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May 25, 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 .
Reports from USDA • 5/18 Chile: Planting Seeds Annual ASTA Convention Rates to Increase May 31
ASTA's 124th Annual Convention is shaping up to be a valuable addition to your networking and educational experiences for the year. This year's meeting will be held just outside of Denver, in Broomfield, June 23 to 27. This is the only ASTA event that brings together attendees from all divisions of ASTA to participate in both division specific and general sessions relating to topics essential to the seed industry. It's one-stop shopping to receive updates on the critical issues facing the industry, in one location. For many members, the networking and social elements of the meeting are just as important as the business focus. For session and registration information, please visit the ASTA website . Pre-registration fees increase May 31 so be sure to take advantage of the cost-savings before next week. Any questions regarding registration can be directed to Nikki Clifford, (571)431-7331.
ASTA Trading Room Offers Industry Info Exchange A wide range of products and services will be on display at the Trading Room during the ASTA 124th ANnual Convention June 23-27 in Broomfield, Colo. Exhibitors will be on hand to showcase their firms and discuss their areas of expertise . The Trading Room will also feature a Cyber Café and trading tables. Be sure to stop by the special ASTA booth displaying information about next year's 125th Anniversary Convention to be held in Orlando, June 21 - 25. There will also be drawings for prizes, so be sure to stop by the booths to increase your chance of winning. A layout of the Trading Room listing all the exhibitors and their locations can be found on a new page of the ASTA web site titled "Visit the Exhibitors." If you are interested in exhibiting at the Convention, please contact Nikki Clifford at or call (571) 431-7331 for additional information.
ASTA Members to Elect Officers in Denver ASTA members will vote for new officers and fill expiring terms for Regional Vice Presidents during the opening session of the 124th Annual Conference on Monday, June 25. ASTA bylaws require that any nominations from the floor be communicated to the Nominating Committee 30 days in advance of the annual convention. ASTA's Nominating Committee, consisting of past Chairmen, Don Wertman, Paul Bennett and Jim Tobin, will submit the following slate of officers for the 2007-08 year: Chairman: Mike Peterson, Peterson Genetics First Vice Chairman: Kelly Keithly, Keithly Williams Seed Co.
State of the States ... Maine. The Maine Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee voted last week to carry LD 1650 over to the next legislative session. This bill would have amended the laws concerning genetically engineered plants and seeds and is sponsored by Representative James Schatz. The decision was close - one more vote would have defeated the bill outright. ASTA submitted testimony to the committee with the position that rendering seed manufacturers strictly liable for any damages related to the use of seed was unnecessary and contrary to existing procedures. A major portion of the liability language was removed from the bill as voted upon through a compromise, although it still contained venue and choice of law provisions that would be onerous to the seed industry. The Maine Department of Agriculture has been charged with mediating a stakeholder's group to come up with mutually agreeable language for the co-existence protocols portion of the bill. Pacific Seed Association. The 80th Annual PSA Convention was held in Portland, Ore., last week. Chairman Jim Butala, Butala Agricultural Consulting Services in Albany, Ore., presided over the proceedings. Among the committee reports were sessions on the canola controversy (introduction to the area); a thought-provoking presentation by Joe Funk, editor of Seed Today, titled "What Brought You Here Won't Get You There;" and a comparison of fly fishing to the seed industry by Greg Lowry, of the Idaho Crop Improvement Association. Pat Miller, ASTA Director of State Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, gave an overview of ASTA activities. Ron Brandt, Van Dyke Seed Co., will be the PSA president for the coming term. Arizona. The Seed Trade Association of Arizona (STAA) met in Tucson last week. President Alan Rubida, Barkley Seed Inc. of Yuma welcomed the good-sized crowd beginning with a presentation by STAA Treasurer Al Simons to review the new seed law and rules recently approved for the state. A presentation on biofuel activity in the state preceded an afternoon of committee meetings. The programs on the following day included an ASTA update by Pat Miller; a Southern Seed Association (SSA) update by SSA President Tony Harper; a state legislative and regulatory overview by Joe Sigg, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation and Donald Butler, Director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Gerry Loper, a beekeeper, presented his perspectives on the national population decline of the honeybee. Barry Case, Imperial Vegetable Seeds, El Centro, Calif., was elected president for the coming year. For more information on state issues, contact Pat Miller.
Welcome New ASTA Members Associate: Universal Coating Systems - Independence, OR Active: Worldwide Soy Technologies, LLC - Soybean Division, Marion, AR
ASTA's Ellicott Appointed to Emerging Markets Committee ASTA's Director, International Programs, Alexis Ellicott, has been appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to serve on the USDA's Advisory Committee on Emerging Markets for the next two years. The committee will review funding proposals under the Emerging Markets Program, which is administered by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. The program supports private and governmental projects to promote U.S. agricultural exports in emerging economies. The committee will also advise USDA on private-sector efforts to enhance food and rural business systems in developing countries.
Agenda Announced for Biofuels Seminar The agenda has been announced for the "Building Biofuels Infrastructure" seminar scheduled for June 19 in Washington, D.C. The program is sponsored by the Energy Team, a part of the Office of Energy and Environmental Industries within the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA). For more information contact Sam Beatty or Shannon Fraser.
Company News and People on the Move ... Professional Seed Research Inc. (PSR) announces it has been approved by USDA-APHIS for the handling of regulated genes. In addition, trait providers Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta and Dow have approved the PSR conversion service for regulated and unregulated traits in corn. PSR Global Genetics LLC, a sister company of Professional Seed Research Inc., is developing a large number of inbred lines that can be quickly converted with regulated and non-regulated genes.
Correction to Last Week's Issue Due to an editing error, Bud Hughes of Verdant Partners, was misidentified in last week's newsletter regarding the southern seed delegation visiting Capitol Hill. The complete article can be viewed here.
Upcoming Industry Events
Illinois Seed Trade Annual Meeting The Illinois Seed Trade Hacker/Slacker Golf Outing
Click here for a schedule of additional industry events
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