Seed E-News

July 13, 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. Questions, comments and your industry news are welcome — contact Jason Laney at ASTA.

Past issues can be viewed here .

In the News ...

• USDA Grants Protection to 29 New Plant Varieties
• Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.- 2007 USDA Report
• Rising Ethanol Production Could Be Hindered by Transportation Infrastructure
• USDA pegs corn acreage up from June estimates
• Transcript of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Remarks to the Pollinating Partners Celebration Ceremony
• Johanns Furthers Agricultural Cooperation with Kazakhstan
• USDA Awards Nearly $20 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants
• USDA Announces CRP Re-Enrollment Opportunities for Eligible Producers in 2007
• USDA Agency Reports

ASTA Welcomes Release for Comment of USDA Biotechnology Regulatory Impact Statement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a much anticipated environmental impact statement (EIS) that outlines potential revisions to APHIS regulations governing agricultural biotechnology. The following statement was released by ASTA regarding the EIS publication.

"Innovative tools such as biotechnology are key to the continued ability of the U.S. seed industry to provide farmers and consumers with higher yielding, better quality and value-added products, and APHIS has been part of the robust U.S. regulatory system that oversees their safe development and use," said ASTA President and CEO Andrew W. LaVigne. "Ensuring that these regulations reflect the science of the day is vital to the agency's ability to regulate and safeguard agricultural biotechnology products, including seed."

The ASTA executive noted that the release of the EIS for public input is an important first step in a process to make certain that regulations evolve along with scientific advances.

"Getting input from stakeholders is a key first step toward building that strong foundation for the future," LaVigne said.

It is critical that APHIS' regulatory and safety determinations be made based on the most current and sound science available, LaVigne stated.

"As the science of biotechnology advances, the regulatory system governing it must keep pace," said LaVigne. "If it doesn't, then agricultural producers and consumers alike will lose out."

Should you have any questions or comments regarding the EIS or ASTA's comments, please contact Andy LaVigne or Bernice Slutsky at the ASTA office.

Registration Open for the 21st ASTA Management Academy
to be held February 25-29, 2008 at Purdue University.

Entering into its 21st year, the ASTA Management Academy is a management development seminar designed specifically for seed industry professionals. A joint venture between ASTA and the Center for Food and Agricultural Business at Purdue University, the Academy is a broad-based managerial program designed to strengthen your skills in several core business areas: marketing, strategy, finance, and human resources. Courses are taught by expert faculty who integrate real-world examples and a deep understanding of the agribusiness industry to create meaningful learning experiences.

The Academy is designed for both decision makers with industry experience and for managers who are new to the industry. Any manager who wants to review and expand their knowledge of management tools and concepts will find the Academy a rewarding experience. Approximately 800 participants from over 200 firms have graduated from the academy. Participating organizations have represented all segments of the seed business including the vegetable/garden, corn/soybean, and turf grass marketplaces.

"The information learned through both classroom instruction and the networking opportunities gave me a broadened perspective of the seed industry. The staff and instructors were superb. I would recommend the academy to anyone interested in both their personal and professional growth."
– Bonnie Marquardt, Flower Sales Manager, American Takii, Inc.

Click here for more information or to register for the 2008 Management Academy.

Announcing the 4th ASTA Executive Management Forum, February 12-14, 2008, Chicago, IL

The 4th ASTA Executive Management Forum will be held in Chicago, February 12-14, 2008. The Forum creates an environment for sharing ideas, discussion, and interaction among a group of senior leaders responsible for moving their companies forward in a very complex marketplace. It is anticipated that 30 executives will attend, with a focus this year on increased international participation. Key influencers from all segments of the seed industry will engage in a dialogue with invited executives from outside of agriculture as well as executives in various segments within the value chain. Dr. Michael Raynor, author of The Strategy Paradox and highly sought-after speaker, has been invited to lead the one of the half-day sessions. Raynor contends that we need to 'turn convention upside down' by managing risk while maintaining strategic flexibility - and he brings the ideas and tools to the table for doing so. For more information about the ASTA Executive Management Forum, contact Betty Jones-Bliss, Purdue University, at 765-494-4328.

Purdue Announces Speaker Lineup for Upcoming National Conference for Agribusiness to be held November 13-14, 2007

The National Conference for Agribusiness at Purdue University is one of the premiere events for food and agribusiness professionals. Combining original research with innovative ways of approaching both familiar and unfamiliar problems, Re-Thinking Service Strategies: Innovations that Drive Profit will explore the concepts of service management and encourage participants to think strategically about how to manage service offerings for maximum impact on both customers and their firms.

