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Seed E-News
October 14, 2005
Attention: PVP Users Information Needed
ASTA is interested in hearing from members that utilize the PVP
symbol and the accompanying "IMPROVEMENT THROUGH RESEARCH"
language. The mark is owned by ASTA and we would like to know if
and how members are incorporating the language with the PVP logo
on bags and accompanying materials.
The Plant Variety Protection Act's symbol was developed for the
benefit of the seed industry by ASTA's former Plant Variety Protection
Committee and interested companies to inform farmers, dealers, and
various agricultural institutions of the benefits of the PVP Act,
which was established as federal law in 1970.
ASTA trademarked "IMPROVEMENT THROUGH RESEARCH" in 1986.
The trademark expires in 2006. To renew the trademark, ASTA must
show that it is being used.
Please contact Leslie Cahill at lcahill@amseed.org
if you are using the PVP symbol and the accompanying "IMPROVEMENT
THROUGH RESEARCH" language.
Registration Opens for Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Conferences
On-line registration for the Corn
& Sorghum and Soybean Conferences in Chicago December 7-9, 2005
is now available.On-line registrations are available until November
15, 2005 at $250 for ASTA members and $600 for non-members. After
that date, registrations can only be made on-site at $325 for ASTA
members and $675 for non-members.Register early.
ASTA Officer Nominations
Sections 4 (Nominations) and Section 5 (Nominating Committee) of
Article IX of the ASTA Bylaws define the nomination process and
the composition of the nominating committee for ASTA officers.
ASTA Board policy requires that potential names for each office
for which there is an opening to be filled at the next annual meeting
be solicited from ASTA Active members through an announcement in
the November newsletter. The policy requires that the announcement
include the names and contact information for each member of the
Nominating Committee, the positions open including the qualifications
required and a request that any Active member may contact a member
of the Nominating Committee if they have a qualified member to consider
for any of the positions to be filled. This year the announcement
is also being made in the October newsletter and in ASTA E-News.
In June 2006, the following officer positions will be filled:
- Chairman
- First Vice Chairman
- Second Vice Chairman
- Vice President of the Western Region
- ASTA Representative to Canada
- ASTA Representative to Mexico
Active members are invited to submit the names of qualified candidates
to the Nominating Committee by December 15, 2005. The selected
candidate must have demonstrated a commitment to ASTA and/or regional
and state associations through previous appropriate leadership responsibilities.
For example, the candidate of choice for Second Vice Chairman could
have served as a regional vice president or the chair of a Division,
the chair of one or more ASTA standing committees, or have comparable
experience. A regional vice president candidate may have been actively
involved in one or more ASTA committees or divisions and/or a past
officer of a regional or state association.
Members of the Nominating Committee and their contact information
are:
Sonny Beck
Beck's Superior Hybrids
6767 East 276th Street
Atlanta, IN 46031
Tel: (317) 984-3508
Email: sonny@beckshybrids.com
Don Wertman
Seedway
P.O. Box 250
Hall, NY 14463
Tel: (585) 526-6391
Email: dwertman@seedway.com
Paul Bennett
Sakata Seed America, Inc.
P.O. Box 880
Morgan Hill, CA 95038-0880
Tel: (408) 778-7758
Email: pbennett@sakata.com
Future Seed Executives 2005 - Leading and Reacting to Change
ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) initiative is pleased to announce
its fourth Educational Unit to be hosted by Monsanto
(St. Louis, MO) on Friday, October 21, 2005 (8:00 am - 3:30 pm).
During the first part of the day, participants will enjoy a tour
of Monsanto's state-of-the-art Chesterfield research facilities
and learn about Monsanto's product pipeline. Kerry Preete, Vice
President of Monsanto's U.S. Crop Production business will present
an overview of Monsanto's business and field questions from participants.
During the second part of the program, Todd
Zenger of Washington University's Olin
School of Business will lead participants through an interactive
discussion and analysis of a case study involving value capture
at Renessen,
the feed joint-venture between Monsanto
and Cargill
focused on the development of quality traits and customized products
that enhance the functionality of grains, oilseeds, and other crops.
Cost for attending this event is $100 for ASTA members and $150
for participants who are not members of ASTA. A registration
form for the October 21st event is at the end of the E-News.
Space is limited to the first 20 paid participants, so register
soon! For participants joining from out of town, FuSE will organize
an optional cash-bar social event on Thursday evening, September
20th.
FuSE Educational Units target individuals with less than seven
years of seed industry experience although seed veterans are also
welcome. 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.
For more information about other programs offered by FuSE, contact
Alexis Ellicott at (703)
837-8140. If you are interested in hosting a FuSE Educational Unit
at your facility in 2006, please contact David
Nothmann at (314) 694-6957.
