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Alexandria, Virginia
November 26, 2001
What is the seed industry doing
to better market new technologies related to corn, sorghum, and
soybean production? What is the latest update on the 2001 Farm
Bill? What are the latest scientific and political developments
regarding the unintentional presence of biotech material in
traditional seed? What does the future hold for agricultural
biotechnology? These and other compelling questions about crop
and seed production will be addressed at the American
Seed Trade Association's (ASTA's) Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Seed
Research Conferences on
Wed.-Fri., Dec. 5-7, 2001 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The Soybean Seed Research Conference will kick off at 9 AM on
Dec. 5 with presentations on Ethics and Genetically Modified
Seeds by Gary Comstock, Ph.D., professor, Iowa State University;
Tracing Agricultural Products from Field to Food and its Impact
on the Seed Industry by Jim Mock, vice president of
marketing/sales, CropVerifeye.com; and From Breeder to Bag:
Developing a Quality Assurance Program for Biotech Traits in
Soybeans by Cindy Arnevik, global lead for QA/QC for oilseed
traits, Monsanto Company.
At 3 PM on Dec. 5, ASTA's Biotechnology Committee meeting will
feature additional presentations on biotechnology. C.S. Prakash,
Ph.D., professor, Tuskegee University, will discuss political,
social, and scientific updates on agricultural biotech
applications and Bernard LeBuanec, secretariat of the
International Seed Trade Federation, will discuss International
Tests for the Detection of Adventitious Biotech Presence.
Dec. 6 (10 AM) will feature a plenary panel on modern
biotechnology and the seed industry. Different perspectives will
be provided by Sam Funk of the Illinois Farm Bureau; Kenneth
Craig Newman of AgReliant Genetics, LLC; and Chuck Mihaliak of
DowAgroSciences. Funk will cover the complexities of
international agreements, import restrictions, regulatory
requirements, market demands, and contracts related to
biotechnology. Newman will give a seed company's view. Mihaliak
will review the changing global regulatory climate, challenges
of the global marketplace, and technology providers' efforts on
stewardship and education.
Following this program at 11 AM on Dec. 6 will be an update on
the 2001 Farm Bill by William Hawks, undersecretary, Marketing
and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Other highlights on Dec. 6 (2:50 PM) include Implications of
Round-Up Ready Weed Management Systems by Tom Bauman, Ph.D.,
professor, Purdue University; Adventitious Pollen Intrusion into
Hybrid Maize Production Fields by Joe Burris, Ph.D., president,
Burris Consulting and professor emeritus, Iowa State University,
and Mike Lauer, Ph.D., Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc.; and
Adventitious Presence of GMOs: The Politics in Europe by Tim
Stocker, director of government and public affairs-Europe,
Pioneer Overseas Corporation.
Bauman will discuss the use of glyphosate for weed management in
Roundup Ready(TM) crops, covering potential weed resistance to
glyphosate and weed species shifts. He will compare them to
previous dominant herbicide programs to determine if
similarities or differences exist. Burris and Lauer will present
their study results on hybrid maize field production practices.
Their study included a thorough review of the existing
literature and coordination of an industry-wide study of
adventitious pollen intrusion under normal seed production
conditions. Results clearly demonstrated that high quality seed
can be produced in the central corn belt when reasonable
precautions are implemented. Stocker will comment on the
political ramifications of adventitious biotech material in
traditional food and feed in Europe for the last three years and
its impact on the U.S. seed industry.
Dec. 7 (9:20 AM) will feature concurrent sessions on
biotechnology. They include Maize Pollen Biology, Pollen Drift
and Transgenes by Baltazar Baltazar Montes, Ph.D., research
scientist, Hibridos Pioneer de Mexico; Who Benefits from
Biotechnology? by Mike Duffy, Ph.D., professor and extension
economist, Iowa State University; Assessing APHIS Oversight of
Transgenic Crops by Fred Gould, Ph.D., professor, North Carolina
State University; and Insect Resistance in Bt Corn: Management,
Monitoring and Response by David Andow, Ph.D., professor of
entomology, University of Minnesota.
Montes will discuss maize pollen biology and pollen viability as
a means to prevent pollen and gene flow. Duffy will discuss the
costs and benefits of biotech crops to the producer. Gould will
summarize the recent National Research Council report on
"Environmental Effects of Commercialization of Transgenic
Plants." Andow will review the data on Insect Resistance
Management (IRM) for Bt crops, evaluate the significance of
using insecticides on refuge sites, and suggest ways that
monitoring and response can be used to enhance IRM.
For general conference information, go to
http://www.amseed.com/mtg--csconf--index.asp .
Founded in 1883, ASTA, located in Alexandria, Va., is one of the
oldest trade organizations in the United States. Its membership
consists of about 850 companies involved in seed production and
distribution, plant breeding, and related industries in North
America. As an authority on plant germplasm, ASTA advocates
science and policy issues of industry importance. Its mission is
to enhance the development and free movement of quality seed
worldwide.
ASTA news release
N3983
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