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Big News from ASTA’s 130th Annual Convention!
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Nashville was the place to be last week for seed industry leaders, experts and advocates. Among the policy information and news coming out of ASTA’s 130th Annual Convention were the following:
 Craig Newman, AgReliant Genetics, succeeded Blake Curtis, Curtis & Curtis, Inc., as Chairman, John Schoeneker, HM.Clause, was elected 1st Vice Chairman, and Risa DeMasi, Grasslands Oregon, became 2nd Vice Chairman and the first woman elected to be the future Chairman of the ASTA Board.
The ASTA “Seed Advocate” program was launched to recruit and mobilize grassroots political support for pro-seed legislation at the state and federal levels.
The all-new ASTA website went live with the goal of becoming the industry’s most up-to-date source of information and resources for members, the public and the media.
The convention featured insightful speakers, lively policy discussions, fruitful working sessions – and some great Nashville entertainment! Many thanks to Blake and Terri Curtis and Tracy and Julie Talley for a very successful event. Be sure to put next year’s convention, June 11-14 in Indianapolis, on your calendar – and “Start Your Engines!”
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Report on the Farm and Appropriations Bills
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Reauthorization of the Farm Bill failed to pass the House on July 20, 2013. During the debate in the House, a number of controversial amendments were passed which resulted in an erosion of support for the bill. The seed industry vigorously opposed an amendment that threatened to eliminate the Market Access Program (MAP) co-operator program (of which ASTA is a participant) and it was soundly defeated 322-98.
There were a number of measures in the House bill which are important to ASTA and to our grower customers. House leaders are in the process of determining the best next steps but it will continue to be a difficult path to get the Farm Bill to President Obama’s desk by the time the current bill expires September 30, 2013. ASTA joined 194 organizations in supporting passage of a five-year bill that provides certainty to farmers and rural America.
Both the House and Senate appropriations committees have approved agriculture appropriations bills that fund critical USDA and FDA programs. Timing to bring the bills to the respective floors for a vote is unclear but may happen in July. Agriculture appropriations is linked to the Farm Bill in that some programs, like MAP, are funded subject to enactment of a new Farm Bill or extension of the 2008 Farm Bill. In the House, the appropriations bill will be debated under an open rule so a large number of potentially controversial amendments could be brought forward similar to the process that occurred during the Farm Bill.
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Senate Passes Immigration Bill
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The Senate passed its broad overhaul of immigration policy, 68-32, sending the measure to the House where its future is at best uncertain. The bill includes provisions giving undocumented farmworkers a fast track to legal status and establishing new visa programs to provide farms and food processors a future flow of immigrant employees.
The bill would replace the existing H-2A visa system that is limited to seasonal workers and run by the Labor Department with a broader program managed by the Agriculture Department. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, was unable to get a vote on an amendment supported by meat processors and aimed at making it easier for companies to flag job applicants who pass E-Verify checks using stolen IDs. While the final vote was taking place, Portman left his seat and went to the other side of the floor to shake hands with the co-sponsor of his amendment, Jon Tester, D-Mont.
House Republicans stated the Senate bill (S 744) was dead on arrival in the House, which has been pursuing an incremental approach to the issue. Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, set a high bar for immigration legislation, saying he would not allow a vote on any bills or a conference report unless he has a majority of the Republican Conference on board.
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Next Generation Recruiting: First-the Seed Foundation Update
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First the Seed Foundation has made tremendous inroads on the seed industry’s career outreach efforts – reaching millions of students and parents through a dedicated website, career handbook, ambassador program, and marketing materials. But the fact remains that the number of new students entering agriculture science programs is at an all-time low. With 52,000 new ag jobs opening each year, the industry has to expand this outreach if it hopes to find qualified people to fill them.
