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January 19, 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. ASTA respects your privacy and does not share this mailing list 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 at ASTA. Past issues can be viewed here . Click here to receive Seed eNews every Friday.
USDA Announces Speakers for March 1st Outlook Forum This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed plenary speakers for the 83rd annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, "Agriculture at the Crossroads: Energy, Farm and Rural Policy," March 1 and 2 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns delivers the keynote address on Thurs., March 1. "USDA's 2007 Agricultural Outlook Forum explores renewable energy's future in biofuels, cellulosic, methane, and wind," said Johanns. "The Forum's national conversation about agriculture centers on the fascinating opportunities and challenges of renewable energy in the next farm bill and beyond." ASTA's President and CEO Andy LaVigne will moderate the Science and Technology Panel titled "Enhancing Productivity and Safety with Genetic Diversity," from 8-9:30 a.m. on Fri., March 2. > Read the press release
ASTA Staff Reach Out to Industry Allies Pat Miller, ASTA's new director of state legislative and regulatory affairs, spent this past week in Washington renewing and initiating relationships with ASTA members and stakeholders. He presented ASTA's state affairs agenda to the state affairs committee of the Biotechnology Industry Organization and participated in CropLife America's state affairs committee meeting. He and Andy LaVigne met with The Fertilizer Institute to discuss common interests where the two groups may work together in the future. ASTA members will have the opportunity to meet Pat at the February 4 ASTA State and Regional Associations Workshop in Tucson during ASTA's Vegetable and Flower Seed Meeting, February 3-6. ASTA Announces Spring 2007 APHIS Workshop ASTA members are invited to meet with APHIS officials at the upcoming ASTA-APHIS workshop, March 22, at USDA in Washington, DC. This one-day workshop will serve as an opportunity to discuss with APHIS officials and decision- makers phytosanitary issues. Past workshops included topics such as: APHIS permitting process; seed, pests and pathogens; soybean rust, pest risk analyses (PRAs) for Brazil and China; issues on the movement of seed in Mexico, Korea and Argentina; ASTA - APHIS communications; National Seed Health System and the National Plant Diagnostic Network/Homeland Security.
Registration Open for First 2007 FuSE Educational Unit ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) sub-committee will hold its first Educational Unit at Dow AgroSciences on March 30. Dow will present its business strategy and product pipeline as well as discuss its approach to team leadership and employee recognition and motivation. The session will also feature contributions from Purdue University faculty. To view the tentative agenda, register and find hotel information click here. ASTA Members to Examine Impact of Farm Bill, CRP and Ethanol on the Seed Industry During Conservation Workshop March 15-16 The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) will hold its fifth annual Conservation Seed Workshop March 15 and 16 in Washington, D.C. "Partnerships for Native Plant Materials Development: Local Ecotypes," will be jointly hosted by ASTA, the USDA's National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Materials Program, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
ASTA members participating in the workshop will also meet with Congressional leaders to discuss issues affecting conservation programs, alternative fuels, and the 2007 Farm Bill. Officials from the Federal highway Administration will also provide an update on the uses of grasses and forbs on roadsides. The policy-oriented discussions will examine the "big picture" needs of end-users, the existing plant selection process, and the realities of the commercial sector to produce appropriate materials. For additional details and to register, contact Leslie Cahill, or call (703) 837-8140. A reduced room rate for ASTA member participants is available at the Hotel Washington; contact Jennifer Lord at ASTA, to request reservations.
USDA Delegation to OECD Seed Committee Meeting Includes ASTA Earlier this week, ASTA's Bernice Slutsky represented ASTA as part of the U.S. delegation to the meeting of the OECD Seed Schemes Extemded Advisory Committee in Paris. The committee reviewed its strategic plan and discussed technical issues. Slutsky was an observer at the Seed Schemes technical working group on varietel identifying and varietal purity. Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology to Conclude Work This week the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology (PIFB) announced it will conclude its work at the end of March 2007. Established by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2001, the project's leaders believe it has achieved its goals of illuminating policy issues arising from advances in ag biotech and serving as a credible "honest broker" that could bring together stakeholders of differing views to discuss the opportunities and challenges that ag biotech presents. Research and other materials produced by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology will continue to be available on its web site after PIFB closes. USDA Proposes $1.6 Billion Investment in Renewable Fuels Following President Bush's State of the Union address which highlighted his vision to reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced plans to propose $1.6 billion in new funding for renewable energy, with a focus on cellulosic energy research and production, as part of the Administration's 2007 farm bill proposals. This funding will support President Bush's goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next ten years and will complement an array of renewable energy-related efforts underway at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Reminder: ASTA Requests Member Support of R&D Survey
As noted last December, ASTA is surveying its membership to identify the industry total of investment in research and development in the areas of Germplasm, Transgenic Traits, Non-Transgenic Traits, Seed Treatments and Amendments, and Novel Processes. Initial survey results from a small number of ASTA members indicated that more than $554,000,000 was expended to maintain or research new seed technologies in 2005. Next week ASTA will reissue the electronic survey to ASTA members who did not respond to the initial request. The goal is to create an aggregate number summarizing data that ASTA members can use to illustrate that the seed industry is a dynamic and evolving industry that constantly invests and improves product offerings for its customers. All survey responses will be collected on a confidential basis by a third party and provided to ASTA for its use as an aggregate figure. The information will only be shared as sector totals, with no mention of specific company investments. The resulting information will be included in industry statistics that are shared with ASTA's publics as it meets with the media, regulators, lawmakers and other stakeholders. At no time will individual company data be viewed by anyone other than the third party tabulating the data. For more information contact Lisa Dry.
Upcoming Industry Events Arizona Crop Improvement AssociationAnnual Meeting Wisconsin Agri-Service Association 13th Annual Convention and Trade Show ASTA 46th Annual Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference Texas Seed Trade AssociationProduction & Research Conference InfoAg Midsouth
Click here for a schedule of additional industry events
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Grain Handler's Database • Seed Quality Management • CSS 2008 & Seed Expo • 48th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference • 125th Annual Convention |