Seed E-News

December 15, 2006

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 subscribe. ASTA respects your privacy and does not share its mail lists with other parties. If you have received this publication in error, you may unsubscribe at the end of this page. Questions, comments and your industry news are welcome — contact Lisa Dry.

Past issues can be viewed here .

Quick Links

• Johanns Appoints New Press Secretary
• Senate Confirms Keenum for FAS Post
• Ag Outlook Forum Set for March 1-2

ASTA to Host Conservation Workshop

“Partnerships for Native Plant Materials Development,” Local Ecotypes, is the theme for the fifth annual seed conservation workshop jointly sponsored by ASTA and the USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Program, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. Scheduled for March 14-15 in Washington, the 1-1/2 day conference is designed to improve partnerships among government agencies, non-profit groups, and the commercial sector for the improvement of native plant development for conservation, reclamation, and restoration activities. Workshop participants will review current accomplishments and what needs to be done to improve and increase the use of native plants.

ASTA is a key partner with NRCS and the Plant Materials Program. ASTA members are responsible for growing and delivering the bulk of the native seed used in USDA conservation programs as well as seeding other government lands (e.g., Forest Service and BLM). It is also important to the BLM and the USFS agencies that require native seed, and more often local ecotypes, for their projects. ASTA and these agencies work closely to ensure that native seed supplies for conservation programs do not fall short of anticipated needs. For more information contact Leslie Cahill.

Click here for workshop details and draft agenda.

ASTA Members and Staff named to PVP Board
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced 14 appointments to the Plant Variety Protection Board. New appointees to serve two-year terms include ASTA members Steven J. Callistein, Johnston, Ia. (Pioneer Hi-Bred International); John H. Nelsen, Alvin, Texas (RiceTec, Inc.) and Bernice Slutsky, Alexandria, Va., who serves as ASTA's vice president, science and international affairs.

Re-appointed members are Harry Collins, Scott., Miss. (Delta and Pine Land Company) ASTA's current chairman, and Larry Svajgr, Lafayette, Ind. (executive director of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association.

According to the USDA news release, "the Board is mandated by the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the adoption of new rules and regulations, make advisory decisions on appeals from applicants and advise on declaring a protected variety open to public use in emergencies. The Board was established by Congress in 1970 and includes farmers, representatives of the seed industry and public and private plant breeders."

> Read the news release.

Hotel Cutoff Nears for ASTA Flower & Vegetable Seed Meeting
January 2 not only marks the beginning of the new year, but is also the deadline to receive a discounted room rate for the 46th Flower and Vegetable Seed Conference. Scheduled February 3-6 at the La Paloma Resort and Spa in Tucson, Ariz., the revised format allows ample time for networking and trading. Hotel, registration and program information can be found here.

E. Brent Turnipseed has been confirmed as a speaker for the Division meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Turnipseed is acting president of the Association of Official Seed Analysts, Inc. (AOSA), and manager of the Seed Testing Lab at South Dakota State University. Turnipseed will discuss the connection between laboratory analysis and labeling, as well as information on the approximate 20 seed rule proposals for 2007 that have the potential to impact many seed companies. His talk will include a discussion of a new and comprehensive state seed law handbook which is being jointly developed with the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists, Inc. (SCST). This handbook will include state, federal and Canadian seed laws and regulations, as well as all the states' noxious weed seed lists and the federal noxious weed list.

African Seed Trade Association to Meet March 7-9
Registration for the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) Annual Congress 2007 is now open. The Congress will be held March 7-9 in Livingstone, Zambia, home to beautiful Victoria Falls. The AFSTA Congress will be preceded by two seminars on March 6: Plant Variety Protection (PVP) facilitated by UPOV (Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties); and seed treatment facilitated by ISF (International Seed Federation). For more information on AFSTA and on the upcoming Congress, please visit the AFSTA Web site or contact the AFSTA Secretariat.

Mississippi Forms New Corn Promotion Board
This week the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reported that Mississippi became the 21st state to establish and maintain a Corn Promotion Board (CPB). Governor Haley Barbour has signed into law the legislation enabling a one cent per bushel checkoff fund and appointed a 12-member board to oversee research and promotion efforts. The new organization will complement the existing Mississippi Corn Growers Association (MCGA) in serving the needs of the state's corn producers.

> Read the news release.

Allbee Named Vermont Secretary of Agriculture
Yesterday Vermont Governor Jim Douglas (R) announced the appointment of Roger Allbee as Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Allbee, 61, of Townshend, has served as the executive director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency in Vermont since March 2003. Prior to that, he was a private food and agri-business consultant, a Vice President for Public Policy and Strategic Planning at the Farm Credit Banks of Springfield and a staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. Albee replaces Steve Kerr who resigned earlier this fall.

> Read the news release.

Trade Group Explores Health Benefits of Rice
The USDA ARS SRRC and the USA Rice Federation will jointly sponsor on February 1 and 2, in New Orleans, La., a workshop titled "Beneath the Hull: Exploiting the Health Beneficial Properties of the Rice Grain." Speakers will “ identify challenges and opportunities for rice in the whole grain arena, focusing particular attention on phytonutrients in rice, and will assess opportunities for health claim status.” Rice companies, researchers, product developers, and food processors will be asked to develop an action plan for research and industry action needed to seek a health claim.

USDA Biotechnology Committee Focuses on Coexistence
ASTA’s Dr. Bernice Slutsky delivered a presentation titled “Ensuring a Diverse Seed Supply” to members of the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21), during the group’s 14th plenary meeting in Washington this week. The committee’s objectives for the two-day meeting included further work on the topic of coexistence framed around the following statement: “In an increasingly complex marketplace, what issues should USDA consider regarding coexistence among increasingly diverse agricultural systems?” The committee also heard presentations by Drew Kershen, Earl Sneed Centennial Professor of Law, University of Oklahoma College of Law: “Legal Mechanisms relevant to Coexistence Issues;” and James Stitzlein, Manager, Market Development, Consolidated Grain and Barge: “Transportation and Infrastructure for Addressing Coexistence Needs.” For more information, contact Bernice Slutsky.

Beltway Ag Communicators Meet with Washington Times
ASTA's Lisa Dry joined more than a dozen Washington ag communicators this week in a roundtable discussion hosted by The Fertilizer Institute. The Washington Times international business writer Steve Hirsch was the featured guest. Hirsch was eager to learn more about the agricultural community's interest in international trade. According to World Politics Watch, "Hirsch is a Washington-based international affairs journalist and former senior editor at the National Journal Group, where he was editor in chief of U.N. Wire and Global Security Newswire. He has reported on assignment for various publications, including the International Herald Tribune, Jane's Intelligence Review, the Washington Times, the National Journal and the Phnom Penh Post, from Southeast Asia, Paris and Azerbaijan." For more information contact Lisa Dry.

Company News and People on the Move
This week DuPont announced that its subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., has formed a joint venture with one of China’s largest seed production companies, Dunhuang Seed Co. Ltd., to provide top-performing corn hybrids to Chinese farmers in the spring market.

Upcoming Industry Events

Minnesota Crop Improvement Association Annual Meeting
1/7 - 1/9
Jackpot Junction, MN

American Farm Bureau Annual Convention
1/7 - 1/10
Salt Lake City, UT

Louisiana Seedsmen Association Winter Meeting
1/8 - 1/10
Best Western Hotel Acadiana
Lafayette, LA

Click here for a schedule of additional industry events