A special thanks to all FuSE sponsors:
Monsanto
Syngenta
Gro Alliance
Kincannon & Reed
Lawhon Farm
Services
Fontanelle
Hybrids
Heartland
Hybrids
Jung Seed
Genetics
Landec Ag
Purdue
University
University
of Nebraska
University of Wisconsin
ASTA Announces Third Workshop with APHIS
During the 2004 ASTA Annual Convention, it was agreed that efforts
would be made to hold two APHIS-ASTA workshops each year. The third
workshop in this series is now scheduled for November 15, 2005 at
USDA in Washington, DC. This workshop will serve as an opportunity
for ASTA members to interface with APHIS officials and decision
makers on phytosanitary issues. Past workshops included issues such
as: APHIS Permitting Process; seed, pests and pathogens; soybean
rust, pest risk analyses (PRAs) for Brazil & 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. If you are interested in attending this meeting with representatives
from APHIS, please contact Barb Surian at (703) 837-8140 or by email
at bsurian@amseed.org. Information
on hotels and logistics will be announced.
Nominations for Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st
Century Agriculture
The Agricultural Research Service is requesting nominations for
qualified persons to serve as members of the Secretary's Advisory
Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21).
The charge for the AC21 is two-fold: to examine the long-term impacts
of biotechnology on the U.S. food and agriculture system and USDA;
and to provide guidance to USDA on pressing individual issues, identified
by the Office of the Secretary, related to the application of biotechnology
in agriculture.
Written nominations must be received by fax or postmarked on or
before November 14, 2005.
All nomination materials should be sent to:
Michael Schechtman
Designated Federal Official
Office of the Deputy Secretary, USDA
202B Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building
14th and Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Forms may also be submitted by fax to (202) 690-4265. More
Information.
USDA Awards $1.1 Million for Researching the Economic Effects
of Strategies to Combat Invasive Pests
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2005 — Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns
announced that universities in seven states will receive $1.1 million
in cooperative agreements to conduct research on measures for combating
harmful pests and diseases and to determine the economic implications
of preventing, controlling, or eradicating invasive pests. The agreements
announced will provide funding to research institutions in Arizona,
California, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Included
in the issues to be examined are the economic effects of phytosanitary
barriers to U.S. seed exports. Full
Story.
California County Rejects GMO Moratorium
Continuing a story published a few weeks ago, the Board of Supervisors
of Lake County, CA rejected a proposed ordinance to place a moratorium
on the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa. In a 3-2 decision,
supervisors voted against adopting the ordinance, authored by the
Lake County Coalition for Responsible Agriculture, to enforce a
30-month waiting period before Roundup Ready alfalfa could be planted
in the county. Full
Story.
GMA Conference on the Future of Food
The Grocery Manufacturers Association will be holding a Conference
on the Future of Food November 29 ö December 1, 2005 at the Ronald
Reagan Building/International Trade Center, Washington, DC. For
more information and register on-line, follow this link Future
of Food.
Shenzhou VI Not to Carry Plant Seeds
In an official announcement before the launch of the recently completed
Shenzhou VI mission, China's second manned spacecraft, it was stated
that plant seeds would not be carried. "If it were an unmanned spaceship
or recoverable satellite, we might have put experimental things
on it," said Liu Luxiang, director of the Centre for Space Breeding,
whose department selects seeds for outer space experimentation and
allocates them to breeding nurseries after they are brought back.
"An unmanned spaceship and a recoverable satellite could have a
relatively looser security demand and could expose seeds to more
cosmic radiation to cause a useful mutation," he said. "But as a
manned capsule, the Shenzhou VI has a different structure to block
radiation as much as possible and strict measures are being taken
to ensure its security."Since 1987, China has been keen on sending
plant seeds about 200 to 400 kilometers above the earth to study
genetic mutations and changes. Full
Story.
Southern Seed Association Relocates 2006 Convention to San Antonio
The Southern Seed Association's (SSA's) 87th Annual Convention has
been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Originally scheduled for New
Orleans, the meeting will be held at the San Antonio, TX Marriott
Plaza Hotel. The 87th SSA Convention will be January 14-17, 2006,
the same dates as scheduled for New Orleans.
Soybean Rust Web Sites
The following links will be maintained through October 2005,
those interested, should bookmark them:
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
October
14, 2005.
Industry and People
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
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
Online Registration
January 28-31, 2006
45th Vegetable
& Flower Seed Conference
Amelia
Island Plantation
Amelia Island, FL
Other Upcoming Events
October 2005
The USDA-ARS National Program for Plant, Microbial and Insect Genetic
Resources, Genomics and Genetic Improvement (NP 301) will be holding
a National Program Assessment and Customer Workshop October 31
- November 1, 2005 at the BWI Airport Marriott, Baltimore, MD.
An agenda for the workshop was included in the August 19, 2005 issue
of ASTA E-News.
