State News
ASTA Launches New Educational Resource for Treated Seed Benefits & Safety
- On June 15, 2022
ASTA is pleased to announce a new, comprehensive resource for information about treated seed. The landing page, housed on...
Treated Seed Legislation in the States
- On June 15, 2022
A new law signed by the Governor of Vermont will require the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, after...
Treated Seed a Hot Topic in State Legislatures
- On May 18, 2022
While treated seed continues to be a dominant issue in state legislatures, many of the bills filed didn’t get...
State of the States
- On March 16, 2022
Now that most state legislatures are at the halfway mark in their sessions, here’s a look at the status...
State Legislatures Propose Seed Treatment Bills
- On March 2, 2022
Most state legislatures are currently in session and operating at full speed. As expected, when it comes to legislation...
AMS Releases Market Monitoring Program FAQ Document
- On January 26, 2022
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Seed Regulatory & Testing Division (SRTD, also known as the Federal Seed Office, has...
BLM Updates Approved Seed Lab List Requirements
- On November 24, 2021
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Interagency Fire Center is in the process of updating its approved lab...
New York Hearing Addresses Neonicotinoids
- On October 20, 2021
On September 20, the New York Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation held a public hearing to examine the...
Maine to Vote on Ballot Measure Concerning “Right” to Save, Exchange Seeds
- On October 20, 2021
On November 2, citizens of Maine will vote on a state constitution ballot measure addressing, among other things, the...
Vermont Passes Two New Bills Impacting Seed Industry
- On June 2, 2021
On May 21, Vermont passed legislation containing language to amend the Seed Review Committee’s authority over new genetically engineered...
Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Seed Dealer and Owner Settle in Ongoing Kentucky 31 Investigation
- On May 19, 2021
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Dynamic Seed Source, LLC and Dynamic’s owner, Trevor Abbott, have settled allegations that...
Washington State Invasive Species Council Extended until June 30, 2032
- On May 19, 2021
Legislation recently passed in Washington State will allow the state’s invasive species council to exist until June 30, 2032....
Nebraska Passes Bill Limiting Use of Treated Seed in Ethanol Production
- On May 19, 2021
On May 5, the governor of Nebraska signed into law a bill to prohibit treated seed in the production...
Texas Fails to Advance Bills to Change Seed Certification Authority
- On May 5, 2021
Two bills introduced in the Texas legislature involving seed and plant certification authority have run out of time to...
New York Advances Bill to Ban Neonics
- On May 5, 2021
As previously reported, a bill introduced in the New York legislature would effectively ban the sale and use of...
What’s Happening with State Policy?
- On April 21, 2021
Sometimes in policy development, it’s what doesn’t happen that’s most significant. To date, nine states have wrapped up their...
ASTA Continues to Track Bill Filings in States
- On March 25, 2021
States are continuing to file bills, with some very creative expectations. Here are a few that have caught ASTA’s...
State Legislatures Approach Bill Deadlines
- On March 11, 2021
Bill deadlines are approaching in the state legislatures, which means if a bill hasn’t begun to move through the...
ASTA Tracks Priority Bills in State Legislatures
- On February 24, 2021
The state legislatures are operating at full speed, even though most are meeting semi-virtually. Filing deadlines for some states...
- American Seed Trade Association, ASTA, Bill Tracking, Seed Industry, State Legislatures, U.S. Seed Industry
MCIA Seed Lab Achieves USDA Accreditation
- On December 11, 2020
On November 9, the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA) announced that its seed laboratory had achieved accreditation by the...
- Accredited Seed Laboratory, Crop Improvement, MCIA, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association, Seed Lab, Seeds, USDA, USDA Accreditation, USDA Accredited Seed Laboratory
CDPR Denies California Neonic Petition
- On November 12, 2020
On October 23, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) denied the petition for a rulemaking proposal to regulate...
North Carolina Conducts Cotton Seed-Testing Pilot Program
- On September 16, 2020
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) conducted a cotton seed-testing pilot program during the 2020...
NASDA Adopts New Policies
- On September 16, 2020
ASTA staff member Pat Miller participated in the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Annual Meeting August...
ASTA Analysis of the Revisions to the Federal Seed Act Regulations Now Available
- On July 22, 2020
The Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Science and Technology Program of USDA-AMS has formally published new rules to revise...
2020 State Noxious Weed Seed Requirements List Updated
- On July 22, 2020
The Seed Regulatory and Testing Division of USDA-AMS recently updated the state noxious weed seed list. It is available...
Louisiana Legislature Makes the Analyses of Certain Seed Testing Exempt from Public Records Law
- On June 24, 2020
The Louisiana Governor recently signed HB 426, which will make requests for purity, germination, and additional tests of seeds...
