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December 2 , 2009
Celebrating 2009 with ASTA's TOP TEN! As December approaches, the bustle of the holidays and the beginning of a new year have everyone in such a flurry that there is little time to reflect on the year as it comes to a close. Over the past year, ASTA's Seed E-News informed members, partners and colleagues about the many activities of the Association. As we near the end of 2009, ASTA reflects on the monumental year it has been in agriculture, specifically the seed industry, and the impact ASTA, the association representing all sectors and segments of the seed industry, has had over that year. There are so many great moments, memories and accomplishments to capture, but during this busy time of year, we hope you have fun with this TOP TEN, remember some good memories of your own and looking forward to building on this year's successes in 2010! Top Ten Reasons ASTA Members can be Proud of 2009! 10. ASTA members don't need phytosanitary certificates! ASTA members and staff "moved freely" to advance the international strategic goals in each of ASTA's priority markets, Argentina, Brazil, China, India and Mexico. The key issues are phytosanitary regulations, intellectual property rights and biotechnology, specifically the matter of low level presence. If you would like to get more active in 2010, inquire about ASTA's Country Working Groups today! 9. If there is one thing, ASTA surely knows how to meet. In some associations you may hear people grumbling about this meeting or that one, but ASTA members work with staff to develop the programs for all four of ASTA's conventions as well as division and committee meetings. Meetings offer an opportunity to hear from prominent people in agriculture, exchange ideas to address issues facing the seed industry, conduct business and network. What is your favorite ASTA meeting memory from 2009? 8. ASTA members gave back. ASTA Gives Back, a community service program, returned in 2009 with an exciting three-way partnership between ASTA, Seed Programs, Inc. and the Ronald McDonald Charities of Tampa, host city of ASTA's 48th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference. Convention attendees lent a landscaping hand at the Serenity Garden of the Ronald McDonald House to beautify the area for its residents. Consider offering a hand at the next ASTA Gives Back on Jan. 24, 2010, at the 49th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference! 7. It may have seemed like a gimmick, but ASTA members told it straight. Whether ASTA staff drew a crowd at their booth at Commodity Classic with a fun "seed" game, or ASTA members hit the halls of state and federal offices, ASTA represented the interests of the seed industry, providing factual information and positions that enable its members to continue to grow and bring new innovation and technology to the world. A game provided an opportunity to have a more in-depth conversation about the importance of intellectual property protection and what that means to a grower. A meeting with the right person conveyed why an international treaty is so critical to the work of the seed business. 6. ASTA is right up there with Craftsman. ASTA develops valuable tools for ASTA members, seed industry customers and policy makers. For example, ASTA broadly distributed information and offered public access to the new Guide to Quality Seed Management Practices. In Congress, along the agriculture value chain and among nations setting standards in international forums, ASTA staff and members demonstrated and explained how the multimedia, interactive resource guide addressed the development and production of seed products intended for food, feed, fiber or fuel use and for the maintenance of product integrity and purity of both biotechnology-derived seed and non-biotechnology seed. 5. ASTA cCustomers get the 411 on the 911. It may not seem like an emergency, but if you managed a local hardware store facing a stop sale issued by a state official on your inventory of grass seed, what would you do? Representatives of ASTA's Lawn Seed Division, the USDA's Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch, the Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO) and several regional seed associations developed the "Retailers Guide for Proper Handling and Storage of Lawn Seed Products" provides direction to the retailer on how to properly handle and store lawn seed in a retail store environment. In another effort to help commercial growers of fruits and vegetables, ASTA has now made available commercial grower guides on two diseases, bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) and bacterial cancer of tomato (Cmm), these producers face. The guides were developed to provide recommendations to growers in understanding, preventing, identifying, controlling and eliminating these two diseases. 4. ASTA Grows People. Well, not literally! Succession planning has become a hot business topic in recent years. As the Baby Boomer generation begins to retire, the seed industry works to develop new talent to enter the industry, new leaders to drive the industry and the talent to keep the industry strong. ASTA has a wide range of programs that target an array of students, new employees and emerging executives. Learn about the ASTA Management Academy, Future Seeds Executives (FuSE) and more on ASTA's Web site. 3. ASTA members navigated the beltway like Mario Andretti. Known as "inside the beltway" to the movers and shakers, Washington, D.C. is at the heart of many policy decisions that impact the seed industry. ASTA worked hard to address a wide range of important issues to the seed industry, including conservation, research, food safety, biotechnology, intellectual property and more. Contact ASTA to learn how to help in the efforts and best make those turns around the policy race track. 2. ASTA has Phyto-Man! Yes, that is ASTA's very own Senior Director of Seed Health and Trade Ric Dunkle who provides knowledge and insight into the best way to address phytosanitary issues and work with partners such as USDA's Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service and similar government entities around the world. The rest of ASTA's staff have super powers as well - ready to help ASTA members when they face a challenge, or even better, are ready to pursue an opportunity! 1. ASTA members are a class act. It's not the individual accomplishments, the one meeting with Congress or the person asked to give a presentation overseas, it is the collective work and vision of the members of ASTA, their hard work and dedication to reaching the goals set for by the Association that make an impact. We work together for our future - the future of the U.S. seed industry and the future of American agriculture.
