January 8, 2013
- On January 8, 2013
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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 |
In This Issue |
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Report from Washington: The Farm Bill Extension and the New Congress
The new fiscal cliff law signed by President Obama last week includes what amounts to a straight nine-month extension of 2008 Farm Bill authorities. This new law makes USDA program authority retroactive to September 30, 2012, the date most farm programs expired. Savings are achieved by shifting funding for several programs from strictly mandatory to a combination of mandatory and discretionary, meaning that while previously the Secretary of Agriculture had to spend money to run a program, he can now decide to not fund specific programs at their full authorized level if he chooses or if the money isn’t forthcoming from appropriators.
Thirty-seven program areas will need specific Appropriations Committee action to get funding, including food stamp-related programs, research, energy, horticulture and organic agriculture, along with funding for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. For commodity programs, the new law extends current programs for all commodities for the 2013 crop year, and includes peanuts, sugar beets and sugar cane.The Conservation Reserve Program is maintained at a maximum enrollment of 32 million acres, and most of the biofuels programs run by USDA are also extended through the 2013 crop year, but some are not automatically funded.
With last week’s swearing-in of the 113th Congress came a change in GOP leadership on the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Agricultural: Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran was selected as the ranking Republican member, replacing Kansas Senator Pat Roberts. Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will continue to chair the committee, while in the House, Republican Congressman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma and Ranking Democrat Collin Peterson of Minnesota will maintain their leadership positions on the House Agriculture Committee.
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Highlights of the Upcoming Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference
Register today for the Jan. 26-29 Conference at the Fairmont Scottsdale to attend the following key sessions and meetings:
Sunday, Jan. 27
US/China Advanced Seed Science and Technology Conference
Representatives from 20 premier domestic vegetable seed companies in China will be attending as a result of the MOU signed in December by ASTA and its Chinese counterpart. In addition to a joint seminar on Sunday, January 27, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm in which ASTA and the China Seed Trade Association will exchange industry overviews, there will also be an opportunity for one-on-one networking between ASTA members and the visiting Chinese company representatives. Interpreters will be participating in the seminar and networking event in order to facilitate exchange.
Participation in these events is very limited, so please contact either Lisa Nichols or Kelly Crist if you are interested in attending.
Monday, Jan. 28
General Session: “The Business of the Global Seed Business”
Get an insightful glimpse beyond our borders and into the future from our three headliners:
Daniel Sumner, University of California, Davis (“Global Ag Market Trends”); Kenneth Avery, Monsanto Vegetable Seeds (“Doing Business in China: Opportunities and Challenges”); and
youth entrepreneur Katie Stagliano, of Katie’s Krops (“Feeding Families, Fighting Hunger”).
Phytosanitary Committee
Hear an important update on identifying pathogens and the American Psychopathological Society Project.
Intellectual Property Rights Committee
Learn about seed patent expiration, the Generic Event Marketing Access Accord, and ASTA’s IP education and outreach program for seed companies and universities.
Organic Workshop
Join in a discussion with Mario Puente of La Asociación Mexicana de Semilleros, A. C. (AMSAC) about coordinated efforts for getting US organic seed into Mexico.
Plus much more! Keep informed of news, exhibitions and networking opportunities at the Conference through ASTA’s online community.
Cost Increase for ISTA Certificates
Following discussion and evaluation of member feedback from its June 2012 Ordinary General meeting, the ECOM approved a proposal to increase the cost of blank ISTA Orange International Seed Lot Certificates (OICs) and ISTA Blue International Seed Sample Certificates (BICs) to cost 3.25 CHF each, effective April 1, 2013.
The ECOM plans to keep the extra income generated by this increase separate and use it to fund special projects for the benefit of the membership. Details of the fund and details of special projects will be reported at the ISTA Ordinary General meeting in June 2013.
Applications Now Being Accepted for Iowa State University’s Seed Technology and Business On-Line Graduate Program
Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Business have joined together to provide a program that meets the new challenges and opportunities that seed professionals face as a result of the demands of biotechnology, communications, and intellectual property protection. The On-line Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business (STB) provides a unique opportunity for seed professionals to grow by gaining a better understanding of the science, technology, and management that are key to the seed industry. Students can earn a degree while working anywhere in the world.
The STB program features a Master of Science in Seed Technology and Business, as well as graduate certificates in Seed Science and Technology and Seed Business Management.
Curriculum includes science, technology, and business courses with a focus on decision-making in the seed sector. The program is flexible and convenient for working professionals with content available over the Internet and on CD-ROM. The master’s degree is paced for working professionals and features a 36-month study course, which includes 36 credits and a creative component project instead of a thesis. High-quality content is delivered by expert faculty and students are part of an interactive group. Applications are being accepted until March 15 for admission in May 2013.
For more information about the Master of Science Degree and graduate certificates in Seed Science and Technology and in Seed Business, contact Simi Venkatagiri at sgiri@iastate.edu, 515-294-5681, seedgrad@iastate.edu, www.seedgrad.iastate.edu.
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It’s your membership and financial support that allows ASTA to do this work and get you the information you need. Please encourage other seed industry colleagues to join ASTA and contribute to success of the industry. |
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