Seed E-News

June 10 , 2010

Welcome to the electronic newsletter of the American Seed Trade Association(ASTA) for members, allies and stakeholders. Please feel free to forward the Seed E-News to others you believe might wish to receive news about the seed industry. Questions, comments and your industry news are welcome — contact Julie Douglas at ASTA. Past issues can be viewed here .

In This Issue • ASTA News • Out & About • FuSE • Please Remember

ASTA News

Keep treated seeds from entering the U.S. grain, oilseeds supply; keep out of bins

Growers and grain and oilseed handlers should be extra cautious not to store treated seeds in grain bins or other locations where it could get mixed with commodity crops.

"Treated seeds in commodity shipments are a multi-commodity problem and warrant the attention of the entire supply chain," said Gary Martin, North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA). "With food safety scares at the forefront of public and official concern, our exports are subject to increased scrutiny in many markets.

"Treated seeds have gained increased attention from many import control officials and are a sure way of increasing the costs and reducing the competitiveness of our grains and oilseeds export markets."

Few concerns can be as damaging to supplier reputation for quality and safety of agricultural products as the presence of seed treatment compounds in commodities intended for use in food and feed, he said.

This is an industry-wide effort and everyone needs to do their part to comply with the U.S. law and prevent treated seeds from entering the commodity supply. Exports for U.S. grains, feeds and oilseeds are valued at nearly $50 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service.

The American Seed Trade Association in support of NAEGA encourages seed producers to do their part and make sure they don't put treated seeds in the same grain bin or truck as commodity crops without prior cleaning.

"It is important that the entire supply chain be vigilant in mitigating the rare circumstances when pesticide treated seed are mixed in with grain shipments," said Andy LaVigne, ASTA president and CEO. "We ask that you maintain high standards in how treated seed is handled in order to prevent it from entering the supply chain."

USDA starts the 2012 Farm Bill process

It's not 2012, but Congress and many in the agricultural community are already looking ahead to the next farm bill.

For the American Seed Trade Association and its members, the farm bill presents abundant opportunity for input, explained Leslie Cahill, vice president of government affairs. "Even though today's farm bills designate nearly three quarters of the funding to nutrition and related programs, production agriculture is still important and especially so to the seed industry."

However, Cahill said there's more to the farm bill than nutrition. For members of the seed industry, trade, aid, research, competition, organic, horticulture, energy and conservation, and production agriculture rely on quality seed. From technology, to conventional plant breeding to organic operations, seed is the foundation of the agricultural system.

"This time around, leadership in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate has signaled that they intend to write the farm bill," Cahill said. "They will do so with much input and perspective from the farm community and with advice and counsel from scores of trade associations, commodity groups and farm organizations."

Basically, the farm bill will be a piece of legislation that impacts many and has the fingerprints of many, too.

Cahill noted that ASTA will continue to weigh in on existing programs and offer input on new initiatives. Our diverse membership gives us many options and entry points for involvement.

"The overwhelming majority of our members are small and medium size companies, so input is particularly critical," she said.

The farm bill is a complex piece of legislation. Most likely the new farm bill will have several themes as witnessed by past bills. Food safety, trade, organic agriculture and energy/conservation will no doubt demand increasing time for debate. There are other issues, too. During the summer, there will be many opportunities for involvement and participation.

"We're already advising our state/regional associations on field hearing schedules and we are in the process of developing issue briefs and statements that will outline seed industry perspective and impact," Cahill said.

Furthermore, she noted that the process will be long and engaging, but it will be driven by budget realities.

"In other words, long debates, dwindling budgets and hard decisions lie ahead," she said. "What is certain is the continued reliance on and expectation for quality seed, which begins with every ASTA member."

ASTA supports U.S. - Mexico relationship

The American Seed Trade Association along with nearly 80 other organizations signed an open letter to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress supporting the United States' relationship with Mexico.

The letter reads:

"As the United States welcomes Mexican President Felipe Calderón, the undersigned organizations and businesses want to remind you and the American people of the close relationship and vital economic ties the United States has with our neighbor to the South.

Mexico has become over the past 20 years a true multi-party democracy, with a free press, competitive elections, and checks and balances in its federal government. Mexico is an important ally to the United States on many issues, a friendly country and a good neighbor that espouses many of our core values. Mexico today has a functioning market economy, with a majority of its citizens now classified as middle class.

These impressive changes can be largely attributed to the policies implemented by Mexico as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which includes the United States, Canada and Mexico. NAFTA has allowed Mexico to grow its way into an upper middle economy - one of the world's top 10 - and to establish the kind of stable market-based system necessary to build a modern liberal democracy. At the same time, the United States has reaped the benefits of that agreement, with Mexico becoming our second largest (and growing) export market.

As you know, exports are critical to the United States, and the new National Export Initiative reflects the correct vision and urgent need to find in our exports the platform for a sustained recovery. Increasing exports is the wise and proper approach to reducing our current account deficit, but it can only be done by deepening - not abandoning - our successful North American partnership with Canada and Mexico and by establishing similar relationships with other countries around the world.

It is our firm belief that we must cooperate with Mexico to make full use of North America's potential. Greater integration between our nations will result in a more efficient production chain and will enhance the region's competitiveness. Therefore, our shared objective should be to jointly enter new and growing markets such as China and Brazil.

In the current global economic environment, the United States must set an example to the world and, more importantly, to our NAFTA partners about the importance of trade relationships. One important first step would be to resolve the trucking issue. When NAFTA was negotiated it was agreed that the borders of the three countries would be open to trucks as long as they complied with all regulations applicable in the country of destination. Solving this issue would decrease freight costs and delivery time in North America, but more importantly, it would improve our relationship with Mexico and would promote the integration between our nations.

