Seed E-News

May 11, 2007

Welcome to ASTA's electronic newsletter for members, allies and stakeholders. Please feel free to forward Seed E-News to others you believe might wish to receive news about the seed industry. Questions, comments and your industry news are welcome — contact Lisa Dry at ASTA.

Past issues can be viewed here .

FuSE Call Set for May 23: Managing New Talent

ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) sub-committee will hold its next Round Table Discussion Group (RTDG) call on May 23 at 10 a.m. Central Time. It will be moderated by Betty Jones, Associate Director for the Center for Food and Agricultural Business at Purdue University.

This one-hour conference call will focus on Management Skills (Managing New Talent). The cost to participate on the call is $10 per person ($15 for non-ASTA members) and upon registration, the call-in number and pass-code will be issued. Please contact Alexis Ellicott or Jim Schweigert with any questions. Participation is limited to the first 12 to register.

New Speakers Named for ASTA Convention June 23-27

The Honorable John Stulp, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, has been confirmed to welcome ASTA members during the Opening General Session and Breakfast at ASTA's 124th Annual Convention on Mon., June 25. Stulp served as a Prowers County commissioner from 1991 until January 2005. He also has served on numerous other boards and commissions, including the state Board of Agriculture, state Wildlife Commission, the Connect Colorado technology committee, and the Colorado Ag Development Authority & Value Added Board. A member of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union since 1975, Stulp has been a leading proponent of building wind farms in wheat fields as a way to develop new economic opportunities and jobs for Colorado's farmers and ranchers. Stulp's family farming operation is home to the Lamar Light and Power Wind Farm, and Stulp is a principal in Prairie Wind Energy LLC.

Allen Helms, Jr. of the National Cotton Council (NCC) will participate in the Growers' Panel Discussion, on Wed., June 27. The panel also features moderator USDA Under Secretary Bruce Knight , and representatives from the National Corn Growers Association and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association. Helms, a Clarkedale, Ark., producer, was elected chairman of the National Cotton Council in 2006. Helms is co-owner of Helms Farms, an operation that includes cotton, corn, soybeans, rice and wheat in Clarkedale, Ark. He also serves as president of Crittenden Gin Company and as a director of Planters Cotton Oil Mill.

To register for the 124th Annual Convention, click here. Discounted early registration fees and the group rate at the Omni Interlocken Resort remain in effect until May 31.

Dick Crowder to Leave USTR May 31

U .S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab today announced the departure on May 31 of Chief Agriculture Negotiator Richard Crowder and announced the appointment of Joseph W. Glauber, a distinguished economist and expert in the field of international agricultural trade, to the position of Special Doha Agricultural Envoy. Dr. Glauber will step into Ambassador Crowder's role as lead agriculture negotiator for the Doha Round. Crowder has agreed to serve USTR as a consultant (senior advisor). Ambassador Crowder is the immediate past CEO of ASTA.

> Read more ...

State of the States ...

New York. In response to the filing of A07362 by New York State Assemblyman William Magee and subsequent position paper created by the New York State Seed Association, ASTA President/CEO Andy LaVigne and ASTA Director of State Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Pat Miller visited Albany last week to gather information to assist the state seedsmen. They also participated in the Ag Biotech Roundtable on April 25.

As filed, AO7363 would require trained and authorized individuals for seed sampling collection (a requirement which the seedsmen endorse in practice and by regulation, not by law). The bill would also require mandatory use of the New York State Seed Lab for all in-state seed testing. New York state seedsmen believe that no change in law is necessary, and that it would be more appropriate to effect any changes to the state seed certification standards through regulations. They also believe it would be detrimental to the state's seed industry limit testing to one facility.

The following contacts were made during the trip:

• Julie Suarez, Director of Public Policy for the New York State Farm who stated that the bill was not an issue for her organization and that she was not aware of any seed issues by the state's producers.
• Bill Ketzer, Policy Director for Assemblyman Magee who acknowledged that the bill has created more controversy than anticipated and that Magee will push for passage of the bill until he hears from the Ag and Markets Commission which originally requested the bill.
• New York State Department of Ag and Markets Commissioner Pat Hooker and Legislative Director Jackie Moore-Czub — The Commissioner welcomed the opportunity to meet with ASTA to discuss the bill and stated that his office was interested in the bill's passage, although not necessarily in its current form. He has requested more input from the seed industry before deciding which approach to take. ASTA, in coordination with the New York Seed Association, will suggest a number of seed leaders in the state who could serve in an advisory capacity to the Commissioner.
• Cathy Moral, Policy Director for New York State Senator Catherine Young (sponsor of the Senate version of the bill), was aware of the controversy sparked by the bill and reported that Senator Young will not try to move the bill until the Ag and Markets Commission is able to meet with the industry advisory group.

ASTA will remain engaged as the New York State Department of Ag and Markets Commission meets with industry leaders to determine the bill's future.

The Ag Biotechnology Roundtable offered programs on emerging technologies, scientific resources and organic perspectives. After the presentations, a general discussion was conducted for the attendees, with the focus on state issues. For more information on state legislative issues contact
Pat Miller.

ASTA Participates in Discussion of Genetic Resources

ASTA's Vice President, Science & International Affairs Bernice Slutsky participated in a panel on genetic resources at BIO2007, the annual international conference of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Dr. Stephen Smith, Research Fellow, Germplasm Security of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, chaired the panel titled: "Yours, Mine or Ours? Who Owns the World's Genetic Resources." The goal was to discuss new rules that have been written on the access of genetic resources and benefit sharing from those resources with the completion of the Material Transfer Agreement for the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. One aspect of the session was to explore if and how new royalty flows could help farmers in developing countries or support gene backs around the world. For more information contact Bernice Slutsky.

Survey: Consumers Have Less Confidence in Supermarket Food

This week the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) released its annual report on U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends. According to a press release, the number of consumers "completely" or "somewhat confident" in the safety of supermarket food declined from 82 percent in 2006 to 66 percent - the lowest point since 1989 when the issues of pesticides in apples and contaminated grapes were widely reported. Consumer confidence in restaurant food is even lower at 43 percent.

> Read more ...

Symposium to Highlight Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder

The 9th International Symposium on Plant-Pollinator Relationships will be held June 24-28 in Ames, Iowa. In addition to a special session on honeybee colony collapse disorder, the four main themes include Floral Attraction and Pollinator Reward; Impacts of Animal-Mediated Pollination on Gene Flow; Pollinators in Plant Genetic Resource Conservation & Enclosed Production Systems; and Pollinator Biology, Conservation & Protection.

Company News and People on the Move ...

Lawrence C. (Sonny) Beck will receive an honorary Doctor of Agriculture Degree on May 13 from Purdue University. Beck built Beck's Superior Hybrids into the largest-owned, independent retail seed company in the United States, and is a past chairman of ASTA. The firm is based in Atlanta, Ind.

This week DuPont urged biotechnology leaders to ensure the availability of the genetic material needed to develop crops that will meet the unforeseen challenges of future generations, during an annual gathering of biotechnology leaders. DuPont was one of the first companies to pledge $1 million to the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an international fund charged with securing long-term funding for the support of genebanks and crop genetic diversity collections throughout the world.

Upcoming Industry Events

Pacific Seed AssociationAnnual Convention
Mariott Hotel, City Center
5/14 - 5/17
Portland, OR

Seed Trade Association of Arizona 15th Annual Meeting
Westward Look Resort
5/17 - 5/18
Tucson, AZ

ISF World Seed Congress 2007
5/21-23
Christchurch, New Zealand

Click here for a schedule of additional industry events