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October 21, 2005 Landmark Agreement reached in Wheat Seed Piracy Case In the settlement, Tribune Grain admits to selling TAM-110 seed wheat and other proprietary products in violation of the federal Plant Variety Protection Act and Title V of the Federal Seed Act. Under these laws, Tribune Grain is not authorized to sell, market, expose for sale, deliver, consign, ship, store, dispense to another party or condition proprietary seed without permission from the owners. Paul Morano, National Marketing Manager for AgriPro Wheat, says that this out-of-court settlement shows seed developer’s reluctance to immediately involve the court system to solve all matters of intellectual property infringement. According to Morano, the matter could have been resolved directly in federal court rather than seeking an out-of-court agreement. “Our focus is to develop the best products possible to add value on the farm. We are committed to superior genetics and high seed quality. State certification is the only quality assurance program nationally available to ensure that farmers are receiving high quality seed. Most variety development programs, including public universities, utilize this type of protection and quality control system.” According to Jim Sipes, President of AGSECO, “AGSECO is committed to protecting our intellectual property rights. The only way to ensure a continuing supply of new, superior varieties is to allow the breeder or developer of these varieties to recoup and re-invest in variety development. Violators of PVPA not only hurt the seed company, they also cheat the producers who lawfully purchase certified seed and support these breeding programs.” AgriPro Wheat, AGSECO and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station are suppliers of basic wheat seed genetics to farmers. Each seek federal protection to defend its investment in genetics and each make a Title V election to ensure that seed can only be sold under a state certification program. AgriPro Wheat develops and markets proprietary wheat seed through its network of Associates, to include numerous wheat varieties in the Great Plains such as Jagalene, Cutter, Dumas, Longhorn and Fannin. AgriPro Wheat Associates also have exclusive marketing rights for TAM 111 and TAM-400, developed by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. AGSECO members also market wheat varieties in the Great Plains to include their proprietary products Westbred Keota, Onaga, Shavano, Protection and Santa Fe. AGSECO members have an exclusive right to market TAM 110 wheat seed outside Texas. Both AgriPro and AGSECO have determined that as protected by federal law, seed of their proprietary products may only be sold as a class of certified seed and only through designated seed outlets. The Plant Variety Protection Act permits farmers to save their own seed but not to trade or sell any of their production except as grain. Additionally, farmers who purchase illegally traded seed may be subject to penalties similar to those imposed on the seed seller. According to Mr. Morano, most farmers and seed suppliers understand and abide by the federal seed law. His advice to farmers, “if in doubt, ask for a tag on the seed you buy. A legal purchase of a PVPA protected variety will come with a certified seed tag or a bulk seed certificate. If a seed seller doesn’t have a tag for it, it could be illegal seed.” AgriPro Wheat, headquartered in Berthoud, Colorado is a part of the wheat business unit of Syngenta, a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station is a component of the Texas A&M University System in College Station, Texas. AGSECO is a cooperative of Great Plains seedsmen with their primary business office in Girard, Kansas. For any additional information, contact Paul Morano at AgriPro, 970-532-3721; Jim Sipes at AGSECO, 620-493-4693 or Steve Ahring at AGSECO, 620-724-6223. Attention: PVP Users Information Needed 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 ASTA Officer Nominations 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:
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 Don Wertman Paul Bennett ASTA Announces Third Workshop with APHIS Nominations for Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st
Century 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 Forms may also be submitted by fax to (202) 690-4265. More Information. National Organic Standards Board to Meet November 16 – 17 November
2005 NOSB committees (Crops, Livestock, and Handling) will present and propose, to the full board, recommendations concerning the continued use or prohibition of substances being reviewed under the Organic Food Production Act’s sunset provisions for the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. The NOSB will vote on these recommendations. The NOSB will also receive an update from the National Organic Program (NOP) and hear committee progress reports regarding work plans and proposed actions. Time has been scheduled on Nov. 16, 9:40-11:45 a.m., for public input on sunset review. On Thursday, November 17, 3:00-5:00 p.m., time has been scheduled for public input on pasture for organic livestock. Separate sign-up sheets will be maintained. Those wishing to provide comments to the NOSB should mail their requests to: Katherine E. Benham or send requests by fax to (202) 205-7808 or by e-mail to Katherine.benham@usda.gov by close of business November 11. If any time remains, sign-up for additional public input will be allowed at the meeting. For more information, call (202) 720-3252. For additional information, see the NOP homepage. 6th ISTA Proficiency Test on GMO Testing Laboratories interested in participating should please contact the ISTA Secretariat as soon as possible. More details can be found in the Annoucement posted on the ISTA Website. California County Argues Over Financial Impact of GMO Initiative
The only GMOs being used in Sonoma County are Roundup Ready corn, and to a smaller extent, alfalfa, which are licensed by Monsanto Corporation. Roundup Ready corn is used to feed cattle, and is produced on less than .02 percent of the county's 1 million acres. In Petaluma, the initiative most directly affects dairy farmers at this point, and potentially impacts a much greater population if additional GMOs become available for other crops. Full Story. Soybean Rust Web Sites
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 21, 2005.
Industry and People Pioneer Introduces 22 New Soybean Varieties for 2006 Season
INCOTEC Reaches an Agreement with Ball Holland to Acquire Flower
Seed Technology EnviroLogix Delivers Next Generation Test to Detect the Use
of Unauthorized GMO Soybeans in Brazil 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 December 7-9, 2005 January 28-31, 2006
Other Upcoming Events October 2005 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 Seed Sampling Training
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 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 Seed Sampling Training February 2006 March 2006 Spring 2006 June 2006
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Grain Handler's Database • Seed Quality Management • CSS 2008 & Seed Expo • 48th Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference • 125th Annual Convention |