Featured speakers and the topics to be covered at the National Conference include:

Assessing Service Opportunities: Understanding Economic Value to Improve the Success of a Market Launch
John Mann, Vice-President, Engineering
John Deere AgriServices, Inc.

Competitive Response and Escalating Expectations
Glenn Weckerlin, Global Director of Brand and Product Line Management for Chevron Global Marketing
Chevron Corporation

Determining Your Customers' Willingness to Pay: Tailoring Value Bundles - and Pricing Them - for Each Customer
Steve Watts, Vice President/General Manager
The McGregor Company

Delivering Impactive Service: Organizing for Effective and Profitable Service Delivery
Jerry R. Linzey, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Michael P. Ryan, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing
American Commercial Lines (ACL), Inc.

Establishing a Service Culture: The Invisible Architecture of a Magnetic Organization
Joe Tye, CEO
Author and speaker on values-based life and leadership skills

Communicating Value: Sales Strategies for Service Offerings and a Culture for Delivering on Promises
Sam Faggetti, Account Manager
Agriliance, LLC

The Personal Side of Service: 6 Secrets for Wooing, Wowing and Winning Customers and Their Loyalty
Phil Van Hooser, Owner and President
Van Hooser Associates, Inc.

Register for the seminar by September 14, 2007 to save $50 off the full registration fee, or contact the Center for Food and Agricultural Business to learn more about discounts offered to teams of three or more employees from the same company.

State of the States ...

The Georgia Seed Association (GSA) just concluded their 67th Annual Convention in Pine Mountain, Georgia. A little welcome rain slowed down some of the golfers, but no one was complaining.

The program started with a history of the association by Jimmy Adams, who recently retired as Executive Secretary for GSA. The comparison of the seed business, and life in general, to today was fascinating. Following Jimmy's presentation, a panel of past presidents fielded questions about their perspectives of the seed industry; past, present and future, moderated by President Butch Gill. That session turned out to be a highlight of the conference and generated a lot of discussions after the session was over.

Pat Miller, ASTA's Director of State Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, then gave an overview of federal and state issues facing the seed industry at this time. That session was followed by past ASTA board member, Steven Tubbs' presentation on the impact of biofuels on seed production.

The balance of the sessions included "Licensing University of Georgia Crop Varieties" by Dr. Mike Garland, Director of the Georgia Seed Development Commission; "What You Need to Know About the Plant Variety Protection Acts and Patents" by Dr. Terry Hollifield, Executive Director, Georgia Crop Improvement; and "Insect Resistant Management, Refuge, Seed Piracy, and all things good and proper", by Scott Baucum, U.S Commercial Trait Stewardship Lead, Monsanto Co.

The conference concluded with an Awards Banquet, honoring the following individuals:
· Young Seedsman of the Year Award - Steven Amos, Pennington Seed Co.
· Georgia Seedsmen's Hall of Fame Award - Wayne Guerck, recently retired from the Georgia Crop Improvement Association
· GSA Honorary Membership - Frank Joiner, Farmers Feed & Seed

Wally Joiner, Farmers Feed & Seed, Americus, will be the GSA President for the coming year. New GSA Executive Secretary, Marie Sidwel, produced a wonderful event.

For more information on state affairs, contact Pat Miller.

Borlaug to Receive Congressional Medal

Texas A&M Agriculture's Dr. Norman Borlaug will be presented the Congressional Gold Medal on July 17 for unparalleled efforts at "bringing radical change to world agriculture and uplifting humanity," according to the U.S. Congress.

The presentation of the medal, created specifically for Borlaug at the U.S. Mint, will be at 10 a.m. in the Capital Rotunda.

Borlaug, 93, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 - the first ever to receive the prize for agricultural efforts - for his international research which led to wheat varieties that helped feed millions of starving people. He is the distinguished professor of soil and crop sciences at Texas A&M University where he has been actively teaching, lecturing and consulting since 1984.

In measures passed by the Senate last September and the House in December, Borlaug was credited with "saving billions of people around the world ... (he) saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived."

"Dr. Borlaug's life-long work in fields throughout the world is a shining example of the importance of agriculture, not only for feeding starving people, but for economic and political stability," said Dr. Elsa Murano, Texas A&M University System Vice Chancellor and Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "We are honored to have shared in his work for more than two decades at Texas A&M, and we applaud this recognition of his legacy."