First the Seed Foundation is seeking funding to reach millions more students and parents by developing state-of-the-art seed science/career curricula for students in middle- and high-school. The following tiered partner program has been established for tax deductible donations:
- Supporter (up to $5k): Name listed in printed materials; name listed on recognition banner at FTSF displays; receives FTSF newsletter
- Champion ($5,001-25k): All of the above plus FTSF logo available for company website; up to 10 FTSF donor pins
- Patron ($25,001-50k): All of the above plus FTSF press release announcing gift and highlighting your company’s philanthropic efforts; FTSF logo available for your company’s PR and marketing materials
- Benefactor ($50,001 -100k): All of the above plus a profile in the FTSF newsletter; your company’s logo recognition in FTSF printed pieces; a link from the FTSF home page to your company’s home page
- Partner ($100k and above): All of the above plus the largest logo recognition on FTSF printed materials; a banner on the FTSF home page; verbal recognition and brief check appearance at ASTA Annual Convention Project Sponsor (Amount TBD according to project): All of the above plus title sponsor privileges for specific FTSF projects; consultant status on FTSF project specifications; additional recognition opportunities as desired, created collaboratively with FTSF and your company
Please help First-the Seed Foundation sow the seeds for your company’s future … and the future of the world!
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Sonny Beck Named To Purdue Board of Trustees
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Governor Mike Pence recently announced the appointment of Lawrence “Sonny” Beck to the Purdue Board of Trustees.
“Sonny Beck is an extraordinary Hoosier whose character, business experience in the agriculture industry and commitment to excellence make him the perfect choice to serve on the Board of Trustees of Purdue University,” said Governor Pence.
Sonny graduated from Purdue University with an undergraduate degree in Agronomy and a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and received the GA Ross Award as the top male student in the University.
Sonny is the president of Beck’s Superior Hybrids in Atlanta, Indiana, the largest family-owned seed company in the United States. He has held a variety of leadership positions within the agriculture industry including President of the American Seed Trade Association, President of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association, Vice President of the Ag Alumni Seed Improvement Association, and member of the First Indiana State Department of Agriculture Advisory Council. An active and loyal supporter of Purdue University, Beck has served as a member of the Purdue Ag Advisory Council, the Purdue University Executive Council, Parents Council, and the FarmHouse Fraternity’s Scholarship and Foundation Boards.
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“Glowing” Plants: Tools Developed to Identify Pests or Fertility Stress
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 A new technology developed by BioGlow LLC called autoluminescent phytosensor plants (ALPS) is introducing a radically new approach to agricultural monitoring. ALPS are plants capable of emitting light in response to specific stress. Elements responsive to a particular type of stress – for example pest infestation – are engineered within the plant’s DNA and stay silent until a stress condition takes place. When a stress response is triggered, ALPS start to emit light which can be detected by a simple photosensor or even by a naked eye. Dr. Alex Krichevsky, research director at BioGlow LLC, shares his views and findings to date on the potential of the technology here.
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Corn Dust Research Consortium Awards Research Grants
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The nonprofit Pollinator Partnership announced the grant award decision of the Corn Dust Research Consortium (CDRC), a multi-stakeholder initiative formed to fund research into reducing honey bee exposure to dust emitted during treated-seed corn planting.
The recipients were Reed Johnson of Ohio State University, Mary Harris of Iowa State University, and the Grain Farmers of Ontario on behalf of Art Schaafsma, University of Guelph. The research on 2013 corn planting season conditions is slated for completion this fall and for helping to inform best practice recommendations for the 2014 planting season.
The CDRC participating organizations include the American Seed Trade Association, the American Honey Producers Association, the American Beekeeping Federation, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Bayer CropScience, the Canadian Honey Council, the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the Pollinator Partnership, Syngenta, and the University of Maryland.
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Weeds, Nitrogen Discussed in Latest ‘Focus on Corn’ Webcast
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It’s no secret that weeds rob nitrogen from grain corn, but this process has not been quantified until more recently. In the latest ‘Focus on Corn’ webcast, titled “Nitrogen Management of Corn Related to Weeds,” Dr. Laura Lindsey, Associate Professor at The Ohio State University, discusses her research on nitrogen and weeds–and how it applies to the field.