Colorado Legislature Passes Sunset Review of State Seed Regulatory Program
- On June 24, 2020
The Colorado legislature, in a stop/start session due to COVID, quickly passed the sunset review of the state seed...
Washington State Chlorpyrifos Study Bill Vetoed
- On April 29, 2020
Senate Bill 6518 passed the Washington State legislature this session and would have allocated almost $300K to study the...
California Workers Comp Program & COVID
- On April 29, 2020
The California Governor is proposing an adjustment to the state’s Worker’s Compensation regulations that would mandate that all employees...
State Legislatures Adapting to COVID-19
- On April 16, 2020
While state legislatures traditionally would be in the heat of their sessions at this point, COVID-19 has understandably caused...
Arkansas Circuit Judge Rules that State’s Plant Board is Unconstitutional
- On January 16, 2020
Pulaski County, Arkansas, Circuit Judge Chris Piazza recently ruled that a part of the state law that allows various...
State Legislation Update
- On January 16, 2020
Bills in state legislatures are starting to be filed for the 2020 sessions. While there have not been many...
New Cover Crop Guide Available
- On September 11, 2019
Because cover crops are not harvested for food or feed, it is a common misperception that they are not...
2019 State Noxious Weed Seed List Available Online
- On September 11, 2019
USDA has released an updated version of the State Noxious Weed Seed Requirements recognized in the administration of the...
Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed Labeling Violations Issued by Oregon Department of Agriculture
- On July 3, 2019
On June 25, the Seed Regulatory Program of the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) released findings from an investigation...
Hemp Seed Educational Resources Available for ASTA Members
- On June 13, 2019
Things are happening so fast in the hemp world that it is sometimes hard to keep up. Four-hundred-and-fifty hemp-related...
State of the States
- On May 30, 2019
Vermont Seed Trait Approvals: On May 22, the Vermont legislature sent a bill to the Governor’s desk that creates...
California Moves to Ban Chlorpyrifos
- On May 16, 2019
Last week, the state of California’s Environmental Protection Agency moved to ban chlorpyrifos, a significant crop protection tool and...
USDA Now Accepting Applications of Seed-Propagated Hemp for Plant Variety Protection
- On April 29, 2019
On April 24, USDA announced that the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) will start accepting applications of seed-propagated hemp...
State of the States: Seed Related Bills Pending, while Budgets Take Center Stage
- On April 3, 2019
While some “hot spots” remain, state legislative activity has generally slowed for the current time while legislatures address budget...
State Affairs Update
- On March 20, 2019
The playing field has generally been set for the 2019 state legislative sessions. Without a doubt, the issue garnering...
New Hemp Resources Available for ASTA Members
- On February 21, 2019
With 255 related bills filed in 38 states, hemp is a hot-topic in state legislatures this year. To assist...
States see Flurry of Action on Hemp Production Bills
- On January 16, 2019
In passing the recent reauthorization of the Farm Bill, Congress decriminalized hemp production, which has led to a flurry...
State Election Overview
- On November 20, 2018
While the recent elections resulted in some changes in the political landscape in the states, it’s unlikely that policies...
Bill Filed in Pennsylvania Outlines a New Approach to Weed Eradication
- On September 25, 2018
Companion bills have been filed in Pennsylvania that would replace the current Noxious Weed Control Law with a new...
ASTA Launches New Noxious Weed Seed Working Group
- On September 25, 2018
As a result of the heightened state-level activity surrounding weeds, ASTA has created a new Noxious Weed Seed Working...
- ASTA, Noxious Weed Seed, Working Group
Indiana Amaranth Rules on Hold
- On September 13, 2018
Earlier this year, the Indiana Seed Control office proposed a rule to include all amaranth species on the state’s...
Questions Surround Wyoming’s Noxious Weed Seed Rule
- On September 13, 2018
There have been lots of questions about Wyoming’s noxious weed seed rule–specifically with regard to the state’s “regulated weed...
Studies Find Unique Benefits of Turf and Landscaping
- On August 16, 2018
Two recent studies give a unique perspective on the benefits of turf, landscaping and gardening. One study, featured in...
Get to Know your State Representative
- On July 19, 2018
With most state legislatures having either ended for 2018 or currently taking summer recess, it’s a great time for...
ASTA Participates in Plant Breeding Innovation Discussions in Hawaii
- On June 5, 2018
ASTA’s Director of State Government Affairs Pat Miller recently traveled to Hawaii to participate in several meetings on plant...
Vermont Pollinator Bill Runs Out of Time (Kind Of)
- On May 23, 2018
Vermont House Bill 915, as introduced, would have considered neonicotinoid-treated seed under the same laws as a pesticide, rather...
Wisconsin Updates its State Weed Seed Law
- On April 26, 2018
Waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth are now considered prohibited noxious weed seeds in Wisconsin, which means that the state seed...
