Seed E-News

May 13, 2005

ASTA Committee Assignments 2006
Committee assignments for the 2006 were due by Friday, May 13, 2005 to ensure that the committee database is up-to-date when the new fiscal year starts on July 1, 2005. ASTA Representatives should have received a company profile listing current committee assignments along with details of ASTA committees and a sign-up form. If you have not received yours, please contact Peter Patterson at ppatterson@amseed.org. The profile also lists individuals shown in the membership database as working for the company. Please take the time to review the names, addresses and contact information to ensure that the database is up-to-date and accurate.

Future Seed Executives 2005 - Leading and Reacting to Change
ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) initiative is pleased to announce its second Educational Unit to be hosted by Fontanelle Hybrids in Freemont, NE on Friday, May 20, 2005 (8:00 am - 3:30 pm). During the first part of the day, senior management from Fontanelle will provide an overview of their history and activities and lead participants on a brief tour of its facilities. They will also hold a question and answer session for participants. During the second part of the program, faculty from the University of Nebraska will lead participants through an interactive discussion and analysis of a case study.

Cost for attending this event is $100 for ASTA members and $150 for participants who are not members of ASTA. Click here to download the registration form. Space is limited to the first 25 paid participants, so register soon (see registration form)! For participants joining from out of town, FuSE will organize an optional cash-bar social event on Thursday evening, May 19th.

FuSE Educational Units target individuals with less than seven years of seed industry experience. These units complement programs offered by the ASTA Management Academy and are designed as regional opportunities to expand learning, promote networking and improve general understanding of the seed industry. Participants from the first FuSE Educational Unit, held at Landec Ag, provided great reviews:

• "I highly recommend the program for young people looking to move up in their organization." - Scott Brolsma, Corporate Marketing Manager, AgReliant Genetics
• "This session was a great opportunity to learn about a completely different business model (and a company) that thinks outside the box." - Jim Wolf, VP of Administration, iCorn
• "We don't take enough time from our present jobs to discuss industry topics; the session stimulated very good interaction among participants." - Wade Wiley, Regional Sales Manager, JGL, Inc.

For more information about other programs offered by FuSE, contact Alexis Ellicott at (703) 837-8140. Future FuSE Educational Units will be held:

If you are interested in hosting a FuSE Educational Unit at your facility, please contact David Nothmann at (314) 694-6957.

A special thanks to all FuSE sponsors:

• Monsanto
• Syngenta
• Gro Alliance
• Kincannon & Reed
• Fontanelle Hybrids
• Heartland Hybrids
• Jung Seed Genetics
• Landec Ag
• Purdue University
• University of Nebraska

Future Seed Executives is launching the "Round Table Discussion Group" Future Seed Executives is launching the "Round Table Discussion Group," a series of monthly conference calls moderated by senior industry members and aimed at educating future seed executives on recent major events and happenings in the industry. Each one-hour long conference call will focus on two to three new topics each month and holding true to the roundtable format, new topics can be introduced for discussion by those on the call and interaction will be highly encouraged. At the beginning of each call, a FuSE representative will introduce the moderator, call participants will introduce themselves and the round table discussion will begin. In order to facilitate that interaction, the calls will be limited to 12 participants, so early registration is encouraged. The cost to participate on the call is $10 per person and upon registration, the call-in number and passcode will be issued. Please contact Alexis Ellicott of ASTA at aellicott@amseed.org for a registration form (or see below) or Jim Schweigert at jim.schweigert@groalliance.com with any questions. The first call will be held on June 3rd at 9 a.m. CST and will be moderated by former ASTA chairman, Don Wertman of Seedway. We are developing the topics of discussion and welcome suggestions.

ASTA Annual Convention 2005
The first opportunity to register for ASTA's 122nd Annual Convention, being held June 18-22, 2005 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, is now open on ASTA's web site. Featuring a top-notch line up of general session speakers, a variety of special events, fun sporting events, and a host of exciting optional tours, this year's Annual Convention continues to raise the bar on the ASTA convention experience. Some sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are also still available. Registration for the conference, hotel rooms, sponsorships, and exhibits, as well as an updated convention schedule and description of all special events are available. Early registration closes on May 13, 2005, on which date fees will increase. Register now and take advantage of the lower registration fees.

USDA grants Protection to Five New Plant Varieties
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2005 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued certificates of protection to developers of five new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include cotton, guar, ryegrass and wheat. The five certificates are being issued under the Plant Variety Protection Act. The certificates require that the varieties be new, distinct, uniform and stable. The owners will have the exclusive right to reproduce, sell, import and export their products in the United States for the duration of protection. The five certificates are:

• the DP 340 variety of cotton, developed by O & A Enterprises Inc., Maricopa, AZ;
• the DP 675 variety of cotton, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Company LLC., Scott, MS;
• the Matador* variety of guar, developed by Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas and Halliburton Energy Services Inc., Duncan, OK;
• the Elfkin variety of perennial ryegrass, developed by DLF International Sees and Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, Halsey, OR; and
• the Albion* variety of common wheat, developed by Grant H. Torrey Jr. for CHS Inc., Moses Lake, WA.

