Seed E-News

May 6, 2005

ASTA CEO Appointed to the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture
In the Federal Register May 5, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 86), the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture announced members appointed to fill 9 vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21), in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Included in those appointed is Richard Crowder, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Seed Trade Association, Alexandria, VA. Appointments by the Secretary are for a two-year term, effective April 12, 2005 until April 11, 2007. The members of the committee cover a broad range of agricultural disciplines and interests. The duties of the committee are solely advisory. The AC21 is charged with examining the long-term impacts of biotechnology on the U.S. food and agriculture system and USDA, and providing guidance to USDA on pressing individual issues, identified by the Office of the Secretary, related to the application of biotechnology in agriculture. More information, including other appointees is available here in HTML and here in PDF.

Mark Condon Leaves ASTA
Mark Condon resigned from ASTA on Monday, May 09, 2005. Mark was ASTA's Vice President International Marketing. In his resignation letter Mark said, "It has been my genuine pleasure to work for the American Seed Trade Association during these last fifteen years. The associations I've made during my employment here will truly be memorable for years to come." Dick Crowder, ASTA President said "ASTA appreciates Mark's, many contributions during his time with ASTA and we wish him the very best in the future."

ASTA Welcomes New Meetings Staffer
On April 13, 2005, ASTA welcomed our newest staff member, Jason Laney, as the new Associate Director, Meetings & Services, joining Jennifer Lord on the ASTA Meetings team and replacing Annie Stull. Jason will serve as the main contact at ASTA for ASTA conference registration and exhibit sales. Jason's experience includes the convention office of AARP, varying positions at four hotel properties, and managing youth leadership conferences for the Boy Scouts of America. Jason is originally from Asheville, North Carolina. ASTA is delighted to welcome him to our meetings team!

ASTA Committee Assignments 2006
Committee assignments for the 2006 are due by Friday, May 13, 2005 to ensure that the committee database is up-to-date when the new fiscal year starts on July 1, 2005. ASTA Representatives should have received a company profile listing current committee assignments along with details of ASTA committees and a sign-up form. If you have not received yours, please contact Peter Patterson at ppatterson@amseed.org. The profile also lists individuals shown in the membership database as working for the company. Please take the time to review the names, addresses and contact information to ensure that the database is up-to-date and accurate.

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 (see registration form)! 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.

ISF Congress in Santiago, Chile — Visa Requirements
As ASTA members attending the ISF Annual Congress in Chile, we would like to inform you that unless you are traveling on a government or diplomatic visa, there will be a $100 "reciprocity fee" that is valid for 10 years, payable in cash at the airport upon arrival in Santiago.

USDA Grants Protection to Nine New Plant Varieties
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2005 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued certificates of protection to developers of nine new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include cotton, peanut, bentgrass and wheat. The nine 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 nine certificates are:

• the DP 6211 Acala and DP WhitePima varieties of cotton, developed by O & A Enterprises Inc., Maricopa, AZ;
• the PM 2266 RR variety of cotton, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Corporation, Scott, MS;
• the FM 800RR variety of cotton, developed by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Campbell, Australia;
• the Solana* variety of cotton developed by California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors, Bakersfield, CA;
• the Georgia-O2C* variety of peanut, developed by University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc., Athens, GA;
• the 962* variety of creeping bentgrass, developed by Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, TX;
• the Simon* variety of soft white winter wheat, developed by Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID; and
• the Renwood 3260* variety of common wheat, developed by Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc., Blacksburg, VA;

* 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.

Strict Liability Bill Dies in California Assembly
In Sacramento, Assembly agriculture leaders this week discussed a bill that would have made manufacturers of genetically engineered crops responsible for any contamination caused by their products in California. ÊOrganic grower organizations and anti-biotechnology groups supported the Food Integrity and Farmer Protection Act, which would have given producers, grain and seed cleaners, handlers and processors the right to sue if they are injured by the release, and subsequent contamination, of a genetically modified organism. The bill died in committee and will not be taken up again until 2006. View a copy of AB 984 visit.

Kern Supervisors Support Biotechnology; Sonoma Anti-GMO Initiative Gains Opposition
Also in California, the board of supervisors in Kern County, the fourth largest agricultural county in the nation, has followed the lead of Fresno and Kings Counties in the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley, passing a resolution supporting agricultural biotechnology. The only upcoming anti-GMO initiative scheduled in California is on the November general ballot in Sonoma County, and opposition is already lining up. Although there are six months until the vote, several prominent groups have announced opposition to the initiative which would ban biotech crops in Sonoma County for 10 years. Full Story.

Vermont GMO Bill Rejected
In Vermont on May 4, the House Agriculture Committee voted unanimously against bringing to the full House a bill dealing with liability from genetically modified crops — but the issue is not over. All 11 committee members voted against the motion, some because they don't support the bill, others so they will have a chance to talk more about the legislation. Full Story.

Europeans Gradually Accepting More Biotechnology
Though European consumers still aren't ready to embrace genetically modified agricultural products, there is real movement toward acceptance, according to a David Lightfoot. Lightfoot, a professor at Southern Illinois University who specializes in biotechnology, said that the bottom line will likely decide GMOâs future in Europe. 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.

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 May 6, 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 studentâs 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.