Seed E-News

March 12, 2004

ASTA Announces USDA-Seed Industry Workshops
ASTA is pleased to announce two important workshops that will be held in March 2004 at headquarters of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. On March 18, 2004 a workshop for native seed companies will be conducted to discuss Farm Bill implementation, opportunities for native seed companies and efforts to communicate and coordinate programs affecting native seed. The second workshop will take place on March 25 and will be devoted to organic seed issues. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be on hand to discuss implementation and enforcement of the National Organic Program. ASTA's Board of Directors established a standing Organic Committee to address issues affecting the seed industry. Both workshops will take place at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact ASTA on 703-837-8140.

Rooms have been reserved at a special ASTA group rate of $159 single/double at:

Hilton Crystal City Ronald Reagan National Airport
2399 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington VA 22202
Phone: 703.418.6800 or 800-695-7551 for reservation
Fax: 703.418.3762

Please mention that you are with the American Seed Trade Association when making your reservation. The hotel is within walking distance of the Crystal City Metro station. The closest Metro to USDA Headquarters is the Smithsonian stop. The hotel also offers complimentary shuttle service to Reagan National Airport. Visit www.wmata.com for a map of the Metro system. A taxi to USDA headquarters would cost approximately $15; a Metro ride would be approximately $5 round trip.

USDA Grants Protection to 10 New Plant Varieties
In Washington DC on March 9, 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued certificates of protection to developers of 10 new varieties of seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants. They include corn, pea, potato, rice, soybean and wheat. The 10 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 10 certificates are:

• the NP2052 variety of field corn, developed by Syngenta Seeds, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.;
• the DS-Admiral* variety of field pea, developed by Danisco Seed, Holeby, Denmark;
• the Vivaldi and Victoria varieties of potato, developed by HZPC Holland B.V., The Netherlands;
• the Honami variety of rice, developed by Nakajima Yoshio Syouten, Shiga, Japan;
• the DP 4750 RR and DP 5989 varieties of soybean, developed by D&PL Technology Holding Corp., Scott, Miss.;
• the BigSky* variety of common wheat, developed by Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, Bozeman, Mont.;
• the Tam III* variety of common wheat, developed by Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, Texas; and
• the Dapps* variety of common wheat, developed by NDSU Research Foundation, Fargo, N.D.

* 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 PVPO website.

USDA seek Nominations to fill Vacancies on National Organic Standards Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on March 8 that it is seeking nominations to fill five upcoming vacancies on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Successful candidates will be appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman to serve a 5-year term of office commencing January 24, 2005, and terminating January 24, 2010. The NOSB is a 15-member board responsible for developing and recommending to the Secretary a proposed National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances. The NOSB also advises the Secretary on all other aspects of the National Organic Program.

USDA is asking for nominations to fill the following five upcoming NOSB vacancies: organic producer (two positions), organic handler, retailer, and environmentalist. To serve on the NOSB, an individual must be either an owner or operator of an organic production operation, an owner or operator of an organic handling operation, an individual who owns or operates a retail establishment with significant trade in organic products, or an individual with expertise in areas of environmental protection and resource conservation. USDA will follow equal opportunity practices in all appointments to the NOSB. Written nominations, accompanied by resumes, must be postmarked on or before June 14, 2004, and sent to:

Ms. Katherine E. Benham
Advisory Board Specialist, National Organic Program
USDA-AMS-TMP-NOP
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 4008-S, Ag Stop 0268
Washington, D.C. 20250

For more information, contact Ms. Katherine Benham on (202) 205-7806, by fax on (202) 205-7808 or by e-mail at katherine.benham@usda.gov. For more information on the National Organic Standards Board, check out the web site at www.ams.usda.gov/nosb/.

Iowa State University receives USDA Grant to improve Seed Biosecurity
Iowa State University is the lead institution on a $900,000 federal grant to develop new ways to prevent the spread of diseases carried by seeds. The four-year project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will develop new techniques to detect seed borne pathogens, as well as training diagnosticians in using new methods. For more on this, check out the ISU web site Seed Biosecurity.

CSIRO Discovery could save Millions in breeding Rust Resistant Plants
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has identified the gene that is the ‘Achilles heel’ of rust, a common disease of plants, potentially saving millions in plant breeding and averting losses in food production. “The rust gene we identified – the ‘avirulence’ gene – effectively labels the rust as an intruder so the plant can detect the rust and turn on its defence mechanisms to prevent a rust infection,” says Dr Peter Dodds, CSIRO Plant Industry. To read more on this story follow this link, CSIRO.