* In the United States, seed of this variety (1) shall be sold by variety name only as a class of certified seed and (2) shall conform to the number of generations specified by the owner of the rights (84 STAT. 1542, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2321 ET SEQ). USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service administers the Plant Variety Protection Act, which provides time-limited marketing protection to developers of new and distinct seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants ranging from farm crops to flowers. For additional information contact the Plant Variety Protection Office at telephone (301) 504-5518, fax (301) 504-5291 or the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/science/PVPO/pvpindex.htm.

USDA Issues Two Biotechnology Reports
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2005 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued two reports on agricultural biotechnology that cover the evolving world requirements for the traceability and labeling of agricultural biotechnology products and on the complexities of predicting the use of these products in the future. The reports, developed by USDA's Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) ö to which ASTA CEO Dick Crowder was recently appointed ö are entitled (1) Global Traceability and Labeling Requirements for Agricultural Biotechnology-Derived Products: Impacts and Implications for the United States; and (2) Preparing for the Future. The USDA Press Release can be read Here. "Impacts and Implications for the United States" can be accessed here in MS Word or here in PDF. "AC21 Consensus Report-Preparing for the Future" can be accessed here in MS Word or here in PDF.

Agriculture Secretary Approves Funding for Soybean Rust Surveillance and Monitoring Network
WASHINGTON, May, 12, 2005 — Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that USDA will use nearly $1.2 million in contingency funding to help monitor, report and manage soybean rust during the 2005 growing season. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) officials will apply the funding to soybean rust surveillance and monitoring; predictive modeling; Web-based dissemination of information to stakeholders; finalizing fungicide criteria; and communication and outreach. Full Story.

Organic Sector Seeking Soybean Rust Control Options
While many growers are looking to a growing fungicide arsenal and genetic research to head off the ravages of Asian soybean rust, conventional chemicals and biotech beans are not options for organic producers. However, a commercial organic rust remedy now is out on the market, and USDA and university scientists are seeking added protections for the increasingly valuable organic market. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the "biofungicide" Ballad for rust control in organic soybeans. The new product, produced by California-based AgraQuest, is based on a naturally occurring strain of the bacteria Bacillus pumilus, which produces anti-fungal compounds that destroy the cell walls of the rust organism. Full Story.

Soybean Rust Web Sites
The following links will be maintained through October 2005. Those interested, should bookmark them. USDA's interactive soybean rust web site Soybean Rust Information Site provides timely information on the extent and severity of soybean rust outbreaks in the United States, Caribbean basin and Central America. It will give users up-to-date forecasts on where soybean rust is likely to appear in the United States, reports where the disease exists by county, refers growers to county extension agents nationwide, lists the National Plant Diagnostic Networks laboratories and links to other web sites to give producers effective disease management options. North Carolina State University's Soybean Rust Forecast Center will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. On April 21, ASTA member Syngenta Crop Protection launched its Syntinel(TM) RustTracker system, www.soybeanrust.com, an early-warning Web-based system that provides growers with tools to obtain information regarding outbreaks of Asian soybean rust and assess their potential for risk associated with the disease.

Noxious Weed Intercepted at the Port of Long Beach
In a press release issued on May 13, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that they had recently intercepted a shipment of ipomoea aquatica seeds, an environmentally invasive weed commonly known in the United States as "water spinach".

The seed shipment, weighing over four tons, arrived from Viet Nam at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport and was targeted for a physical inspection by CBP agriculture specialists enforcing bioterrorism and and USDA regulations and other laws. The cargo had been manifested as cabbage seeds in an alleged attempt to evade inspection.

Iipomoea aquatica is prohibited from entry into or through the United States without a special permit issued by the Department of Agriculture under USDA regulations (7CFR360) provided for by the 1974 Federal Noxious Weed Act (FNWA).

The FNWA was enacted by Congress to protect domestic agriculture interests from alien, invasive plants that can damage domestic food production, domestic endangered species, or, in the case of water spinach, domestic fresh water bodies.

Water spinach is an aquatic herb that is native to Southeast Asia and an edible foodstuff. It grows in fresh water producing dense floating masses of vegetation that in the wild can clog canals, lakes, or other waterways. Since its accidental introduction into Guam and Florida in the 1970s, this invasive species has had a negative impact on domestic fresh water bodies and has been the subject of extensive eradication effort to prevent its re-introduction.

The importation of this and other prohibited plants covered by the FNWA subjects the importer to possible monetary penalties and/or criminal prosecution. The contraband has been turned over to the investigative arm of USDA for further action.