Happy Holidays from ASTA The ASTA staff wishes everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with peace and joy. The ASTA office will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1 in observance of the holiday season. With CSS 2009 & Seed Expo around the corner, and the holidays quick to follow, Seed E-News will resume again after the New Year. Happy Holidays! It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like ASTA's CSS 2009 & SEED EXPO! It's hard to believe next week is already the arrival of ASTA's CSS 2009 & Seed Expo to Chicago, the largest seed industry convention in the U.S. To prepare for your arrival, ASTA prepared some frequently asked questions about conference registration and wants to introduce you to the exhibitors at Seed Expo 2009 (password: harVest) to help you plan your itinerary. This year's Seed Expo is even bigger and better with 117 exhibitor companies, including several new participants, 15 Expo Meeting Suites for company appointments (including some that are available to rent by the hour for impromptu appointments!), and a visit from exhibitor consultant Fred Fox, who will conduct one-on-one conversations with exhibitors and provide not two seminars on marketing techniques both for exhibitors and attendees. Registrants can request a copy of the attendee list by contacting Hiranthie Stanfordat the ASTA office (for registrants only) in order to line up your final appointment schedule now. Don't forget to build in time for the very valuable research conference sessions featuring a variety of experts in corn, sorghum and soybeans and be sure to review the entire convention schedule for ASTA committee and division meetings, not to mention the FREE Exhibitor Marketplace grand opening of Seed Expo 2009 and the Seed Expo Reception on Wednesday, December 9! It's a better time than ever to attend the CSS and Seed Expo - we are looking forward to seeing you there! "ASTA Gives Back" Returns for the 49th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference "ASTA Gives Back" is a program of community service that began when ASTA visited New Orleans in 2007 with our 47th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference. Volunteers in the project that year were brought to the New Orleans Botanical Gardens, which had been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, for a day of refurbishing and adding their own seeds to rebuild the park. Participants found the experience so rewarding that the tradition has continued, with a trip to the Ronald McDonald House of Tampa Bay in February 2009. For 2010, "ASTA Gives Back" will feature a trip to Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, a 180-acre cultural institution designed to commemorate Las Vegas' dynamic history and to provide a vision for a sustainable future, to allow volunteers a day of learning in which they will assist in collecting seed in the Preserve's Conservation Garden, then learn step-by-step how to clean, document and prepare seeds for storage until they are planted in the greenhouse. The project is supported through sponsorships by Becker Underwood, Bejo Seeds, Inc., HeinzSeed and Seminis, Inc. and is free to participants. Be sure to select the "ASTA Gives Back" checkbox when registering for ASTA's 49th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference, being held Jan. 23-26, 2010, at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa. NEWSFLASH: Hotel Rates Revised for ASTA's 49th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference! Attendees of ASTA's 49th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference, being held Jan. 23-26, 2010, at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, in Las Vegas, Nev., will now pay $29 less per night at the host hotel. Due to economy fluctuations since the time of securing the hotel for the event nearly two years ago, ASTA has negotiated a revision to the former $199 rate for ASTA members and attendees. The Red Rock Hotel, located fifteen minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, will offer ASTA attendees a new $170 for the nights of Jan. 22-26, and will also offer a $120 per night rate for the nights of Jan. 21 and 27. These rates will apply to both existing and new reservations in the ASTA group block and will be changed automatically by the hotel for those who are already reserved there. The normal $24.99 resort fee at the hotel is also waived for ASTA attendees in the group block. ASTA has also made available a limited number of one-bedroom suites for just $250 per night, which include a living room "parlor" where private company meetings can be held. Finally, while the resort does offer a complimentary shuttle to and from the Las Vegas Strip for your leisure time, it can be even more costly (as much as $90 round trip during peak hours) and time-consuming to travel to and from the Strip on a daily basis, despite some hotels offering room rates to undercut our convention hotel. ASTA members and friends are highly encouraged, for all of these reasons, to be sure to book your room within the ASTA group block at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa for the 49th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference in order to maximize your time and value while in Las Vegas. Hotel reservations are in effect at this special rate until January 4, 2010 (password: ASTA). Legislative Calendar Winds Down for Congress Congress returned to Washington, the week of Nov. 30 from its Thanksgiving break after a very close procedural vote in the Senate on Nov. 28 on health care. Along party lines, the Senate agreed to begin the debate on health care reform. The legislative calendar is now winding down, with some remaining issues to be completed in 2009. They include:
A number of other issues that do not directly touch agriculture also require debate, including coming physician payment changes under Medicare; increased troop levels in Afghanistan; expiring portions of the Patriot Act; and the nation's debt limit. Though Senate leadership has indicated debate over climate change legislation will not be pushed until later in 2010, President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have agreed to work together on climate change issues. The Obama Administration has announced the President will attend international climate change talks in Copenhagen later in December. ASTA continues to follow all of these issues, in addition to the debate over food safety legislation likely to be considered next year, and a number of trade priorities, including the pending free trade agreement with Colombia.
