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ASTA Says Goodbye to Lisa Nichols
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It is with fondness and gratitude that ASTA bids farewell to Lisa Nichols, Director for Science and International Affairs. During her 5 year tenure with ASTA, Lisa provided leadership and played a vital role to many successful ASTA initiatives. Among her accomplishments are the enhancement of ASTA’s international activities, including the association’s participation in the USDA Foreign Market Development and Market Access Programs, the International Executive Committee, and ASTA key country working groups; and the development and launching of the Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship. Lisa was also integral in guiding ASTA’s Organic Seed and Seed Treatment Committees. The staff and members of ASTA wish Lisa all the best in her future endeavors.
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2013 American Garden Award Winners Announced
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The 2013 American Garden Award, now in its fifth year, featured four new flower varieties chosen by their breeders for their excellent garden performance. Once these varieties were planted and put on display at the thirty-one participating gardens across the U.S. (and in Quebec), the public was invited to vote for their favorite using one of several voting methods. The winners were:
Most Popular! Grand Prize Winner:
 Verbena ‘Lanai® Candy Cane’ by Syngenta Flowers.
Second Place Winner:
 Zinnia ‘Zahara™ Cherry’ by PanAmerican Seed.
Third Place Winner:
Impatiens ‘SunPatiens® Compact Electric Orange’ by Sakata Ornamentals.
The American Garden Award program is administered by the All-America Selections® Display Garden program.
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Anna Ball Inducted into Floriculture Hall of Fame
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 Anna Ball, Chief Executive Officer and owner of the Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Ill., received the floral industry’s greatest honor – induction into the Society of American Florists (SAF) Floriculture Hall of Fame. The announcement brought hundreds of industry members to their feet for a standing ovation during the Stars of the Industry Awards Dinner held in September 21, 2013, in Phoenix at the close of SAF’s 129th Annual Convention.
“The Floriculture Hall of Fame is truly the floral industry’s highest achievement. It means that the recipient has made a permanent and significant contribution to the advancement of floriculture,” said SAF Awards Committee Chairman Terril Nell, Ph.D., AAF.
Ball has led her company through an aggressive and energetic breeding program to provide better performing impatiens, petunias and dozens of other garden stalwarts, as well as new lines of novelty annuals. She is a vocal advocate for sustainable business practices and is in the forefront of promoting the value of flowers, not just for their beauty, but also for the many ways they can help improve the overall quality of life.
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ISF Secretary-General Marcel Bruins to Resign
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 Secretary-General since 2007, Dr. Marcel Bruins, has announced that he will be resigning from his position as of November 1. Until that time, he will continue to move forward with the Federation through the mid-term meetings in Oct. 2013.
Prior to joining ISF, Dr. Bruins worked for Seminis Vegetable Seeds where he was a manager of Plant Variety Protection WW, and also worked on other aspects of intellectual property, like patents and trademarks. During this period he chaired or was a member of several international committees with the European Seed Association, the Dutch Seed Association and the ISF.
Dr. Bruins studied plant breeding and plant pathology at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands and based on his research on Fusarium resistance in wheat at Plant Research International, he was awarded a PhD in 1998. After that, he was responsible for the patent portfolio of a large public research institute for a number of years and then worked in Rotterdam at the Innovation Center for Inventions. There, he was active in the commercial aspects of agricultural and biotechnology inventions.
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What’s New at CSS: Will Innovative Apps Drive the “Business of the Seed Business”?
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While over half a million smartphone applications (aka “apps”) exist today, the jury is out as to whether they are of value to the seed industry. Industry experts will discuss and demonstrate the most promising apps in a “Business of the Seed Business” presentation entitled, “Using Apps for Critical Business Applications” at CSS 2013 & Seed Expo. Moderated by Jim Schweigert of Gro Alliance, LLC, the panel discussion will cover the mechanics of app development, their various uses in the field and in the office, and the potential for sharing news and data in real time.
Be sure to check out the entire agenda for CSS 2013 & Seed Expo, from December 10-13, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Registration for the conference and hotel is open. All exhibition and meeting space is SOLD OUT.
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Oregon Passes Bill to Prevent Localities from Banning Farm Practices
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A bill to prevent local governments or local voters from banning farm practices was passed this week in a special-session of the Oregon state legislature. Senate Bill 863 (formerly SB633) prohibits any local laws or regulations governing the display, distribution, growing, harvesting, labeling, marketing, mixing, notification of use, planting, possession, processing, registration, storage, transportation or use of agricultural seeds or products of those seeds, including finished crops, trees or food.
Opponents of the bill, who had hoped to launch anti-GMO campaigns at the local government level, were mostly from the Portland and Eugene areas. Their recent lobbying efforts had focused on pressuring liberal Democrats to demand that the farm bill be removed from a special-session package of unrelated bills.
The Oregon Farm Bureau, which supports SB633, says it values all types of farming practices and technologies, but did not want one elevated at the expense of the other, and certainly not by local governments. And it said it made no sense to have Oregon farms fall under as many as 400 jurisdictions.
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ASTA Welcomes New Members
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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, Suite 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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