Seed Federation Congress 2005
The ISF World Seed Congress 2005 will be held in Santiago, Chile, May 30-June 1, 2005. The web site can be accessed here.

July 2005
Colorado State University Seed Analyst Workshops
Two five-day Seed Analyst Workshops will again be held at Colorado State University (CSU), in Fort Collins, Colorado, July 11-22, 2005. Each will be restricted to 10-20 students. The July 11-15 workshop, "Seed Identification and Purity Analysis," provides an extensive hands-on experience with seeds of legumes, cereals, grasses, revegetation species, vegetables and flowers. The emphasis will be on grass species identification and the use of blowing points and multiple unit factors for determining pure seed. Noxious weeds common to these groups are also emphasized. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to collect seeds of many different grasses and legumes. The July 18-22 workshop, "Seed Viability," offers lectures and practical experience in viability testing, including germination dormancy, vigor and tetrazolium. The emphasis will be on the use of tetrazolium when testing seed viability of native species. An educational tour of regional seed labs and a visit to the Denver Botanical Gardens are included with this workshop.

The workshops are an excellent preparation for taking the qualifying exams to become a Registered Seed Technologist (RST) or a Certified Seed Analyst. The workshops provide a review of fundamentals of seed anatomy, identification, purity, physiology, and viability testing. The fee for each workshop, including materials, is $200 ($350 if both workshops are taken). Reasonable accommodations are available at nearby motels. The workshops are offered in conjunction with the Seed Analyst Training Program offered by CSU through its Division of Educational Outreach. This program introduced in early 1998, is comprised of the following courses, some of which may be prerequisites for the workshops, depending on the studentās training and experience:

These courses may be taken throughout the year, anywhere in the world. To date, over 350 students have enrolled representing 24 states and 7 countries. The courses are recommended by AOSA/SCST for beginning and experienced seed analysts. Credits apply towards points needed to take the RST accreditation examination. To register for the courses and workshops, contact:

Colorado State University
Division of Continuing Education
1040 Campus Delivery, Spruce Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1040
Phone: 1-877-491-4336 OR 1-970-491-5288
E-Mail: info@learn.colostate.edu
Website: www.learn.colostate.edu

For information or questions on the courses and workshops, contact Carissa Schow (970-491-6295) or Jim Bruce (970-495-3246).

November 2005
Soybean Rust Workshop
The American Phyto-Pathological Society has scheduled a workshop in conjunction with USDA and the American Soybean Board for November 15-16, 2005 to discuss soybean rust. The symposium will be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, TN. Check out the APS web site http://www.apsnet.org/online/sbr/ for more information about the symposium and to subscribe to the mailing list for periodic updates.