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April 6 , 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 . ** EDITOR'S NOTE **
In the News ASTA Members Discuss Stewardship Initiative in Washington Stewardship Committee Chair Bryan Gerard, Vice Chair Glen Austin and committee member Kater Hake were in Washington this week to discuss the seed industry's stewardship initiative with government officials and stakeholders. In a series of meetings held over a two-day period, the members, accompanied by ASTA's Bernice Slutsky and Andy LaVigne, met with USDA officials including USDA Chief of Staff Dale Moore; Deputy Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Burton Eller; AMS Administrator Lloyd Day; APHIS Associate Administrator Cindy Smith and Acting Deputy Administorator, APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Rebecca Bech.
State of the States... Most state legislative sessions will begin to wrap up in the next couple of weeks. California. California still has the Huffman omnibus anti-biotech bill (AB 541, titled the Food and Farm Protection Act) set for hearing by the Judicial Committee next week. This is a pivotal bill for both sides of the biotech crops debate. The committee assignment (Judicial) is generally not considered to be favorable for agricultural interests. Maine. ASTA and its members are watching Maine closely. LD 1650 has been introduced which applies nuisance laws to liability for cross-contamination of organic production. ASTA will present testimony when the bill is heard by committee later this month. A similar bill was introduced, but did not pass, in Vermont last year. Minnesota. Anti-biotech language was realized in an energy bill in Minnesota recently. It was an unexpected addition, but under the circumstances could be considered germane. Thanks to lobbyists for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) for identifying the biofuels/cellulosic energy development bills as potential problem spots. They encountered a mention of non-GMO crop sourcing in the state legislature's biofuels bill and lobbied successfully to strike the language.
Future Seed Executives Focus on Soil Erosion and Organic Matter Retention
ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) subcommittee will hold a Round Table Discussion Group (RTDG) conference call on April 18th at 10 a.m. Central Time. The call will be moderated by Dr. Richard Cruse, Iowa State University, Professor of Agronomy. This one-hour conference call will focus on "Soil Erosion and Organic Matter Retention." Holding true to the roundtable format, topics and questions can be introduced for discussion by those on the call and interaction is strongly encouraged. The cost to participate on the call is $10 per person ($15 for non-ASTA members); the conference call-in number and passcode are issued to registrants. Click here to download the registration form. Please contact Alexis Ellicott or Jim Schweigert with any questions. To facilitate interaction, the calls will be limited to 12 participants, so early registration is encouraged.
U.S. and South Korea Reach Trade Agreement; Potential Boost for U.S. Agriculture This week the U.S. and South Korea reached a free trade agreement. The deal, which requires legislative approval in both countries, is the biggest for the U.S. since 1992 and the biggest ever for South Korea. According to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), under the agreement over $1 billion worth of U.S. farm exports to Korea will become duty-free immediately. Most remaining tariffs and quotas will be phased out over the first ten years the agreement is in force. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns noted that "Korea is our sixth largest U.S. export market. The United States is the chief agricultural exporter to Korea at $3.2 billion despite Korea's average agricultural tariff rate at 52 percent." Though hailed by federal officials and farm groups, including the American Soybean Association, the agreement faces a significant hurdle; the Bush administration has indicated it will not present the agreement to Congress for ratification until South Korea fully reopens its market to U.S. beef.
On Capitol Hill... Congress is in recess; the House reconvenes April 14, the Senate, April 10th.
Upcoming Industry Events
AOSCA Southern Region Meeting AOSCA Western Region Meeting AOSCA Northern Region Meeting BIO International Convention Pacific Seed AssociationAnnual Convention Seed Trade Association of Arizona 15th Annual Meeting
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 |