Access the Most Up-to-Date Resource for Noxious Weed Seed Listings
- On April 26, 2018
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service recently updated the list of state noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of...
Administration Taps State Ag Department Leadership
- On April 11, 2018
The Trump administration is drawing from the talent within state departments of agriculture. Officials included in the transition from...
Seed Laws Move in Florida, Utah and Idaho
- On March 27, 2018
Florida Senate Bill 740 passed both legislative bodies and is on its way to the Governor’s desk for signature....
- Florida, Iowa, Seed Laws, Utah
State Legislatures Keep Focus on Palmer Amaranth
- On March 12, 2018
Palmer Amaranth has become a well-known weed in the last couple of years. Prior to 2017, it was only...
Arkansas, Oregon and Indiana Take Action on Key Seed Legislation
- On February 28, 2018
Arkansas: State Senator Blake Johnson proposed an amendment that would have effectively shut down the Arkansas State Plant Board,...
States Consider Bills on Pesticides, Pollinators, Weeds and More
- On February 12, 2018
Of the 41 state legislatures in session, over 160,000 bills have been filed thus far. ASTA has reviewed more...
ASTA Tracking State Seed Legislation
- On January 24, 2018
So far this year, more than 31,000 bills have been filed in the states, and nearly 1,000 of those...
Florida Proposes Changes to State Seed Law; Illinois Resolution Honors Tom Burrus
- On November 28, 2017
Things are relatively quiet in the states as it’s still early in the bill pre-filing season for 2018 legislative...
States Cast Their Ballots
- On November 14, 2017
While most state legislatures hold general elections in even-numbered years, three chambers—New Jersey General Assembly, New Jersey Senate and...
Get Involved in ASTA’s State Governmental Affairs Working Group
- On October 17, 2017
Created in 2015, ASTA’s State Governmental Affairs Working Group is now the primary communications forum for information about state...
Indiana Proposes Changes to Noxious Weed Seed List
- On October 3, 2017
The Indiana State Seed Commission is proposing rule changes to its noxious weed seed list. The proposal would add...
State Seed Preemption Law Upheld in Oregon
- On October 3, 2017
On Thursday, September 21 the Oregon Court of Appeals confirmed the lower court opinion on the Josephine County GMO...
Washington State AgForestry Legislative Lesson
- On August 23, 2017
On July 23rd, Washington State SB 5075 went into effect. The bill changes the state’s arbitration law to mediation,...
New State and Regional Seed Association Representative Joins ASTA Board
- On July 13, 2017
ASTA welcomes Executive Vice President of the Texas Seed Trade Association Bryan Gentsch as the newly-appointed board member representing...
Arkansas Governor Moves Forward on Dicamba Ban
- On July 13, 2017
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson approved a recommendation from the state’s Plant Board last week to create a 120-day ban...
Kansas Considering Seed-Fee Increase
- On July 13, 2017
The Kansas Department of Agriculture has proposed a fee increase for retail and wholesale seed licenses. Under the proposal,...
Iowa Puts Palmer Amaranth on State Noxious Weed and Seed List
- On June 30, 2017
As of July 1, Palmer Amaranth will be listed as a primary noxious weed and seed, and an invasive...
Arkansas Considering Dicamba Ban
- On June 30, 2017
On June 23, the Arkansas State Plant Board voted to ban the use of dicamba herbicide within the state,...
Seed Bills Stall in Texas Legislature
- On May 18, 2017
On Monday, May 8, the Texas Legislature reached a critical point in its session: as of that date, bills...
Seed, Rule-Making Amendment Fails in Indiana
- On May 5, 2017
Indiana House Bill 1235 was originally written as a change to the manure-based fertilizer law. However, an amendment introduced...
Oregon Pre-emption Repeal Fails
- On April 21, 2017
On April 14, the Oregon Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Committee failed to advance a bill (SB...
State of the States
- On April 6, 2017
ASTA is tracking 29 bills in nine states related to invasive species and noxious weeds. A majority of these...
State of the States
- On March 24, 2017
Most state legislatures have hit the midway mark in their sessions at this point in the year. This is...
ICYMI: New DNA Test Now Available for Palmer Amaranth
- On February 23, 2017
As a follow up to the 2017 National Native Seed Conference last week in Washington, D.C., ASTA is continuing to communicate...
State Legislatures Introduce Bills on Pre-emption, Seed Treatments, Arbitration and More
- On February 23, 2017
The state legislatures have settled into business. Bills have been filed, committees have been appointed, staffs are beginning to...
State of the States
- On January 26, 2017
The state legislative sessions are up and running at full speed. As expected, we see legislation addressing pollinators, GMOs,...
State of the States
- On January 12, 2017
It’s the start of a new year, which means it’s time to pull out the crystal ball and make...