ASTA Participates in Second Annual China Seed Expo and Summit The second annual China Seed Expo and Summit took place in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, on Nov. 25-27. The expo and summit were supported by China's Ministry of Agriculture. ASTA member, John Mizicko, General Manager Seed Quality Services for Eurofins STA Laboratories, Inc., represented ASTA in Guangzhou. The events attracted many domestic and international representatives from the global seed industry. At the Seed Summit, Mizicko presented on the importance of 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. "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 Mizicko. ASTA plans to stay engaged with the representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture Agricultural Trade Promotion Center whom ASTA has worked with to participate in these type of events in China. A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture will be present at ASTA's upcoming CSS 2009 and Seed Expo in Chicago, Dec. 8-11. For more information, please contact Lisa Nichols. ASTA Participates in USDA Cooperator Conference ASTA staff attended the FY2010 U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council Annual Workshop in Baltimore, Md. As a designated cooperator with the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), ASTA attended the sessions to gain insight in the agricultural issues around the world, improve management under these FAS programs and network with various FAS representatives. ASTA Director of International Programs Lisa Nichols was invited to speak on a panel highlighting FAS Cooperators, "Successful Market Access Strategies," specifically related to ASTA's partnership and development of Regional Seed Associations. Nichols spoke about ASTA's involvement, support and success of the Seed Association of the Americas', and gave specific examples of how this strategic partnership has been extremely effective in working on phytosanitary constraints to trade in the region. In addition, FAS held a course entitled "FAS 101 for New Cooperator Staff" and a one-day course on "Results Oriented Management and Strategic Planning." ASTA was represented at these meetings both by Nichols and Manager of International and Domestic Programming Anna Burks. Dec. 1-2. ASTA Vice President for Government Affairs Leslie Cahill participated in the National Invasive Species Council Advisory Committee meeting in Washington, DC. The agenda mostly focused on climate change and invasive species. The 25 member council represents a diverse cross section of agriculture and agribusiness, including the seed industry. Appointments to the council are for three years. The council provides advice and perspective to the Administration, Congress and scores of federal agencies and departments. Pioneer Hi-Bred Chairman Oestreich to Retire On Dec. 1, DuPont announced that Dean C. Oestreich, DuPont vice president and Pioneer Hi-Bred chairman has elected to retire effective Dec. 31. Oestreich was named chairman in November 2007 and has been instrumental in developing long-term business and growth strategy for Pioneer. He plans to remain active in business following his retirement, working with Pioneer and others to further increase agriculture productivity. An active member and leader in ASTA, Oestreich served on the ASTA Board of Directors and Executive Committee, as well the International Committee. Oestreich joined Pioneer in 1974 as a corn breeder and quickly moved up the ranks to leadership positions in information management, production operations, international sales operations and North America business management. He was named a Pioneer vice president in 1999 and became the 10th president of Pioneer in January 2004. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of Alliant Energy; is a director for the Chinese Cultural Center of America, a member of the Iowa Business Council; and serves on the executive committee of the Biosciences Alliance of Iowa, as well as the board of directors for the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. "We wish him success in his new endeavors and greatly appreciate his support and commitment to the industry and Association," said ASTA President and CEO Andy LaVigne.
Government Reports USDA
USDA/AMS USDA/ARS
USDA/ERS
USDA/GIPSA USDA/RMA
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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129th Annual Convention • 2011 Farm & Lawn Seed Conf. • CSS 2011 & Seed Expo • 51st Vegetable & Flower Seed Conf. |