Seed E-News

October 31, 2003

Farm Seed and Lawn Seed Conference Keynote Speaker
ASTA is pleased to announce that Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Conservation Mack Gray has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the upcoming Farm Seed and Lawn Seed Conference in Kansas City. Deputy Under Secretary Gray will speak on Monday, November 3 during the Farm Seed Division meeting. The meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude by 10:00 a.m. The Under Secretary will provide an update on the Conservation Reserve Program and other Farm Bill programs. For more information about the conference, follow this link Kansas City.

ASTA Membership Database
To ensure that our membership database is up to date and accurate, please let us know of any changes to your company name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, company ASTA representatives, etc. Details of changes can be mailed to the ASTA offices at 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 650, Alexandria, VA 22314-2875, faxed to 703-837-9365, or e-mailed to Peter Patterson, Director, Membership Services, at ppatterson@amseed.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.

India may approve 10 more GMO Bt Cotton Varieties in 2 Years
On the sidelines of a joint Indo-US conference on biotechnology, the Agricultural Commissioner of India, C. D. Mayee, told reporters on Monday, October 27, that India is expected to allow the commercial planting of 10 varieties of GMO Bt Cotton in the next two years. Around fifteen private companies have submitted varieties of GMO Bt Cotton for the government's approval. Most of the varieties to be launched in the next two years are from Indian companies, such as Rashi and Ankur Seeds although, in March 2002, India allowed Monsanto to sell Bt Cotton seeds in Western and Southern India. Mayee said that the area under Bt Cotton crop has reached 100,000 hectares in the calendar year 2003, compared with 30,000 hectares last calendar year, the year Bt Cotton was first sown in India.Ê India's cotton crop is sown in June and harvested in October. Good monsoon rains will lead to a better cotton harvest this calendar year. Bt Cotton is the only GMO crop that can be planted in India. "The prices of seeds for growing Bt Cotton in India would definitely fall when more varieties are available for sale in the market," said Mayee. Mayee added, however, that no GMO food crop is likely to be introduced into the Indian market over the next five years, saying, "research and scientific trials on various GMO food crops, especially pulses, is going on, but commercial release can't be expected in the next 5 years."

China Steps Up Efforts to Ensure Biosafety
China is taking a series of measures, including drafting laws and regulations, to ensure biosafety amid growing use of GMO technology in the country. "The State Environment Protection Administration (SEPA) is working with relevant ministries to draft the Law on Biosafety," said Wang Dehui, deputy-director of SEPA's Natural Resources Department at an international workshop on China's biosafety, which opened in Beijing on Tuesday. He said the Chinese government placed great importance on the development of modern biotechnology while keeping a wary eye on possible risks that may result from the technology. To guard against possible risks, China's State Council, or cabinet, issued the Regulation on Biosafety Administration of Agricultural GMOs in 2001 and, in the following year, the Ministry of Agriculture issued regulations on safety assessment, import and export and labeling of agricultural GMOs. However, the country still lacks an explicit and uniform biosafety management coordinating framework, as the regulations mainly deal with agricultural products. For more on this, please follow this link China View.

FBI Reports Increased Biotech Violence
The head of the FBI's domestic terrorism unit in Washington DC has reported a considerable escalation in the use of violent tactics by opponents of genetic engineering in agriculture and medicine. The violence, which the FBI says suddenly became more serious this year, is believed to stem from frustration that peaceful protest has not slowed the progress of biotechnology. For more on this story, follow this link FBI.

Understanding USDA Corn and Soybean Production Forecasts
Recent USDA corn and soybean forecasts have generated strong reactions from some producers and market analysts, according to a University of Illinois agricultural economist. Addressing those concerns, Scott Irwin and Darrel Good, professors in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, have issued a new study, "Understanding USDA Corn and Soybean Production Forecasts: An Overview of Methods, Performance and Market Impacts."To view the report as a web page click Here. To view the report in PDF format, click Here.

Upcoming Events

November 2-4, 2003
ASTA Farm Seed/Lawn Seed
Western Seed Association Convention
Westin Crown Plaza
Kansas City, MO.
Tel: 1-888.890.7333
To register, please follow this link: Kansas City

December 10-12, 2003
33rd Soybean Seed & 58th Corn & Sorghum Seed Conferences & Seed Expo 2003
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL.
Tel: 1-888.890.7333
To register, please follow these links: Chicago and Seed Expo 2003

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the registration brochure for the Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Seed Research Conference incorrectly lists the phone number for the Sheraton Chicago as (312) 464-8000.Ê It should read (312) 464-1000. The Sheraton Chicago is our only overflow hotel for the conference where group rates for ASTA attendees have been established. The headquarter hotel is the Hyatt Regency Chicago and it is already filling up fast!

January 24-27, 2004
43rd Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference
Savannah, GA.
Tel: 1-888.890.7333
To register, please follow this link: Savannah

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
Annual Convention

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