It also is imperative that the United States and Canada continue to support Mexico's efforts in its war on drugs, mainly in fighting money laundering and the North-South arms trade. Our common success is not only relevant as a law enforcement matter but also as a regional security issue that is directly related to our competitiveness in world markets.

Certainly, there are many other areas in which we can find common ground, and we urge you to work to strengthen the economic ties between Mexico and the United States and to make stronger our NAFTA partnership with Mexico and Canada."

"In signing this letter, we joined a great group that represents a broad cross section of American agriculture," said Leslie Cahill, ASTA vice president of government affairs. "This is an issue that impacts many individuals on many fronts and it's just the right thing to do."

For more information about this issue, contact Cahill at 703-837-8140 or lcahill@amseed.org.

New Networking Opportunities at ASTA's 127^th Annual Convention

Attendees at the American Seed Trade Association's 127^th Annual Convention will see a number of new networking spaces, both physical and virtual, upon their arrival in San Antonio June 26. "Traders Post" debuts this year, sponsored by ASTA's Associates Division, featuring convention exhibitors, complimentary wireless Internet access, a cyber café, business center, and refreshments. The area serves as a central connection point for attendees, whose numbers have increased in the 2010 year.

Exhibitors include Becker Underwood, Inc.; Envirologix, Inc.; Greif Packaging, LLC; Indiana Crop Improvement Association; Oliver Manufacturing Co.; Pacifica Research; S&W Seed Co.; Seed World; Seed Today; and TJ Technologies, Inc.

Further, ASTA has entered the virtual realm of social networking, with the ASTA Facebook page and a new hash tag on Twitter for the convention. To stay connected, join ASTA's Facebook page and follow them on Twitter at @amseed, #ASTA_AC10.

The only ASTA convention that brings all segments of the seed industry together, the Annual Convention is a unique opportunity for industry representatives to gather and discuss challenges facing the seed industry and how they can be tackled. Not registered yet? Sign up today at http://www.amseed.org/mtg_2010ac_index.asp

Out & About

ASTA well represented at ISF's World Seed Congress

Nearly 250 U.S. seed companies participated in the International Seed Federation's 2010 World Seed Congress, held May 31- June 2 in Calgary, Canada.

Andy LaVigne, American Seed Trade Association president and CEO; Bernice Slutsky, ASTA vice president of international affairs; Ric Dunkle, ASTA director of seed health and trade; and Lisa Nichols, ASTA director of international affairs were among those in attendance.

"This was a great opportunity to meet with some of our members and work through specific trade issues that they've been experiencing, including phytosanitary issues," LaVigne said.

As a member of the International Seed Federation, ASTA has a responsibility to make sure U.S. seed companies have a voice in the international arena. During this time, ASTA representatives learn about and work on a variety of policy issues and coordinate to better meet the needs of our members on many different levels.

The general assembly, which is comprised of all International Seed Federation members, elected Tim Johnson, of Illinois Foundation Seeds, Inc., as 1^st-vice president.

During the Congress, ASTA staff met with several other associations including the Seed Association of the Americas, Asian-Pacific Seed Trade Association, African Seed Trade Association and the Kenya Seed Association.

"There is a major issue with importing edible bean seeds into Kenya, so our meeting with them was particularly important," Dunkle said.

Not only does the World Seed Congress provide an opportunity for ASTA staff to touch base with members, but also for member companies to sit down, do business and learn more about what is going on in the international arena and its implications on them.

Future Seed Executive (FuSE)

FuSE panel features keys to recruiting and retaining talent at upcoming conference

The Future Seed Executives Committee in a joint effort with the American Seed Trade Association's Management Skills Committee will host a joint meeting June 28 in San Antonio, Texas, at ASTA's 127^th Annual Convention.

A panel discussion, "Attracting, Developing and Retaining Talent:  A Perspective from Industry Executives and Young Professionals," is part of the meeting scheduled from 4-5:30 p.m.

"The panel is designed to provide an open forum that combines the industry knowledge and experience of long-time experts with the goals and ambitions of the FuSE Campus Connections students," said Anna Burks, ASTA staff liaison for FuSE.

Campus Connections helps facilitate interaction between seed industry professionals and senior executives and undergraduate students working towards a career in the seed industry.

The panel will discuss how to provide challenges and rewards to talented employees, career mapping, how to keep talented individuals in the organization, what small and large companies can learn from one another, the role of technology in the workplace, and attracting new talent and integrating new talent with existing talent.

Industry panelists include:

• David Pickenpaugh, president and general manager, Integrated Coating and Seed Technology (INCOTEC)
• Ron Wulfkuhle, chief executive officer, Greenleaf Genetics, LLC
• Mark Herrmann, president, Corn States, LLC

Student panelists include:

• Lauren Hasse, a senior studying agricultural economics at Purdue University
• Matt Mattia, a senior studying agronomy at Iowa State University
• Pete Thome, a senior studying agricultural food and environmental sciences at University of Wisconsin, River Falls
• Michael Fosdick, a senior studying agronomy at Iowa State University

The meeting is open to all conference attendees and questions and discussion are encouraged.

Please Remember

Frank Ross

Frank Ross, a top executive at Pioneer Hi-Bred, passed away Monday night (June 7) after suffering a heart attack May 23. He was 48. Ross, who joined Pioneer in 1987, was the vice president for global commercial business, overseeing plans and direction for North America, Europe, Latin America/Africa and Asia Pacific. During his career, he served in many other positions at Pioneer. Ross is survived by his wife, Julie, and his three children, Brandon, Jenny and Sidney.

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.