UK gives Tentative Approval for GM Maize
After five years of, often bitter national debate, UK ministers say that GM crops can now – on certain conditions - be grown commercially in Britain. The Environment Secretary, Margaret Beckett, told the House of Commons that ministers had agreed in principle to the growing of a single variety of GM maize in England. However, Mrs. Beckett told MPs the government would oppose the growing anywhere in the European Union of the two other GM crops – beet and oilseed rape – involved in the recent tests (known as the farm-scale evaluations). Although the biotechnology industry is relieved, anti-GM groups predictably denounced the decision. The next step is for the variety concerned, Chardon LL, to be placed on the UK Seed List (the national list of varieties) but before any variety can be placed on the list, the devolved authorities in Scotland and Wales must give their agreement. To read more, follow this link GM Approval.

2004 Congress of the African Seed Trade Association
The 2004 Congress of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) is scheduled for March 24-26, 2004 in the historic city of Tunis, Tunisia. Since its inception in 2000, AFSTA has grown significantly in regional stature and membership. The AFSTA Congress is now the premier event for the seed industry in Africa and offers unparalleled opportunity for those that wish to develop business relationships with the African seed industry. In addition, the Congress program has been designed to foster discussion on all critical issues facing the seed industry throughout the continent. The National Organizing Committee (NOC) of AFSTA Congress has obtained a 50% discount on all flights with Tunis Air for all the participants of the AFSTA Congress. To benefit from this offer, please contact Tunis Air agency or your travel agency by specifying that you are a participant in AFSTA Congress 2004. Visas can be obtained from the Tunisian Embassy in your country. You should contact the NOC of the congress at espace.vert@planet.tn or info@afstacongress.com to request for an invitation letter to complete your visa application. The NOC has already informed all the Tunisian Embassies to facilitate delivery of the visa. Registration for the 2004 AFSTA Congress is open and registration materials and information on the Congress program, pre- and post Congress tours, can be found at www.afstacongress.com.

ISF International Seminar on the Protection of Intellectual Property and Access to Genetic Resources
ISF is organizing an international seminar on the Protection of Intellectual Property and Access to Genetic Resources in Berlin, on May 27-28, 2004, just after its Annual Congress. This is a subject that is under intense discussions at the moment, at both governmental and industry levels, as illustrated by the discussions on the adoption of the document "ISF View on Intellectual Property" in Chicago in 2002 and in Bangalore in 2003. The presentations by a panel of eminent speakers from all over the world, as well as the discussions, should facilitate the development of a new industry position in the coming months and we hope that many of you will attend. Please note that the deadline for early registration was February 28, 2004. For more information on the seminar, please follow this link IP Seminar.

World Conference on Organic Seed
On July 5-7, 2004, a conference for stakeholders in the organic seed sector will be held at the headquarters of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. Delegates are expected to include scientists, plant breeders, seed producers, farmers, certifiers, and others interested in organic farming and seed production. ASTA is represented on the conference organizing committee by Frederick ‘Chip’ Sundstrom of the California Crop Improvement Association. The conference is sponsored by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), the FAO and the International Seed Federation. The focus of the conference will be on the scientific and technical aspects of organic seed issues and participants will also evaluate regulatory requirements. Registration information and a provisional program can be found by visiting www.organicseedconf.org.

Industry and People
If you have any personnel changes, or other developments in your company, that you would like included in E-News, please send details to ppatterson@amseed.org.

Upcoming Events

May 24-26, 2004
International Seed Federation Congress
Berlin, Germany
www.worldseed2004.com

June 27-30, 2004
121st ASTA Annual Convention
Wyndham Franklin Plaza
Philadelphia, PA
Tel: 1-888.890.7333
For more information on this joint meeting with the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies, please follow this link Speakers.

November 7-8, 2004
ASTA 50th Farm & Lawn Seed Conference
Westin Crown Center
Kansas City, MO

December 8-10, 2004
ASTA 34th Soybean & 59th Corn & Sorghum Conferences and Seed Expo 2004
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL
Tel: 1-888.890.7333

January 22-25, 2005
ASTA 44th Vegetable & Flower Conference
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
San Francisco, CA.

June 19-22, 2005
122nd ASTA Annual Convention
Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Tower
Seattle, WA

July 7-14, 2006
Joint ASTA-CSTA Annual Convention
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL