ASTA's 127th Annual   Convention

  CSS 2010 & Seed Expo

  ASTA's 128th Annual   Convention

  50th Vegetable & Flower
  Seed Conference

  First-the Seed Foundation

  Future Seed Executives
  (FuSE)

  American Seed
  Research Summit

  National Council of
  Commercial Plant
  Breeders

  Member Classifieds

  Featured Books

Opening General Session
Monday, June 28
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Don’t miss the Opening General Session and keynote address by Michael Specter, kicking off our series of fi ve general sessions during the convention schedule.

Michael Specter’s truthful, rigorously researched, and often politically incorrect views are the perfect antidote to the widespread rebellion against scientifi c thought and the products of scientifi c inquiry, such as the new wonder drugs, the new vaccines that are being refused by the public, as well as genetically engineered foods.

A skillful writer and a great speaker with a masterful stage presence, Michael brings a dose of rationality and knowledge to all the events in which he participates.

Michael is the author of Denialism, a meticulously reported investigation of the growing mistrust among people around the world of science and its byproducts. He argues that irrationality, politically-inspired fear, and misplaced skepticism have undermined public acceptance of the scientifi c marvels of our age, and the benefi ts they all provide humankind.

The Opening General Session also features a gourmet breakfast and recognition of some of our industry leaders, along with the traditional ASTA elections for the coming year’s new slate of offi cers!

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Dr. Terry Barr
Co-Bank

A look at the current agricultural economic market and what changes lie ahead that will impact the future of the seed industry.

E. Robert Meaney
Valmont Corporationn

Water will be one of the major limiting factors that agriculture will face in the next several decades. E. Robert Meaney is Senior Vice President at Valmont Industries, Inc., an Omaha-based manufacturing company with global activities in infrastructure and water management. Meaney’s presentation will focus on questions surrounding water availability and quality for the seed industry’s future. Valmont is the world’s leading producer of center pivots and linear move irrigation machinery for irrigation and also the leading manufacturer of steel poles for street lighting, wireless antennas and electric power lines.

Raymond Gilmartin
Harvard Business School

Prof. Raymond Gilmartin of the Harvard Business School will discuss his research on growing through, and defending against, disruptive innovation, a topic that is most germane to the seed industry. A Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, Prof. Gilmartin teaches Building and Sustaining Successful Enterprises, a second year elective in the MBA program, as well as a series of executive education programs, including Leading Science-Based Enterprises. He is the former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Offi cer of Merck & Co., Inc., a global research driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative vaccines and medicines. Mr. Gilmartin also serves on the boards of General Mills, Inc. and the Microsoft Corporation.

Featured Speakers (additional speakers to be confirmed):

Mike Miile
AgraQuest

As a leader in innovative biological and low-chemical pest management solutions, AgraQuest is at the forefront of a shift in how food is grown. AgraQuest focuses on discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing highly effective biological and low-chemical pest, disease control and yield enhancing products for the agricultural, home & garden and food safety markets. Mike Miille joined AgraQuest as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Offi cer in May of 2004.

Scot Ortman
Kokomo Grain

Kokomo Grain and Feed Company was founded in 1950 and consisted of a country elevator with 12,000 bushels of storage capacity. One of the fi rst unit train loading facilities in the country was built at the present site in Kokomo in 1974. The company has enjoyed steady growth over the years through acquisitions and expansion and now has federally licensed capacity of 27 million bushels. President and CEO. Scot Ortman will share his insights on the challenges faced by the grain industry, what his company has done to survive and thrive over the years and what’s happening in the seed business from a grain perspective.

Michael Laughlin
Cargill Animal Nutrition

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, fi nancial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 159,000 people in 68 countries. Within its various business enteprises, Cargill buys, processes and distributes grain, oilseeds and other commodities to makers of food and animal nutrition products, in addition to providing crop and livestock producers with products and services.

