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September 17, 2008
Importance of Trade to Agriculture Evident in New Farm Policy In the final installment of ASTA's coverage of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 and the titles directly affecting and impacting ASTA and its members, the trade title is explored. To access all titles of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, please visit http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/FarmBill.html.
ASTA's Leadership Explores Opportunities and Challenges of Seed Industry A meeting of ASTA's Executive Committee convened on Sept. 11-12, in Washington, D.C., with a full agenda facilitating in-depth discussions on issues of importance to the seed industry. Additional meetings were held on Wednesday, allowing members to interact with Special Advisor to the President on Agriculture Hunter Moorhead, as well as representatives from the Department of the Interior on the seed industry's role in the activities of the National Invasive Species Council. The Executive Committee heard from experts in various aspects of agricultural production providing insight into the opportunities and challenges of the seed industry. Key issues of labor and immigration to food safety to USDA policy and regulations were presented by a mix of speakers, including USDA's Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight, the U.S. Government Accountability Office's Director for Food Safety and Agriculture Issues Lisa Shames, Attorney Monte Lake, counsel to the National Council of Agriculture Employers and numerous agriculture companies, and Vice President for Government Relations and Research Craig Regelbrugge of American Nursery and Landscape Association. The discussions were a good foundation to review the results of the ASTA Membership Survey and of the ASTA Strategic Plan. The Executive Committee and ASTA staff will provide information on the results of the survey through upcoming issues of Seed E-News. Coupled with the survey, the Executive Committee has committed to an extensive review of the Strategic Plan. "The ASTA staff appreciates the commitment of the Executive Committee to address the many issues facing the association and the seed industry as a whole," said Andy LaVigne, president and CEO of ASTA. "The seed industry and all of agriculture face a vibrant future. Addressing the constraints and exploring the opportunities with the elected leadership of ASTA allows us to bring the most value to our members." Registration for CSS 2008 & SEED EXPO: New Programs & Discounts! Registration for CSS 2008 (the 63rd Corn and Sorghum Seed Research Conference and the 38th Soybean Seed Research Conference) and Seed Expo 2008 is now available online. Early registration rates are in effect until Nov. 15, after which the registration rates will increase by $75.00 in all attendee registration categories. New registration options this year offer greater accessibility than ever before to the newly-reformatted Seed Expo, which will be geared to all seed types and commodities, beyond the scope of just the corn, soybean and sorghum audiences. To that end, Day Passes to the Seed Expo will be available to any attendee for $50 for Wednesday, Dec. 10, and Thursday, Dec. 11. The "Exhibitor Marketplace" event on Tuesday, Dec. 9, serves as the "sneak preview" evening opening of the trade show and is once again free. Exhibitors may invite unlimited customers to their booth with a complimentary Day Pass to the Seed Expo. Attendees who are in production, plant operations or similar roles, or attendees who have not attended the show in the past five years, will also be able to receive a complimentary Day Pass to attend the Seed Expo. The CSS 2008 conference includes two and a half days of educational programming on current topics in soybean, corn and sorghum, as well as two general sessions on Wednesday, Dec. 10, and Thursday, Dec. 11, covering topics relevant across all three commodities. The printed version of the Registration Brochure for this conference will arrive by mail to ASTA members and former conference attendees in the coming weeks. The conference will be held in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency from Dec. 9-12, 2008. Register today (you will need your ASTA login to receive member registration rates) or visit the event's Web site to learn additional information about this annual December conference. Registration Open for the ASTA Farm & Lawn Seed Conference. Registration is now open for ASTA's 2008 Farm Seed & Lawn Seed Conference, held again in conjunction with the Western Seed Association's (WSA) Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 1-4, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel. Completed registrations should be returned to WSA by fax at (309) 664-0607. The ASTA program will begin on Sunday, Nov. 2, with meetings of the ASTA Invasive Species Working Group and the