Inaccuracy — not Bias — is the Scourge of the Media
The media is often criticized for focusing excessively on 'bad' news about GM crops (indeed about events in general). An editorial on the Science and Development Network web site www.scidev.net argues that such criticism ignores the fact that the main problem is not media bias, but inaccurate reporting. One of the common misconceptions about genetically modified (GM) crops is that their main contribution to human well-being is through increasing farmers' profits by raising crop yields. This might be through the production and sale of food (such as corn or rice) or staple commodities (such as cotton). But in each case, critics seek to contrast the pursuit of profit with the potential damage that such crops could cause, either through their impact on human health or through their disruption of natural cycles. Full Story.

US Grains Council Global Update
The weekly global update is provided at the request of the Corn & Sorghum Division. Follow the link for the update for week ending May 13, 2005.

Industry and People

Genescan USA, Inc. and Illinois Crop Improvement Association collaborate to offer Identity Preservation Programs
ASTA members GeneScan USA, Inc. (GSUS) and Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. (ICIA) have announced their partnership in a strategic alliance to provide a broad range of technical expertise, consulting service and audit capacity to the agrofood industry. Companies up and down the food chain, interested in upgrading or developing programs related to vendor certification, Identity Preservation and traceability will benefit from their joint program offerings. The alliance will offer a full range of field and laboratory services. More.

If your company or organization has any personnel changes or other developments that you would like to see included in the ASTA E-News, please send details to ppatterson@amseed.org.

ASTA Conferences and Activities

June 18-22, 2005
122nd ASTA Annual Convention
Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Tower
Seattle, WA
Registration

November 5-8, 2005
ASTA Farm & Lawn Seed Meeting
Westin Crown Center
Kansas City, MO
(held in conjunction with the Western Seed Association)

December 7-9. 2005
60th Corn & Sorghum and
35th Soybean Research Conferences
Seed Expo (Dec. 7-8, 2005)
Hyatt Regency
Chicago, IL

January 2006
Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference
Amelia Island Plantation
Amelia Island, FL

Other Upcoming Events

May 2005
International Seed Federation Congress 2005
The ISF World Seed Congress 2005 will be held in Santiago, Chile, May 30-June 1, 2005. The web site can be accessed here.

July 2005
Colorado State University Seed Analyst Workshops
Two five-day Seed Analyst Workshops will again be held at Colorado State University (CSU), in Fort Collins, Colorado, July 11-22, 2005. Each will be restricted to 10-20 students. The July 11-15 workshop, "Seed Identification and Purity Analysis," provides an extensive hands-on experience with seeds of legumes, cereals, grasses, revegetation species, vegetables and flowers. The emphasis will be on grass species identification and the use of blowing points and multiple unit factors for determining pure seed. Noxious weeds common to these groups are also emphasized. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to collect seeds of many different grasses and legumes. The July 18-22 workshop, "Seed Viability," offers lectures and practical experience in viability testing, including germination dormancy, vigor and tetrazolium. The emphasis will be on the use of tetrazolium when testing seed viability of native species. An educational tour of regional seed labs and a visit to the Denver Botanical Gardens are included with this workshop.

The workshops are an excellent preparation for taking the qualifying exams to become a Registered Seed Technologist (RST) or a Certified Seed Analyst. The workshops provide a review of fundamentals of seed anatomy, identification, purity, physiology, and viability testing. The fee for each workshop, including materials, is $200 ($350 if both workshops are taken). Reasonable accommodations are available at nearby motels. The workshops are offered in conjunction with the Seed Analyst Training Program offered by CSU through its Division of Educational Outreach. This program introduced in early 1998, is comprised of the following courses, some of which may be prerequisites for the workshops, depending on the studentās training and experience:

These courses may be taken throughout the year, anywhere in the world. To date, over 350 students have enrolled representing 24 states and 7 countries. The courses are recommended by AOSA/SCST for beginning and experienced seed analysts. Credits apply towards points needed to take the RST accreditation examination. To register for the courses and workshops, contact:

Colorado State University
Division of Continuing Education
1040 Campus Delivery, Spruce Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1040
Phone: 1-877-491-4336 OR 1-970-491-5288
E-Mail: info@learn.colostate.edu
Website: www.learn.colostate.edu

For information or questions on the courses and workshops, contact Carissa Schow (970-491-6295) or Jim Bruce (970-495-3246).

November 2005
Soybean Rust Workshop
The American Phyto-Pathological Society has scheduled a workshop in conjunction with USDA and the American Soybean Board for November 15-16, 2005 to discuss soybean rust. The symposium will be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, TN. Check out the APS web site http://www.apsnet.org/online/sbr/ for more information about the symposium and to subscribe to the mailing list for periodic updates.