The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) announced the winners of its 2018 seed industry awards last week during the Policy & Leadership Development Conference in Washington, D.C. The ASTA Distinguished Service award was presented to Osama El-Lissy, Deputy Administrator for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). The award recognizes those whose efforts …
ASTA Elects 2018-19 Officer Team
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is pleased to announce its 2018-19 officer team, officially elected during the ASTA Policy & Leadership Development Conference in Washington, D.C. The members of the 2018-19 ASTA officer team are: • Chair – Jerry Flint, Corteva Agriscience™ • First Vice Chair – Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds • Second Vice Chair — John Latham, Latham …
ASTA Policy and Leadership Conference Next Month
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) will be in Washington, D.C. June 9-13 for the new ASTA Policy & Leadership Development Conference. This new event combines ASTA’s annual convention, which has been held each June in different locations for the past 134 years, and the organization’s annual Storm the Hill lobbying day on Capitol Hill. Educational session tracks will cover: …
ASTA Pleased With USDA Decision on Gene Edited Plants
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is pleased with the clarification made by USDA last week regarding oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques, including gene editing. “The (USDA) announcement really clarifies the practice they’ve had had ongoing for the last couple of years in that products created through gene editing don’t need to go through pre-market, regulatory …
USDA Has No Plans to Regulate Gene Edited Plants
USDA has no plans to regulate “plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests,” according to an announcement yesterday from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This includes a set of new techniques that are increasingly being used by plant breeders to …
Cold Tolerant Berseem Clover Provides Frost Seeding Option
As cold as it has already been this winter in so many areas, Frosty Berseem Clover might be just the ticket for farmers and ranchers implementing frost seeding into their hay and pasture systems. Grassland Oregon was recently awarded a patent for Frosty Berseem Clover, making it the first cold tolerant berseem clover suitable for frost seeding in the United …
Agri-Pulse Launches Breeding Edge Editorial Series
Agri-Pulse has launched a new seven-part editorial series, “The Breeding Edge,” focused on new scientific discoveries, genetic research, and systems for precision breeding for producing food, protecting the environment, and improving animal health. “Animal and plant breeders are trying out a set of powerful new tools which have the potential to revolutionize agricultural practices and provide consumers with more healthy …
Soybean Growers Lose $1.6 Billion Annually to SCN and SDS
Diseases like Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) continue to plague soybean growers to the tune of $1.6 billion per year, based on USDA 2016–2017 marketing year projection for average soybean price of $9.10 per bushel. Those two diseases contribute to the largest number of bushels lost for soybean farmers, who sometimes don’t even realize disease is …
SMART Farmer Jerry Flint
Jerry Flint may not technically be a farmer, but he did grow up on a farm in Ohio and his entire career has been focused on delivering new innovations to smart farmers. In addition to being vice president of regulatory affairs for Dow DuPont Agriculture Division, Flint is also first vice chair for the American Seed Trade Association, and his …
Chromatin Growing Sorghum Improvements
The first S in the CSS 2017 and Seed Expo is for Sorghum, which was one of the first two crops that started the annual conference back in 1945 as the Corn & Sorghum Conference. Sorghum has come a very long way since then and improvements being made in the crop could make a major difference in developing countries, according …