Environmental and Conservation Seed Committee. The Farm Seed and Lawn Seed Divisions will meet on Monday, Nov. 3, with more programming details soon to come. ASTA looks forward to seeing you in Kansas City! Take Your Company to the Next Level with These Valuable Sponsorship Opportunities. ASTA is pleased to announce two sponsorship opportunities for companies to showcase products to current and potential customers. For the second year in a row, ASTA is partnering with the American Soybean Association (ASA) to produce the 2009 U.S. Soybean Industry Calendar that will be distributed to its more than 25,000 members. This valuable marketing tool highlights all soybean industry activities and provides opportunities for companies who market to this important sector of agriculture. Only two sponsorship opportunities remain in this year's calendar, so act fast to secure your spot by contacting Michele Siegel at ASA for more information. ASTA is also pleased to announce the production of a Suppliers Guide for the seed industry. This guide, sponsored by the ASTA Associates Division, is comprised of ASTA members who serve as suppliers to the seed industry. Throughout the year, 3,000 copies of this valuable marketing tool are distributed to all ASTA members and at seed industry meetings. In addition to the basic listing, companies can draw more attention to their businesses through upgraded listings for $100 or a half-page full color sponsorship for only $500. For more on how to take part in this marketing piece, please contact Jason Laney. These two sponsorship programs are just a sample of the numerous opportunities that ASTA provides its members to showcase their companies to current and prospective customers.
ASTA Delivers Message of Quality Seed and Innovation on Capitol Hill On Sept. 17, ASTA participated in a Agricultural Biotechnology Briefing and Exhibition for Members of Congress and their staff to increase awareness of the role of agricultural biotechnology, issues critical to the application of this technology and the importance of stewardship. At the briefing, Andy LaVigne, ASTA president and CEO, presented an overview of the seed industry's commitment to quality management and innovation, which was followed by additional presentations on stewardship by the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The venue provided an opportunity to discuss how stewardship from the various perspectives intersect and complement each other in their respective roles in bringing the technology to market. An Agricultural Biotechnology Exhibition was also held where trade associations and their related companies were able to highlight the importance of biotechnology in modern agriculture, the benefits it offers and the future it holds for meeting the increasing global demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel. "This has been a tremendous opportunity to represent the seed industry and explain its role in bringing new technology and innovation to agricultural production in the United States." said LaVigne. "Although people may be aware of the seed industry, and may even have an understanding of the current application of biotechnology within the agricultural industry, the role of quality seed in delivering the technologies of today and the innovation of tomorrow is often not understood. Today we have had a chance to tell people about the exciting future of the seed industry and how our members will continue to be pioneers in modern biotechnology." ASTA was also represented by Leslie Cahill, vice president for government affairs, Bernice Slutsky, vice president for science and international affairs, Gretchen Flanley, vice president of communications, and Jason Laney, director of membership. Court Upholds Decision on Roundup Ready Alfalfa On Sept. 2, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court's ruling to temporally halt planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa, pending the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Roundup Ready alfalfa, a product of the Monsanto Company, is genetically engineered to be tolerant of glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. The original case was brought against USDA by the Center for Food Safety and several co-plaintiffs in 2006, alleging that APHIS had violated federal environmental law in deregulating the crop in 2005 without first completing the EIS. APHIS deregulated the product in June 2005 on the basis of the Environmental Assessment and after considering the comments received under the Federal Register notice on the petition for deregulation. However, in 2007, the lower court issued an injunction against the planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa because the court ruled that APHIS needed to conduct a more extensive review through an EIS, which is currently being carried out by APHIS. All parties involved continue to review their options going forward.
