Seed E-News

April 30, 2004

ASTA 121st Annual Convention
You can now register on-line for the Annual Convention in Philadelphia in June. To register, please follow this link Registration. Registrants should be aware that on May 21, 2004, registration fees for members and non-members will increase. You are encouraged to register early to take advantage of the reduced fees. For more information about the Annual Convention, please see the links in Upcoming Events at the foot of the page.

ASTA Officers 2004-2005
The nominating committee presents the following slate of officers for the year 2004-05, to be voted on at the annual meeting in Philadelphia:

Any Active member intending to nominate a candidate for any office from the floor must first obtain (in writing) agreement from the proposed nominee and the nominee's employer indicating support for the nomination and accepting the obligation of the expense and the time commitment required to properly fulfill the responsibility required by the office, if elected. Such nomination shall be subscribed to by at least three Active members in good standing at the time of the annual meeting. Any candidate wishing to do so shall be afforded reasonable opportunity at the annual meeting to communicate their qualifications for office to the members and solicit vote. The Chairman shall have authority to determine the amount of time each candidate will be given at the podium to present their statement. The written approval required shall be presented to the chairperson of the Nominating Committee, Nathan Boardman, Crosbyton Seeds, by the person making the nomination at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting.

ASTA Produce Industry Panel
Rod Stacey of Verdant Partners, LLC will be moderating a Produce Industry Panel at the ASTA Annual Convention in Philadelphia in June. There will be three panelists. The first, as yet unnamed, will look at the current marketplace for produce and what factors are driving consumer needs. He will also explain and give examples of what the retailers are doing to respond to these needs and what they in turn need from the grower/shippers and the genetics providers to do so. The second panelist, Nick Tomkins, CEO of Apio, Inc., will discuss the grower/shipper response to these demands. The third panelist, Dr. Ed Green, VP Research at Seminis Vegetable Seeds, will deal with the seed industry response to these changes particularly the continuous need to shift towards more and more specialized products through genetics and other technology. Rod Stacey will then chair a Q&A session. He is encouraging the panelists to be candid in order to promote discussion.

ASTA Committee Assignments
ASTA representatives in member companies will shortly be receiving a letter inviting them to review the committees on which they are represented and to designate voting and non-voting committee members for 2004-2005. Forms should be returned to Peter Patterson by May 31, 2004. Companies can have one voting member per committee but an unlimited number of non-voting members.

ASTA Fax Machine
The ASTA office has been experiencing problems with its fax machine in the past week. It has been confirming receipt to the sender but has not been printing out the message. The machine is being replaced in the next few days. Anyone who sent the ASTA office a fax message during week ending April 30, 2004 should resend next week.

Watermelon Bacterial Fruit Blotch Seminar
The American Seed Trade Association and the California Crop Improvement Association are sponsoring a seminar on Watermelon Bacterial Fruit Blotch on June 3 in Tifton, GA. The seminar commences at 8:30 a.m. at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station, Tifton Campus, University of Georgia. It will feature talks, presentations and demonstrations by the country's top scientists and will take you beyond lab tests and into the legal and preventative issues. Topics and speakers will include:

• an update of watermelon fruit blotch research worldwide, R.R. Walcott University of Georgia.
• Legal issues with BFB, featuring Bob High with Judkins, Simpson & High, a law firm from Tallahassee, FL.
• A history of BFB in Georgia, plus diagnosing and identifying, by R.D. Gitaitis, University of Georgia.
• D.B. Langston and grower recommendations for managing watermelon fruit blotch in the field.
• Murali Bandla, Ph.D, Director R&D Agdia Inc., will discuss testing procedures.

The seminar costs $100 (lunch included) and spaces are going fast. To pre-register, contact Pablo Guzman, California Crop Improvement: 530-754-9649 or Jana Middleton, Harris Moran: 209-549-5215.

USDA proposes Amendments to Nursery Stock Regulations
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2004—The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to allow the importation of small amounts of seeds with import permits instead of phytosanitary certificates. Under the proposed rule, APHIS will issue permits that specify the import conditions for eligible shipments of seeds. The seeds will be inspected at an APHIS plant inspection station to ensure compliance with the permit conditions. This action is necessary to facilitate safe imports of small amounts of seed by entities, including individual importers, horticultural societies, arboreta and small businesses, that have previously had difficulty obtaining the necessary phytosanitary certificates from the country of origin.

Notice of this action is published in the April 29 Federal Register. APHIS documents published in the Federal Register and related information, including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html. APHIS is inviting comments by June 28. For information on how to submit and view comments, please follow this link APHIS.

Illinois Governor proposes removing Sales Tax Exemption from Seed
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is proposing to levy a $29 million sales tax on fertilizer, farm chemicals, feed and seed that would strip Illinois farmers and agri-businesses of a protection first enacted in Illinois in 1933. To read more, follow this link Illinois.

USDA Announces $4.7M for Organic Research, Education and Extension Projects
The USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) has announced the availability of $4.7 million in fiscal year 2004 for the new Integrated Organic Program. The Request For Applications (RFA) for the Integrated Organic Program offers two program areas: the Organic Transitions Program, and the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. Together, the two programs will fund integrated research, education, and extension projects that address critical organic agriculture issues, priorities or problems. The deadline for applications for both program areas is June 10, 2004. For more information, please see the article in SeedQuest. For more detailed information, follow this link to CSREES Funding Opportunities.

