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April 8 , 2009
ASTA'S 126TH Annual Convention Offers Greater Value with New Format ASTA is proud to unveil a newly-reformatted Annual Convention for its 126th year, bringing a wealth of intensified educational sessions and networking opportunities for attendees at the June 20-24 event, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. A preliminary registration form was added to the convention Web site in advance of the debut of a new online registration system. An invitation for online registration will be sent to ASTA members and previous attendees within the week. The ASTA Annual Convention offers a unique opportunity to come together and learn the issues affecting the industry as a whole. It is the only ASTA convention which brings together representatives of every ASTA division, including corn, sorghum, soybean, vegetable, flower, lawn and farm seed, in addition to representatives from supplier companies and international partners. The convention theme, "Brighten Your Future with ASTA," is meant to help "illuminate" the important concept that you truly derive from ASTA what you put into it - the more you participate, the more benefit you receive. Immediately, you see the broadening of valuable industry contacts. But also, your presence at the table provides your voice in directing the future strategies and activities of ASTA. These processes were established long ago by the founders of the association, and through ASTA's members, we continue the tradition to move the seed industry forward through one of oldest trade associations in the U.S. Responding to the economic climate and the needs of its membership to maximize value for business travel expenses, ASTA has geared its programming to deliver essential industry and economic information within an expanded educational program. The former two general sessions have been expanded to four, with an additional panel discussion on intellectual property rights. Topics range from agricultural credit markets to global economics to the state of agribusiness and sustainability, all surrounding a new "Networking Hot Spot" to help you get months' worth of business done over the course of just a few days. The schedule has also been punctuated with a series of educational breakout sessions on intellectual property rights, phytosanitary issues and the return of the popular State and Regional Associations Workshop. Networking Opportunities and Special Events A number of new networking opportunities have also been created within the convention schedule to offer attendees a chance to interact with representatives from every facet of the seed industry. The new "Networking Hot Spot" features exhibitors, a central wireless Internet access area, cyber café, hosted business center, refreshments and more. The Networking Hot Spot will be located in the "central artery" of the convention space to maximize your opportunities for one-on-one conversations. A "Special Evening of Arizona Agriculture" kicks off the convention programming on a new night, with an evening tour of a local olive mill and dairy farm, with presentations by three local agricultural experts, a delectable olive oil tasting reception and an evening BBQ picnic with farm-made ice creams for dessert. All ASTA attendees are invited to take part in this event, being held on the evening of Saturday, June 20 and hosted by the Seed Trade Association of Arizona and the Arizona Crop Improvement Association. Special events continue with the traditional ASTA welcome reception, this year titled, "Saguaro Welcome Fiesta," being held Sunday, June 21 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, featuring the sights, sounds and foods of Arizona's neighbor, Mexico, with a special misting area to keep you cool and a wealth of activities for the whole family. In keeping with ASTA tradition, the Reception and Gala Banquet then caps off the special events program with a semi-formal evening to celebrate the rotation and installation of ASTA officers for the year, featuring a gourmet meal and dancing. Exhibits and Sponsorship Opportunities Opportunities are still available to bring more prominence to your company at this unparalleled ASTA event through placing an exhibit in the Networking Hot Spot or serving as a sponsor for the convention. Newly reformatted sponsorship opportunities at ASTA now include the use of product logos in addition to company logos for selected sponsorships, offering better value than ever before.
Register Now for Upcoming FuSE Discussion Group Call. ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) will hold its next Round Table Discussion Group (RTDG) conference call on contract labor management on April 28 at 2 p.m. EST. The RTDG is part of a series of quarterly conference calls moderated by senior industry members, aimed at educating future seed executives on events and topics in the seed industry. This one-hour conference call will focus on issues surrounding the use of contract agricultural labor. In addition, this RTDG will also look at policy proposals regarding immigration reform that are being debated at the federal level. The call will be moderated by Jenifer Brown, partner in the law firm of Ice Miller in Indianapolis, Ind. Ms. Brown practices exclusively in the area of immigration law and is the chairman of the firm's immigration practice. The cost to participate in the call is $10 per person ($15 for non-ASTA members). Upon registration, the call-in number and pass-code will be issued. Click here to download the registration form. Please contact Jason Laney for more information. In order to facilitate group interaction, the calls will be limited to 12 participants, so early registration is encouraged. For more information on FuSE, visit www.futureseedexecutives.com. FuSE Educational Units Registration Open ASTA's Future Seed Executives (FuSE) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the first two Educational Units of 2009. Highly popular with participants, FuSE Educational Units provide one-day educational and networking opportunities hosted by ASTA member companies in conjunction with local universities. Each Educational Unit features a company overview, sessions on various seed industry topics, a facility tour and a case study presented by a local university. "The Ed Unit that I attended was a great opportunity to meet, interact and share ideas with other industry professionals," said Ryan Parkin of Beck's Superior Hybrids. The first 2009 Educational Unit will be held at Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Ind., on July 16, with an optional social event being held on July 15. Click here to register for the Beck's Educational Unit. The second educational unit will be held at The Scotts Company in Gervais, Ore., Aug. 27, 2009 with an optional social event being held on August 26. Please click here to register for the Educational Unit at Scotts. Should you have any questions about the upcoming Educational Units, please contact Jason Laney. ASTA Executive Committee Agenda Set for April Meeting On April 16-17, ASTA's Executive Committee will convene in Washington, D.C. The ambitious agenda tackles a variety of issues facing the seed industry, as well as the association. The issues are at the state, national and international levels, such as seed legislation, public policies and phytosanitary and other trade challenges. The committee will also discuss ASTA's strategic plan, the findings of the 2008 Membership Survey, financial health and member services such as meetings and training opportunities. ASTA has confirmed guest speakers for the meeting which include former Senator John Warner (R-VA), Stephen Haterius, executive director of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and Lou Schweigert and Greg Ruehle from Independent Professional Seed Association.