ASTA Participates in China Seed Expo and Summit The first annual China Seed Expo and Summit took place in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, on Sept. 10-12. The expo and summit were supported by China's Ministry of Agriculture and the Liaoning Provincial Government. ASTA members, Mike Gumina, vice president of supply management for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, and Bruno Libbrecht, director of product marketing for Harris Moran Seed Company, joined Bernice Slutsky, ASTA's vice president of science and international affairs, and Lisa Nichols, ASTA's director of international programs, in Shenyang. The events attracted many domestic and international representatives from the global seed industry. At the summit and on behalf of ASTA, Gumina presented on innovation in the seed industry. ASTA's booth at the China Seed Expo focused on disseminating information to attendees on the ASTA Guide to Seed Quality Management Practices and the importance of Intellectual Property Rights. In addition to activities related to these events, ASTA held meetings with national and provincial government officials, as well as other seed experts from private and public sectors. These meetings proved very successful in facilitating discussion and extending an invitation for future collaborative efforts between the U.S. and China on plant variety protection (PVP). With the help of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service office in Beijing and the newly opened office in Shenyang, ASTA was able to meet with officials from the U.S. Consulate General's office in Shenyang, Liaoning Provincial Government, Jilin Provincial Government, the China Seed Association, the Liaoning Agriculture Academy, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Asia-Pacific Seed Association, Monsanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Research Center and the Dongya Seed Company. "ASTA's participation in the China Seed Expo and Summit provided an important opportunity to move forward on the key issues of intellectual property protection and varietal registration in China," said Gumina. "The meetings with provincial officials and academies showed an interest in cooperation by these officials with ASTA on these important topics." ASTA plans to follow-up with both provincial governments on potential information exchange and training opportunities to address China's PVP application and variety registration processes. For more information, please contact Lisa Nichols. New Entry Requirements Issued for Corn Seed to Argentina Effective Oct. 1, there will be new entry requirements for corn seed shipped to Argentina. ASTA has learned that Argentina will be amending one of its four additional declarations (ADs) required on phytosanitary certificates for U.S. corn seed being shipped to Argentina. The change is the addition of shipment freedom from the corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. These are now as follows:
If meeting these new conditions of entry beginning Oct. 1 will cause a problem, please provide your concerns immediately to Ric Dunkle, ASTA's senior director for seed health and trade. ASTA is exploring with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service the possibility of asking Argentina for a delay in implementation to give companies an opportunity to prepare. Seed Association of the Americas (SAA) to Hold Phytosanitary Workshop The upcoming SAA Phytosanitary Workshop, co-hosted by the Brazilian Association of Seed Producers (ABRASEM), will take place Sept. 29-30, in Brasilia, Brazil. The purpose of the workshop is to gather public and private sector representatives and to provide a forum for information exchange on each country's phytosanitary requirements and regulatory processes for seed. The attendance of approximately 80 public and private sector participants have been invited from SAA member countries of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, U.S.A and Uruguay, as well as from Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Each representative has been asked to submit a comprehensive summary of their country's phytosanitary regulatory protocol, pest lists, seed health testing requirements and other information relative to seed import regulations. Dr. Adelaida Harries, Iowa State Seed Science Center, will serve as the facilitator of the workshop. Dr. Harries has extensive experience in seed import and export and phytosanitary accreditation for seed exports. This workshop will provide a transparent platform for government-to-government and industry-to-government exchange. ASTA, as a member of the organizing and steering committee for this workshop, is very supportive of this initiative to facilitate inter-regional communication on prohibitive phytosanitary regulations that adversely affect seed trade. For more information contact ASTA's Director of International Programs Lisa Nichols. Sept. 9 Gretchen Flanley, ASTA's vice president of communications, attended a workshop entitled "Managing Food Safety Practices from Farm to Table." Sponsored by the Food Forum of the Food and Nutrition Board under the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the workshop explored the management of food safety practices from the supply chain to the marketplace. Speakers and attendees represented a cross section of government, academia, representatives throughout the supply chain and consumer groups and provided a forum for open discussion on approaches, technologies and strategies to manage food safety risks in a global market. Sept. 14-17 Pat Miller, director for state affairs, represented ASTA at the 29th Annual State Agribusiness Association Meeting in Kalispell, Mont. ASTA also served as a sponsor to the event. Two Seedsmen Pass. Timothy J. 