USDA Says China has Approved GM Corn, Canola
After meetings with Chinese officials, US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman told reporters that China has approved four GM corn and seven canola plant varieties. She continued that China also was considering approving two additional biotech corn varieties. Follow this link for more China.

USDA grants Protection to 14 New Plant Varieties
In Washington DC on April 19, 2004, USDA issued certificates of protection to developers of 14 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include cotton and potato. The 14 certificates are being issued under the Plant Variety Protection Act and 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 14 certificates are:

• the GC-251 variety of cotton, developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Johnston, Iowa;
• the DP 420 RR, DP 565, PM 1199 RR, PM 2156 RR and Sure-Grow 585R varieties of cotton, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Company, LLC., Scott, Miss.;
• the TAMCOT PYRAMID* variety of cotton, developed by Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, Texas;
• the Acala GLS* and Acala Riata RR* varieties of cotton, developed by California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors, Bakersfield, Calif.;
• the ST 239, BXN 49B, GC-546RR and ST 5222B2 varieties of cotton, developed by Emergent Genetics, Inc., Memphis, Tenn.; and
• the MARINE variety of potato, developed by Germicopa S.A., Quimper, France.

* 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/pvp.htm.

European GM Rules Now in Force
The worldās toughest rules on GM labeling came into force on April 18, 2004, extending the mandatory labeling to countless food products in the supermarkets and heralding in an extensive paper trail for the food industry. To read more follow this link EU Labeling.

Is New Zealand's GM Approval System too tough? In the six months since the moratorium on GMOs, there has been no application for commercial release of a GMO in New Zealand and approving authority sees none imminent. This has prompted questions in Parliament about whether the law for approving GMOs is too tough. For more on this, follow the link New Zealand.

ISU Institute Aims to Provide Objective Data on GM Crops
Iowa State University officials hope that a new project, the Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products (BIGMAP), will give both regulators and consumers the assurances they need on GM crops. The institute is developing systems to assess the risks of biotech-based crops from laboratory to finished product. BIGMAP Director Manjit Misra said the institute will provide objective research not available from industry groups supporting biotech crops or consumer groups opposing them. To read more, follow this link BIGMAP.

Seed Technologist Training Workshops
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc., of Brookings, SD, is hosting seed technologist training workshop May 3-7, 2004. The workshop sessions are designed for seed analysts, seed technologists, quality assurance personnel and others interested in traditional and genetic seed testing analysis. Sessions include Purity and Seed Identification, Genetics, Tetrazolium (TZ) Testing, and Seed Germination and Vigor. Participants may attend any or all sessions. The format of the workshop includes lecture and hands-on experience. Agendas, a Registration Form and Travel/lodging information are available on Mid-West Seed Servicesā website, www.mwseed.com/workshops.htm. The workshop will be credited towards RST/RGT continuing education. If you have questions, or to register, please contact Mid-West Seed Services, Inc., 236 32nd Ave. Brookings, SD 57006. Phone 605-692-7611 or via email workshops@mwseed.com.

US Seeks $1.8 Billion from Europe Over GM Ban
A British newspaper is reporting that the US has demanded that the European Union abandon its ban on the growing of genetically modified crops and pay at least $1.8bn in compensation for loss of exports over the past six years. The challenge is outlined in papers filed to the World Trade Organisation that have been seen by the Guardian.

Vermont: First State with GM Seeds Labeling Law
On Monday, April 26, Vermont Governor signed into law a bill making Vermont the first state to require the labeling of GM seeds. Seed manufacturers now must label seeds that are genetically altered or engineered after Oct. 1 and report the sales of such seeds in the state to the Secretary of Agriculture every Jan. 15. For more, follow this link Vermont.

USDA Seek Nominations to Fill Vacancies on National Organic Standards Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on March 8 that it is seeking nominations to fill five upcoming vacancies on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Successful candidates will be appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman to serve a 5-year term of office commencing January 24, 2005, and terminating January 24, 2010. The NOSB is a 15-member board responsible for developing and recommending to the Secretary a proposed National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances. The NOSB also advises the Secretary on all other aspects of the National Organic Program.

USDA is asking for nominations to fill the following five upcoming NOSB vacancies: organic producer (two positions), organic handler, retailer, and environmentalist. To serve on the NOSB, an individual must be either an owner or operator of an organic production operation, an owner or operator of an organic handling operation, an individual who owns or operates a retail establishment with significant trade in organic products, or an individual with expertise in areas of environmental protection and resource conservation. USDA will follow equal opportunity practices in all appointments to the NOSB. Written nominations, accompanied by resumes, must be postmarked on or before June 14, 2004, and sent to:

Ms. Katherine E. Benham
Advisory Board Specialist, National Organic Program
USDA-AMS-TMP-NOP
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 4008-S, Ag Stop 0268
Washington, D.C. 20250

For more information, contact Ms. Katherine Benham on (202) 205-7806, by fax on (202) 205-7808 or by e-mail at katherine.benham@usda.gov. For more information on the National Organic Standards Board, check out the web site at www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/.

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 Nationsā 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 be 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 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