The 130th ASTA annual meeting gave attendees an opportunity to receive an update on the progress of the Accord initiative that is a joint effort of ASTA with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). “The Accord is an industry-led framework that is meant to address situations when biotech events go off patent and how we maintain the regulatory approvals worldwide for …
Ag Disappointed in House Farm Bill Vote
The defeat of a five year farm bill in the House of Representatives was unexpected and disappointing to agricultural organizations looking forward to getting some certainty for the future after last year’s drawn out battle that ultimately ended in a one year extension of the 2008 bill. “The American Farm Bureau Federation is highly disappointed the House did not complete …
Seed Advocate Program Launched at ASTA Meeting
The American Seed Trade Association introduced their new seed advocate program at the 130th ASTA annual meeting. The intention of the program is to help grow grassroots leadership to communicate with policy makers about the seed industry. “We will provide them with the information and tools they need so they can continue that interaction with their government employees for positive …
House Farm Bill Goes Down in Defeat
Despite an impassioned plea by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas to “move this bill forward” the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM) failed on a vote of 194 to 234, with 60 Republicans joining the majority of Democrats to defeat the House version of the farm bill. “If it fails today, I can’t guarantee you’ll …
Government Taking Away Privacy
Before we get to our new Zimmpoll let’s look at the results of our latest one which asked the question, “ What is your opinion of Senate immigration bill?” From our poll results it looks like you want to see changes to the immigration bill. Our poll results: Forty-one percent said Border Security First! Sixteen percent said Bad Deal Overall, …
Hershey…..Not the Candy Bar
Another school story, but this one is about a young boy’s dedication to caring for his bucket calf. Oh, those 4-H projects that became family members… I had gone to school early one morning and was enjoying the quiet – mentally preparing for the day. The phone ringing in my room interrupted thoughts of how to creatively teach simple division. …
Food Dialogues Transparency
Yesterday’s Food Dialogues topic was, “TRANSPARENCY AND FOOD: OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO TODAY’S CONSUMER.” This was part two of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance panel discussion in Chicago on the topic. The event took place at Kendall College School of Cullinary Arts. Panelists included Ellie Krieger, moderator, RD, host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite, and New …
ASTA elects first woman to officer team
Risa DeMasi was elected as the second Vice Chair of ASTA at the 130th ASTA annual meeting. This election is marks a memorable moment for ASTA as DeMasi is the first woman to be elected an officer. She will serve a three year term in which she serves as the second Vice Chair in 2013-2014, the first Vice Chair in …
Bayer Supports Project in Honor of 150 Years
As part of Bayer’s 150th Anniversary celebration the Bayer Care Foundation has donated $790,000 to 150 projects from around the world. Nine of them are from the United States and three of them are based out of Bayer CropScience’s home state of North Carolina. The projects were chosen based on employee volunteer projects from across the country. The North Carolina …
FuSE program grows future ASTA members
The Future Seed Executives (FuSE) program was initiated as a branch of the ASTA Management Skills Committee in 2004. According to Liz Pestow, immediate past chairman of the FuSE initiative, “The focus of FuSE is to provide educational and networking opportunities to those in the industry with seven years or less experience,” Pestow said. Members involved in FuSE range from …