John Meyer
Integrated Livestock/meat consulting and Production Agriculture

As former CEO of Premium Standard Farms, various positions with Continental Grain, and now as an independent consultant and investor in Agriculture John has spent a career in animal agriculture, the meat business, and grain farming. Premium Standard Farms is a pioneer in the development of the integrated pork production model and has since been merged with the Smithfield foods integrated pork business.  His experience allows him to give insights into how best input suppliers can participate in the integrated production model.

Sylvia Wulf
NPC Food Safety

Sylvia Wulf is currently President of NPC Food Safety and is formerly head of foodservice retail for Tyson and has a strong consumer marketing background.  She will discuss retail and food safety subjects.

State and Regional Associations Issues Briefing and Grassroots Guidance
Sunday, June 27
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The session will approach two areas to assist members and administrators of all state and regional seed associations. The fi rst will be an overview of the subjects of interest that could impact state policy and a legal activities overview. Secondly, there will be guidance toward the creation of a grassroots program to maximize effective impact on state government and its potential to complement interaction with federal policy-makers. All registrants are invited, and encouraged, to attend.

National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders (NCCPB) Annual Meeting
Sunday, June 27, 2010
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This session will feature a presentation entitled “Plant Breeding Research and Education at Texas AgriLife Research and Texas A&M University” by C. Wayne Smith, Associate Department Head and Cotton Breeding Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. Texas A&M AgriLife Research has 22 plant breeders/programs across the state, including both agronomic and horticultural crops. All breeders direct graduate student programs and 11 teach formal courses at Texas A&M University. Twenty-fi ve graduate students are currently enrollment in Plant Breeding with about half M.S. candidates and half Ph.D. candidates. Discussion will focus on the breadth of plant breeding research and educational programs.

Intellectual Property Rights Committee
Monday, June 28
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

The session on Intellectual Property Rights at the Annual Convention will focus on action items coming out of discussions at the 49th Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference. Options regarding seed deposition of inbred lines for an expired hybrid PVP certifi cate will be further explored. Discussions will begin on possible revisions to the current ASTA IPR position statement. Activities at the ISF Intellectual Property Committee will be presented with any ASTA follow-up discussed.

Farm Seed Division Monday,
Monday, June 28
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Programs have been selected for this session that will be a direct benefi t to anyone involved with forages and small grains. The fi rst session will provide an update to the USDA approval of Round- Up Ready Alfalfa and the subsequent stewardship plans. A session on the world economic outlook of small grains and small seed crops will follow. In light of the biomass energy discussions, a presentation on alternative uses for forages will be presented to assist with future cropping decisions. The fi nal program will highlight the forage sorghum industry outlook and pipeline.

Organic Committee
Tuesday, June 29
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The Organic Committee will meet to discuss the recent ASTA activity in relation to the USDA-National Organic Program and National Organic Standards Board. The committee will focus the majority of the meeting time on an overview of the following committee priorities for the coming year: Accredited Certifi ers Association/USDA training module, Seed Coating/Inputs/Material review, the Seed Sourcing list/database and international trade regulations.

Lawn Seed Division
Tuesday, June 29
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

The session offers a variety of topics specifi c for individuals directly involved in with lawn seed; however the session should be of general interest for anyone involved in production agriculture. The session, “Using Wildfl owers with Landscaping”, will feature individuals involved in wildfl ower seed production and research from central Texas. Another session will provide a critical update to the EPA proposed WaterSense program that has proposed a voluntary 40% turf area reduction for new home construction. Lastly, the program will focus on processes available to increase phytosanitary certifi cate issuance effi ciencies and cost-reductions for lawn seed – specifi cally designed to increase your company’s profi ts.

Stewardship Committee
Tuesday, June 29
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

The final review of the revisions to the current ASTA Guide to Seed Quality Management will discussed, with the goal of presenting the revisions to the Board of Directors meeting. A work plan for outreach regarding the Guide will be developed.

Seed Treatment and Environment Committee
Wednesday, June 30
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The Seed Treatment and Environment Committee will meet to discuss the recent outcomes of the International Seed Federation Seed Treatment and Environment Committee held in May 2010, as well as receive industry updates from ASTA members. Committee members will also be updated on the recent activity focused on the Dust-off Issue progress being made by the CropLife America/ ASTA joint task force.