'Tim' Diener, 48, of Reynolds, Ind., died on Sept. 7, 2008, at Seton Specialty Hospital, Lafayette. Born Sept. 6, 1960, in Monticello, he graduated from Ball State University with a degree in marketing. Diener served as vice president for Diener Seeds for several years and was a district sales manager for Heritage Diener Seeds of Reynolds in 2008. He was a board member of the Indiana Soybean Association and the Indiana Seed Trade Association. Diener was also a member of the American Seed Trade Association. He is survived by his wife, Ann D Schley; his parents, Thomas E. 'Tom' and Marjorie A. 'Marge' Brouillette Diener of Monticello; two sons, Levi L. and Luke A. Diener, both at home; a sister, Michelle M. Filicicchia and her husband, David, of West Chicago, Ill.; and three brothers, Michael T. Diener and wife, Kristie, and Steven L. Diener and wife, Lisa, all of Monticello; and Phillip R. Diener, and wife, Donna, of Gilbert, S.C. Michael Keith Pecenka, 64, Osborne, Kan., died Sept. 5, 2008. Born on Feb. 3, 1944, he spent his career as a seed salesman for Sharp Brothers Seed of Healy and Star Seed of Osborne. He was an active member of the Society for Range Management. Pecenka is survived by his two sons, Shawn of Tescott and Greg of Phoenix; a daughter, Amy Gurtner and husband, Scott, of Dodge City; his twin brother, Greg of California; two sisters, Becky Laverentz of Pensacola, Fla., and Rosemary Ballard of Conway, Ark.; and three step-grandchildren. ASTA and its members extend our condolences to their families for their loss. Wishes for a Full and Speedy Recovery! ASTA and its members wish Jesse Smart, Western Seed Association, the best as he recovers from his recent heart surgery. His family is optimistic for a full recovery, and Jesse hopes to be home soon for the remainder of his recovery. Please keep Jesse and Susan in your thoughts as he mends. Seedsman Announces Retirement Neil Strong of Syngenta Crop Protection announced his retirement for Dec. 2008 as industry relations lead for corporate affairs. Jack Bernens, a 26-year veteran of Syngenta Seeds, has been named to replace Strong, who will serve in a transition role over the next year, consulting with the company and introducing Bernens to the organization's contacts and activities. In his position, Strong interfaced with many agricultural trade associations and other organizations, providing support for their activities. One of the most successful projects is the "Leadership at its Best" program which provides training to future agricultural leaders. Strong joined Geigy Agricultural Chemical Company (legacy of today's Syngenta) in 1970 as a sales representative, as well as part of its sales service staff, district sales manager, national specialty sales manager, regional sales director and national environmental manager. ASTA and its members extend our congratulations to Neil on his retirement. Resources on Biotechnology Released by Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC) From the University of California - Davis, the SBC announced the release of a report highlighting its research, education and outreach for 2006-2007, as well as details on several future projects for the center. Additionally, a study, led by Dr. Allen Van Deynze of SBC, evaluated current transgenic field trials in the U.S. to determine whether there were potential risks associated with such trials. From over 1,000 studies analyzed, the authors determined that while there were instances of low level transgenic material found in marketed food, none have resulted in food safety issues. It is impractical to expect 100 percent purity in any production food; however, the study was able to determine that co-existence between biotech, conventional and organic foods is possible. To access either the report or the study, please visit the center's Web site at at http://sbc.ucdavis.edu. 2009 International Conference on Horticulture to be Held in India The 2009 International Conference on Horticulture, organized by Prem Nath Agricultural Science Foundation (PNASF) and Vegetable Science International Network (VEGINET), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will be conducted on Nov. 9-12, 2009, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Guided by the theme of "Horticulture for Livelihood Security and Economic Growth," the conference is designed to provide a common forum for all stakeholders to share their experience and expertise to devise a strategy for the development of needed technologies, institutional support and enabling policies for sustainable production and marketing of horticultural products. For more information, visit http://www.pnasf.org/ich2009.htm.
Click here for a schedule of additional industry events ASTA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact ASTA at (703) 837-8140.
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Grain Handler's Database • Seed Quality Management • CSS 2008 & Seed Expo • 48th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference • 125th Annual Convention |