The presentation helps the user answer three critical questions: How does nitrogen application rate and critical time of weed removal influence corn grain yield? How much nitrogen do weeds remove? What happens to nitrogen in weeds?
The presentation explains about the nitrogen uptake of weeds in a corn grain production system and how that nitrogen is eventually released back to the soil after weeds are controlled. “Nitrogen Management of Corn Related to Weeds” and other ‘Focus on Corn’ presentations can be viewed at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/foc..
‘Focus on Corn’ is a publication of the Plant Management Network. To get the most out of the Plant Management Network’s full line of resources, please sign up for PMN’s free electronic newsletter, PMN Update. The Plant Management Network is a nonprofit online publisher whose mission is to enhance the health, management, and production of agricultural and horticultural crops. It achieves this mission through applied, science-based resources, like ‘Focus on Corn.’
To help achieve its nonprofit publishing mission, PMN partners with more than 80 organizations, which include universities, nonprofits, and agribusinesses.
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Mid-Summer Iowa State University Summer Workshops
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ISU is once again offering a series of workshops on seed conditioning and quality testing procedures this summer. The 2013 workshop schedule is listed below and on the registration website, along with a PDF version of the workshop brochure. These are small group sessions that feature a mix of classroom and “hands on” equipment operation in our pilot plant at the ISU Seed Science Center.
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Specialty Seed Conditioning
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July 16-18
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Soybean & Small Grain Seed Conditioning
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July 22-25
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Gravity Separation
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July 30
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Gravity Separation
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August 1
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Seed Corn Conditioning
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August 5-8
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Seed Corn / Soybean Quality Testing
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August 14-15
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Routine workshop registration is handled by staff in Conference Planning and Management. Routine registration questions can be directed to Extension using the following contact information:
Iowa State University
Registration Services
1601 Golden Aspen Drive, Suite 110
Ames, IA 50010
Phone: (515) 294-6222
Fax: (515) 294-6223
Email: registrations@iastate.edu
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ASTA Historical Documents Unearthed
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Many thanks to Kelsey Heckendorn for the donation of two volumes of correspondence from her grandfather, William Heckendorn’s time with ASTA from 1948 until his retirement in 1965 as Executive Vice President. Anyone else who would like to share papers or photos from ASTA’s past are encouraged to contact Barbara Surian at info@amseed.org.
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In Memoriam
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Lee C. “Doc” Coffey
We are saddened to announce the passing of Lee C. “Doc” Coffey, 96, founder of Coffey Seed Company and father of Robyn Coffey, Willhite Seed, Inc.
“Doc” Coffey was born October 6, 1916 in Zephyr, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University, receiving BS and MS degrees in agriculture. He taught Vocational Agriculture in Richardson, Texas and married Sunshine “Sunny” Jackson in 1944. He was a county agent in Mason, Fisher, Taylor and Comanche counties before returning to A&M to be an agronomist. After receiving a Ph.D. in plant breeding from Iowa State, he returned to A&M to head the Foundation Seed program.
In 1964, Doc formed the Excel Seed Company and in 1969, he bought Willhite Seed Company, where he thoroughly enjoyed working with watermelons, cantaloupes and eventually breeding hybrids of them. Dr. Coffey returned to the sorghum industry by forming Coffey Seed Company, where he served as President for 30 years.
Ruby Mae Leamons
Ruby Mae Leamons passed away peacefully on May 30, 2013, at the age of 95. Ruby Mae’s son, Charles Leamons, is the immediate past Executive Vice-President of the Texas Seed Trade Association.
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Seeding Success
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 the success of the industry.
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American Seed Trade Association
1701 Duke Street, Ste. 275
Alexandria, VA 22314
(p) 703.837.8140 │ (f) 703.837.9365
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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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