Ric Dunkle joined ASTA in 2008 as Senior Director of Seed Health and Trade. In this capacity, he addresses a variety of trade issues stemming mostly from phytosanitary and technical barriers, a position that directly responds to the goals outlined in ASTA's Strategic Plan. Ric serves as the ASTA staff liaison for several committees, including Phytosanitary, Industry Relations, Emerging Diseases, Veg Tech and the Food Safety Working Group. Additionally, he is an official observer on the Phytosanitary Committee of the International Seed Federation. Ric joined ASTA following 28 years with USDA and seven years with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He spent the last eight years as the deputy administrator for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine. In addition to his service at the USDA/APHIS, Ric also worked for USDA's Agricultural Research Service. With a Ph.D. in Entomology from University of California-Davis, Ric brings to his role at ASTA a great deal of experience with plant and pest disease issues, import/export regulations, and methodologies impacting the movement of agriculture products both domestically and internationally. Born in North Carolina into a military family, Ric lived in many regions of the country. He recently built his dream home with his wife in Winchester, Va., on 11 secluded acres. He has a son and a daughter and four grandchildren. An avid gardener (from seed of course!), Ric also enjoys fishing, hiking and wine making. "I love working for ASTA and being affiliated with the seed industry," said Ric. "My background in agricultural research and regulatory programs has provided me the opportunities to help our members move seed internationally as we resolve technical problems surrounding seed science, seed health testing and related issues. The people in this industry are tremendous!" For more information on seed health trade issues or any of the initiatives Ric leads for ASTA, please contact him at rdunkle@amseed.org. ASTA Committees: Involvement = Greater Value ASTA Members Direct Seed Industry Future through Active Participation The success of ASTA depends on the active involvement of its members. Grassroots efforts, quality discussions on policy issues and strategic goals and actions are the cornerstone to ASTA's ability to advocate for the seed industry. The organizational structure of the association, ASTA's divisions and committees, enable all segments of the seed industry to prioritize what opportunities and challenges are tackled by ASTA. Divisions include Associates, Corn and Sorghum Seed, Farm Seed, Lawn Seed, Soybean Seed and Vegetable and Flower Seed. Broad subject committees, as well as those that are born out of a division, provide a forum for members to direct the association. Over the next weeks, ASTA will feature in Seed E-News a short summery of each of the committees and their current activities, as well as the leadership and staff liaison. ASTA members are encouraged to learn more about these committees. An excellent opportunity to learn first-hand what the committees are working on is at ASTA's 126th Annual Convention from June 20-24. Committee meetings are open to all unless otherwise noted. Visit the convention's Web site for a schedule, and look for more details in upcoming editions of Seed E-News. For more information, please contact Gretchen Flanley. Budget Bill Passes New York Senate without Seed Sales Fee The New York Senate passed the state's $131.8 billion budget bill late April 3, without the seed sales fee originally offered in the Governor's proposal. Grower groups and seed industry representatives came together to communicate to the government's leadership the detrimental effect of the $0.25 per $100 seed sales fee. If passed as proposed, the fee would have been the highest in the region. The New York State Seed Association, with the assistance of ASTA, mounted the grassroots lobbying effort against the fee based upon the opinion that, as structured, it would provide little or no additional protection to the seed industry or consumer. Maine Legislature Bills Scheduled for May Committee Hearing The Maine legislature has a handful of bills that are being watched closely by the seed and biotechnology industries. These include LD 965, which requires an annual reporting of genetically engineered crops; LD 804, which codifies the National Organic Program with the state laws, helping to ensure the integrity of organic agricultural crops; LD 708, which creates a moratorium on the open-air production of genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops in Maine; and LD 1202, which establishes farmers' rights in an investigation of intellectual property theft of genetically engineered material. These bills are scheduled for a committee hearing in May. ASTA will submit testimony, as appropriate. See ASTA's legislative tracking Web site for up-to-date details at any time. U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Seeks Input on Trade Barriers with India USITC has been requested by the Senate Finance Committee to analyze tariff and non-tariff measures that have an impact on U.S. agricultural exports to India. USITC announced this request on Feb. 13, 2009, in the Federal Register. ASTA has provided preliminary information to USITC staff on implications for seed trade as a result of government policies in India related to intellectual property