Borlaug is often called the "Father of the Green Revolution" to depict the color and quantity of wheat planted in the world as a result of his development of smaller, easier-to-harvest plants which were nurtured by fertilizer, water and weed-preventing chemicals. Read more.

Study Reviews Miscanthus as Energy Source

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists in Chicago (July 7-11, 2007), scientists will present findings on how to economically and efficiently produce plant crops suitable for sustainable bioenergy. Improving the production of such biomass is important because it should significantly ease and eventually replace dependence on petroleum-based fuels. Biomass is plant material, vegetation or agricultural waste used as fuel.

Converting biomass into biofuels can be costly and slow. Two crops, both classified as C4 perennial grasses, have been studied extensively to determine how best to improve costs and production rates. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been trialed across the United States. Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) has been studied throughout the European Union. Both show great promise, but until now, nobody has been sure which crop is more efficacious. The study completed by Frank Dohleman of the Plant Biology Department at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his colleagues, is the first to compare the productivity of the two grasses in side-by-side field trials. Results from trials throughout Illinois show that Miscanthus is more than twice as productive as switchgrass.

Dohleman's team, which included Dafu Wang, Andrew D.B. Leakey & Stephen P. Long also of University of Illinois, along with Emily A. Heaton of Ceres Inc., theorized that Miscanthus produces more usable biomass than switchgrass because of these three key attributes:

1. Miscanthus can gain greater amounts of photosynthetic carbon per unit of leaf area
2. Miscanthus has a greater leaf area
3. Miscanthus has a longer growing season.

Company News and People on the Move

AgVenture of Iowa announces its recent purchase of Elkader, Iowa's A+ Seeds. Dwight Ward, owner and president of AgVenture East, Inc. and AgVenture of Iowa said, "We've had a great relationship with A+ Seed through the years as they marketed AgVenture® brand soybeans to their customers. By purchasing the company, northeastern Iowa growers will now have greater access to AgVenture's exceptional lineup of cutting edge corn products. We're pleased that this opportunity presented itself."

On Friday, August 10, 2007, the California Seed Association is hosting a tour through Yolo County for a first hand look at one of the regions that contributes to the overall success of the global seed industry. California is proud to be considered a leader in the global seed industry representing approximately 18% of the U.S. annual sales. For more information on the tour, please contact Betsy Peterson.

Last Chance to Register for Upcoming FuSE Discussion Group on Seed Labeling

The next FuSE Discussion Group, to be held July 18 at 10:00 a.m. CST, will feature a discussion on labeling including a review of ASTA's position and an update on state action. The call will be moderated by Scott Beck, Vice President of Beck's Hybrids and immediate past Chairman of the ASTA Corn and Sorghum Division. Scott was also an instrumental member of the ASTA ad hoc Committee on Labeling. Click here to register for the call. For more information on the Discussion Group, contact Jim Schweigert.

FuSE also has two upcoming Educational Units that you do not want to miss.

The first Educational Unit will be held on August 23 at Dairyland Seed Co. in Clinton, WI. The Ed Unit will feature an exciting agenda including: an overview of Dairyland Seed Co., discussions on staying competitive as an independent seed company and the pipeline for the future, a case study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a VIP tour of the research facility and plots. Click here to register for the Dairyland Ed Unit.

The next Educational Unit will be held on September 7 at Sakata Seed America in Morgan Hill, CA. This Ed Unit will feature a hi-tech focused agenda including: an overview of Sakata Seed America and its multi-national parent company Sakata Seed Corporation, headquartered in Yokohama, Japan; a tour of its plant; an overview of SeedQuest's business story and the current status of the internet and related technology; and a case study on the California Biotechnology Story conducted by the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center. Click here to register for the Sakata Ed Unit.

Be sure to participate in one of these exciting and informative events. Click here for a complete schedule of FuSE activities.

Upcoming Industry Events

Alabama Seedsman Association Meeting
7/13-14
Grand Hotel
Point Clear, AL

Association of American Seed Control Officials Summer Meeting
7/15-17
St. Paul, MN

North Carolina Seedsmen's Association Meeting
7/15-17
Hilton Garden Inn
Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, NC

Future Seed Executives (FuSE) Round Table Discussion Group
7/18
Teleconference on Seed Labeling
Click here to register for the Conference Call

Arkansas Seed Dealers Association Meeting
7/19-20
Clarion Resort on the Lake
Hot Springs, AR

Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) Meeting
7/22-25
Grand Casino Resort- Veranda Hotel
Tunica, MS

Click here for a schedule of additional industry events