The workshop will be held at the BWI Airport Marriott, 1743 West
Nursery Road, Baltimore, MD. A block of rooms has been reserved
until October 15, 2005 at the government rate of $133.00/night plus
tax under the name AU.S. Department of Agriculture. Please call
the hotel directly at (410) 859-8300 or register online at http://www.stayatmarriott.com/USDA/.
Please let USDA know by September 15, 2005, whether you can or cannot
participate in this Workshop by e-mailing Valorie Butler at vjw@ars.usda.gov
If you have any questions, please contact Rick Bennett at (301)
504-6252, e-mail rbennett@ars.usda.gov;
Peter Bretting at (301) 504-5541, e-mail pkb@ars.usda.gov;
John Radin at (301) 504-5450, e-mail jwr@ars.usda.gov;
Eric Rosenquist at (301) 504-4789, e-mail emr@ars.usda.gov;
Kay Simmons at (301) 504-5560, e-mail kws@ars.usda.gov;
or Rich Wilson at (301) 504-4670, e-mail rfw@ars.usda.gov.
November 2005
National 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.
Seed Sampling Training
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. of Brookings, SD will be holding a
Seed Sampling Workshop in Boise, ID, on November 29-30, 2005
just prior to the IEOSA meeting at the Doubletree Riverside. Participants
who successfully complete the workshop are eligible to become an
"authorized sampler" for ISTA Orange Certificates and
would be recognized by Canada for sampling pedigreed seed. Some
of the topics taught at these sessions include:
- AOSA, CFIA and ISTA Sampling Rules
- Proper Sampling Techniques and Methods
- Sample Intensities
- Sealing Seed Lots
- Subdividing Samples
- ISTA Certificates
- Appropriate Sampling Equipment
- Canadian Grading System
Registration fees are $250 per person. Early registration discounts
are available. Further workshops are planned for 2006. See below
for details. If you are interested in learning more about the workshops,
contact Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. on (877) 692-7611 or visit
www.mwseed.com
and click on Workshops/Training.
December 2005
A scientific meeting on "Crop Gene Flow and The Occurrence and Consequence
of Gene Introgression between Crops and Their Sexually Compatible
Relatives" will be held on December 13-14, 2005 in Kansas
City, Missouri. The purpose of the meeting is to bring together
academic, industry, government and other interested scientists for
comprehensive discussions on: 1) pollen mediated gene flow in crops;
and 2) the occurrence and consequences of hybridization and gene
introgression between crops and their sexually compatible relatives.
The program will consist of invited keynote addresses (1/2 day),
and one day of volunteer paper and posters, facilitated discussions,
and free time. More information can be found at the meeting web
page at http://www.ncwss.org/meeting/2005/GeneFlow05.htm.
Title submission instructions (September 26 deadline) for volunteer
posters and papers, as well as instructions to receive updates on
the meeting are available at the web site listed above. The gene
flow meeting will be held in conjunction with the North Central
Weed Science Society Meeting and participants are free to participate
in both meetings).
January 2006
Fourth Biennial Organic Seed Growers Conference
The Organic Seed Alliance will be holding the Fourth Biennial Organic
Seed Growers Conference on January 11 & 12, 2006 at McMenamins
Edgefield in Troutdale, OR. On January 10, 2006, they will
be holding a one day Seed Biology Short Course. You can register
for the conference and the course Here.
Contact Organic Seed Alliance info@seedalliance.org
or (360) 385-7192 for additional information.
Seed Sampling Training
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. of Brookings, SD will be holding a
Seed Sampling Workshop in Lubbock, TX. Dates have yet to be set.
If you are interested in learning more about the workshops, contact
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. on (877) 692-7611 or visit www.mwseed.com
and click on Workshops/Training.
March 2006
AOSCA Mid-Winter Meeting
The 2006 Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA)
Mid-Winter meeting will be held March 1-3, 2006 at the Embassy Suites
Hotel, Orlando. The AOSCA Board of Directors meeting will be held
March 1-2. The AOSCA Advisory Committee and the Service Development
Marketing Committee (SDMC) will meet March 3. Meeting details are
being finalized and will be posted on the AOSCA
web site as they are completed. Clicking on this link Embassy
Suites Hotel Orlando-Airport will allow you to view hotel details
and amenities. Reservation information will be provided in the coming
weeks on the AOSCA web site.
Spring 2006
Seed Sampling Training
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. of Brookings, SD will be holding a
Seed Sampling Workshop in Yuma, AZ. Dates have yet to be set. If
you are interested in learning more about the workshops, contact
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. on (877) 692-7611 or visit www.mwseed.com
and click on Workshops/Training.
June 2006
Seed Sampling Training
Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. of Brookings, SD will be holding a
Seed Sampling Workshop at their facility in Brookings, SD. Dates
have yet to be set. If you are interested in learning more about
the workshops, contact Mid-West Seed Services, Inc. on (877) 692-7611
or visit www.mwseed.com
and click on Workshops/Training.
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