rights and phytosanitary requirements. ASTA will gather more information from companies doing business in India as well as the ASTA India Working Group. This additional information will be provided to the USITC and written testimony will be submitted in response to the Federal Register notice. For more information, please contact Bernice Slutsky. ASTA Country Working Groups Continue to Build Strategy for USDA Funds ASTA's priority country working groups are instrumental to implementing ASTA's market strategies in Argentina, Brazil, China, India and Mexico by working to address specific constraints to the trade of U.S. seed into each market. These issues range from intellectual property rights to phytosanitary regulations to biotechnology, specifically in regard to low-level presence. Each country working group is scheduled to meet via conference call in April to continue discussions started at their recent face-to-face meetings in Washington, D.C. area held in mid-March. Each working group is currently focused on the development of ASTA's Unified Export Strategy application for 2010. This application is the mechanism for ASTA to request and receive program dollars under USDA's Cooperator Programs. Each working group also has a particular set of topics and issues they address specific to each market. For upcoming working group meeting schedules and to find out if your company still needs representation on any or all of our country working groups please contact Lisa Nichols. A brief summary of the topics to be discussed on the upcoming round of conference calls are the following:
ISF Surveys Help Direct Global Seed Policy The International Seed Federation (ISF) will survey seed companies around the world, including the U.S., to gain insight and perspective into issues, policies and regulations as they impact their businesses. From time to time, ASTA will forward out to appropriate members these surveys being conducted by ISF. Please take the time to respond to the survey so that the interests of the U.S. seed industry are represented among the many global members of ISF. Because response rates from the U.S. have been historically low, ASTA leadership and staff ask that members make a special effort to complete the surveys in the future. March 11 ASTA Vice President of Science and International Affairs Bernice Slutsky attended a reception hosted by the AgBiotech Planning Coalition for agricultural attaches from key embassies in Washington, D.C. Embassy representatives from Europe, South America and Asia attended the reception. March 12 Leslie Cahill, ASTA's vice president for government affairs, participated in a luncheon to kick-off the celebration of National Ag Week on Capitol Hill. Each year, activities are held across the nation to educate all Americans, particularly young people, of the importance of American agriculture. Other high-profile events are held in Washington to highlight agriculture's impact among legislators and other leaders. National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA). ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public's awareness of agriculture's role in modern society. March 20 ASTA President and CEO Andy LaVigne and Vice President for Government Affairs Leslie Cahill met with senior representatives of the Agricultural Retailers Association to discuss items of mutual concern with President Jack Eberspacher and Richard Gupton, vice president legislative policy and counsel. ASTA is in the process of reaching out to a number of trade associations and organizations to increase communications and identify opportunities to collaborate. French Seed Corporations Join to Create French Seed Union France is the second largest European producer and exporter of seed. On March 25, 110 French seed corporations announced the creation of the French Seed Union (UFS). The UFS will be a combination of six former professional seed associations (AFSA, SEPROMA, OLEOSEM, SPFGB, FFSFG and FNPSP). In the next six months a Pilot Committee will oversee the development of the new organization and distribute activities among three corporate commissions and six technical sections. For more information, please contact direction@sicasov.com. SGS Announces Seed Workshops for May A Seed Quality Workshop to be held May 12-13, 2009, in Brookings, S.D., will benefit quality assurance personnel, seed and genetic technologists, and others interested in seed testing analysis. Some of the agenda items for this year are: rules (AOSA, International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), Federal Seed), seed sampling and international shipments, tests of choice (purity, TZ, germination, vigor, seed pathology, biotechnology in crops) and more. Also offered in Brookings, a Seed Sampling Workshop will be held May 14-15. ISTA, AOSA and CFIA sampling rules will be reviewed, as will sampling methods, sealing seed lots, subdividing samples and a review of ISTA certificates. Participants completing the workshop will be taking the first step towards accreditation to sample for ISTA certificates. For more information on either workshop, visit www.seedservices.sgs.com and click on the workshop page.
USDA
USDA/AMS USDA/ARS
USDA/APHIS
USDA/CSREES USDA/ERS
USDA/NASS
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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2nd Seed Congress of the Americas • 127th Annual Convention |