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ASTA Names Janice Tolley Walters, Director of Communications
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After five years as Manager of Communications for the National Corn Growers Association, Janice Tolley Walters has left NCGA to become the new Director of Communications for the seed industry, announced President and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association Andrew W. LaVigne today.
“We’re extremely pleased to have someone with Janice’s communications experience and agriculture pedigree join ASTA,” said LaVigne. “In light of the challenges and opportunities identified in our recently adopted 5-Year Strategic Plan, we expect her knowledge of farming, the media and the Washington political environment to be particularly valuable.”
As Director of Communications for ASTA, Walters will work closely with LaVigne and senior staff, as well as ASTA leadership, to promote the seed industry’s regulatory and legislative positions, as well as its many initiatives to support seed education and research, careers in the seed industry, and the quality management, movement and stewardship of seed.
“I’m very privileged to join ASTA’s team during such an important time in agriculture,” Walters said. “We have a great story to tell and I look forward to advocating for our members as the seed industry faces the many new and emerging issues both in Washington and throughout the country.”
In her role at NCGA, Walters promoted ag issues and policies related to corn growers through cultivation of trade and general media and implementation of social media strategies. She also created communication outreach plans for the 2008 and 2013 farm bills and assisted in developing the public relations campaign for the Corn Farmers Coalition. Prior to NCGA, Walters served as Assistant Press Secretary for the USDA, providing media and travel support for the Secretary of Agriculture.
Raised on an Illinois farm, Walters is a former member of both the 4-H and FFA and a graduate of Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.
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CSS to Feature New Product Showcase
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Attendees to this year’s CSS in Chicago from Dec. 10-13th will be able to learn about exciting new products and services at the New Product Showcase inside the exhibit hall on Thursday, Dec. 12 from 1:00 – 4:00pm. There will be Visa gift card giveaways of $100 between each presentation, with the final grand prize $500 gift card at the end at 4:00pm. The following companies will be presenting at the Showcase:
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1:00pm
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KSi Conveyors Inc. reveals the KSi 4808NGA Seed Applicator, the most advanced and accurate seed treatment technology and equipment in the industry.
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1:30pm
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Farm Intelligence combines the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, data science, and computer vision to help farmers make better decisions.
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2:00pm
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HUB International introduces the 831 (b) micro captive and discusses captive formation, associated tax benefits and savings, benefits of a customized risk management program, preserving and growing captive premium dollars, enhanced asset & estate protection, generational wealth transfer, business continuation strategies.
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2:30pm
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XSInc. demonstrates AgVeritas™ for sorting through in-field variability and multiple layers of data to give growers high confidence in analyzed results from their on-farm trials.
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3:00pm
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Technical Services, Inc., a custom equipment builder, introduces a line of equipment for use in the soil lab industry.
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3:30pm
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Precision Hawk discusses their technology and the primary principles of precision agriculture, key information gathering techniques, and their potential within these agricultural applications.
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Joint ASTA for Storm the Hill 2014
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Are you interested in making your voice heard in Washington? Storm the Hill 2014 will take place March 5-6, 2014 in Washington, DC. You will have the opportunity to meet with congressional offices to tell them what policies will help your business and industry thrive. For more information, please contact: Pat Miller, Director of State Affairs (pmiller@amseed.org) or Jane DeMarchi, VP of Government & Regulatory Affairs (jdemarchi@amseed.org).
RSVP to Jane DeMarchi by February 1, 2014.
(jdemarchi@amseed.org / 703-837-8140)
Learn more details about our plans for this event at the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee meeting at CSS in Chicago on Tuesday, December 10 from 2:30 – 4:00pm.
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All-America Selections Announces Winners for 2014
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All-America Selections (AAS) judges have again finished a rigorous year of trialing and now the AAS Board of Directors is pleased to announce the newest AAS Winners. For the first time in AAS history, the organization is recognizing regional performance and granting an AAS Regional Winner designation to five new winners. All of these winners were trialed next to similar varieties that are currently on the market. The AAS Judges do a side-by-side analysis of growth habit, disease resistance and more to determine if these entries were truly better than those already available to home gardeners. Only those flower entries with superior garden performance or the vegetables with superior taste and garden performance are given the AAS stamp of approval.
 Penstemon ‘Arabesque Red’ F1
AAS 2014 Flower Award Winner
Regional Winner (Heartland, Mountain/Southwest and West/Northwest)
Bred by Syngenta Flowers
Sunflower ‘Suntastic’ F1
AAS 2014 Bedding Plant Award Winner
Regional Winner (Great Lakes)
Bred by Clause S.A.
 Cucumber ‘Pick a Bushel’ F1
AAS 2014 Vegetable Award Winner
Regional Winner (Heartland and Great Lakes)
Bred by Seeds By Design and W. Atlee Burpee Co.
Pumpkin ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ F1
AAS 2014 Vegetable Award Winner
Regional Winner (Southeast, Great Lakes and Mountain/Southwest)
Bred by Seeds By Design
 Tomato ‘Mountain Merit’ F1
AAS 2014 Vegetable Award Winner
Regional Winner (Heartland)
Bred by North Carolina State University, produced by Bejo Seeds Inc.
Petunia ‘African Sunset’ F1
AAS 2014 Bedding Plant Award Winner
National Winner
Bred by Takii & Co., Ltd.
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Seven Prize Pupils Win MSA Scholarships
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The Missouri Seedmen’s Association (MSA) held its annual meeting on October 2-4 at the Resort at Port Arrowhead, Lake Ozark, MO. Seven-$1000 scholarships were awarded to University of Missouri agronomy students. Assisting the MSA in sponsorship for these scholarships were Bayer CropScience, the Southern Seed Association, the American Seed Trade Association, and Missouri Southern Seed Corporation. The 2013 MSA scholarship recipients were: Jeana Bane-Chaney, Dustin Wilkerson, Kaitlin Flick, Monica Campen, Robert “Nick” Wesslak, Joe Schneider and Christy Mennemeier.
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ASTA Welcomes New Members
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In Memoriam
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Raymond A. Hensgens
Raymond Aloysius Hensgen, 81, passed away on October 29, 2013. Raymond founded Ray’s Seed and Fertilizer business in Southwest Louisiana and in 1968, joined Nolan Guillot to form G& H Seed Company. Raymond soon bought out his partner and, over the next 40 years, built G& H to be a leading agricultural service oriented business with several locations. He also opened Hensgens Grain Elevator, Inc., Hensgens Fertilizer Company and Quality Equipment to serve local farmers. He was a member of the Louisiana Seedmen’s Assocation, Southern Seedsmen’s Association and the Louisiana Rice Growers’ Association.
William “Bill” I. Dorman 
Bill Dorman of Lubbock, Texas spent his career as a wholesale seedsman. Bill and his father, Wilbur Dorman, founded Dorman and Company in the 1950s. Bill became President of Dorman and Company in the 1960s and eventually sold the company to Cargill, Inc. in 1974. Bill later began a new seed company under the name of WIDCO, Inc. which was sold to Richardson Seeds, Inc. in 1995. During his career, Bill served as director at-large and chairman of the Sorghum Group and American Seed Trade Association. Bill was president, board member, distinguished member, and lifetime honorary member of the Texas Seed Trade Association; president and board member of the Texas Certified Seed Producers, Inc.; director of U.S. Feed Grains Council; member of the National Advisory Council and National Federation of Independent Business; and was an arbitrator with the American Arbitration 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, 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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