Join Us At The 62nd ASTA Vegetable & Flower Conference
Orlando, Florida: January 27-31, 2023

Our Joint Meeting With AAS/NGB Will Be Held Monday, January 30th at 5:30 – 7:30.

USE CODE HGSA_VF23 To Get A Discount On Registration

Important Updates From ASTA

ASTA Update 3/3/21

The USDA AMS S&T SRTD All-States Noxious-weed Seed List can be found here.

Member Engagement

  • We now have a classifieds section of the website where members can submit and peruse items ranging from equipment for sale to open positions. To submit a posting, follow this link.

  • ASTA has a student membership! If you have summer interns, or other student contacts, please pass this valuable opportunity to get connected with ASTA. More information is available on the ASTA website.

  • As a friendly reminder, ASTA dues invoices for the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year were emailed in mid-May. If you have question or would like to have another copy sent to you, please email Ellen Zimmerman to get a copy.

Innovation: Contact Bernice Slutsky
Communications:

  • Continued weekly Innovature strategy meetings with BIO and our PR firm.

    • Developed new content for the Innovature website and social channels.

      • Check out a new plant breeder profile with Dr. Wayne Parrott of University of Georgia here.

  • Part 340 rollout

    • Coordinated with USDA in advance of the rollout of the final SECURE rule (Part 340).

    • Distributed a media statement.

    • Andy LaVigne did an interview with RFD-TV. Watch it here.

  • Coordinated with authors of new plant breeding safety paper and facilitated interviews to be used on ASTA podcast and as background for development of Innovature collateral.

Policy:

  • USDA finalized and published revisions to its biotechnology regulations (part 340). 

  • The ASTA Plant Breeding Innovation (PBI) Working Group had a meeting with the USDA Biotechnology Regulatory Services about guidance that is being developed around implementation of the rule. 

  • The PBI working group is currently analyzing the final regulation and USDA’s planned implementation of the rule as preparation for further meetings with the Biotechnology Regulatory Services staff.

  • The ASTA Plant Breeding Innovation Working Group developed a document outlining industry best practices for information-sharing around products of gene editing.  The document was approved by the ASTA Board, will be posted on the ASTA website, and will be used in discussions with stakeholders. You can find it here.

  • A virtual roundtable discussion was held on gene editing with China on June 23. Approximately 300 people participated.

Domestic Policy: Contact Jane DeMarchi
Federal:

  • Submitted coalition comments to US Fish and Wildlife Service on planting GE crops on National Wildlife Refuges in the southeast. 

  • signed a letter to Congressional leaders on liability relief for essential businesses and worked with the Pesticide Policy Coalition to send a letter to the Department of Transportation on Hours of Service exemptions for transport of seeds and pesticides.

  • Signed a coalition letter to President Trump expressing concern about statements from Mexican government officials on crop protection.

  • ASTA and IPSA jointly sponsored a webinar on PPP loan forgiveness. The recording of the webinar is available on ASTA’s COVID-19 hub.

  • A letter from ASTA was sent to USDA Under Secretary Northey requesting that the date for allowing haying and grazing of prevented plant acres be moved from November 1 to August 1.

  • Arranged meetings with staff of Congressman Schrader and Senator Merkley for Oregon seed companies to discuss the Oregon Seed Import Quarantine Program which is scheduled to be terminated at the end of 2020. ASTA worked with members of the Oregon Congressional delegation to send a letter to CBP and USDA asking them to work together to extend the Oregon Seed Import Quarantine Program. The entire delegation signed the letter.

State:

  • Held discussions with the Indiana State Seed Control Official regarding weed seed issues and subsequent research.

  • Researched state seed laws for applicability to seed research projects (as opposed to standard production/distribution) per member request.

  • Hosted an initial meeting with SAFHER – System for Agriculture, Food, Health, E-Inspections and Registration initiative – to discuss potential for including seed in the project to re-structure state laws and regulations.

  • Produced webinars on the following issues:

    • Hemp Seed: Technology, Production and Regulatory Updates

    • Introduction to the new Executive Director of the Far West Agribusiness Association and planning for seed issues webinar for their membership

    • Variation Among Seed Testing Laboratories – presentation to the leadership of AOSA, SCST, AASCO

    • State Legislative Review: state governmental affairs annual activity report

Communications: Contact Bethany Shively
Public-facing:

  • Connected ASTA garden seed companies with Bloomberg, Reuters and Agri-Pulse for stories about the spike in home vegetable seed demand.

  • Agri-Pulse published an op-ed from Andy LaVigne, “The Seed Industry is Open for Business” about seed industry response and continuity of operations during COVID-19.

  • Andy was featured on This Week in Agribusiness discussing the seed supply chain for this spring. You can watch here.

  • RFD-TV aired a segment about the seed industry’s efforts during COVID-19. Watch the interview with ASTA’s Jane DeMarchi here.

  • American Shipper interviewed Andy for a piece about the impacts of COVID-19 on airfreight capacity to meet spring seed demand. Read it here.

  • Seed World did a feature story about the Seed Science Foundation with background and commentary from ASTA. 

  • Andy was interviewed by the International Seed Federation for a video (Part 1 / Part 2) about the global seed industry response to COVID-19. 

  • Wall Street Journal “By the Numbers” reporter Jo Craven McGinty interviewed Andy LaVigne for a story about the Svalbard Seed Vault and seed IP. Read it here.

  • Brownfield Ag News interviewed Jane DeMarchi for segment on seed treatment stewardship. Listen here.

  • Sent out press releases announcing:

Internal/Member Engagement:

  • Worked with IPSA to encourage their scholarship winners and applicants to consider joining ASTA student membership.

  • Worked with NAPB to cross promote our student membership and programming

  • Pat Miller and Ellen Zimmerman have been reaching out to state and regional associations to produce a webinar for their membership about the critical issues for the seed industry and agribusiness. If you are interested in a webinar of this kind to be produced in your state, reach out to Pat Miller.

  • Kept membership up to date on the latest COVID policy developments through regular conference calls, webinars, messages and the COVID hub.

International: Contact Abigail Struxness
Policy:

  • ASTA conveyed information about the COVID-19 crisis’ impacts to the U.S. seed industry to the International Seed Federation and other national seed associations.

  • ASTA submitted public comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on a proposed U.S.-Kenya Free Trade Agreement.

  • Office of the U.S. Trade Representative approved remaining 12 ASTA tariff exclusion requests. Now all 20 of ASTA’s product exclusion requests for vegetable and flower seed from China have been approved and companies may apply for retroactive duty refunds.

  • ASTA submitted tariff exclusion extension requests to the Office of the US Trade Representative for the following seeds imported from China: eggplant, hot pepper, gourd, honeydew, pumpkin, and tomatillo seeds. Additional products will be filed in July.

  • ASTA submits 2021 cooperator grant funding request to USDA.

  • The ASTA International Executive Committee held a virtual meeting to discuss COVID-19 challenges, opportunities for ASTA’s international programs and USDA funding, and key markets.

  • ASTA had the opportunity for three phone calls with USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney. The first two calls were with the ASTA officers and key committee chairs, the third call was with members of the IEC and Country Working Groups. Calls discussed ASTA’s key global markets, priorities, specific issues of concern, as well as opportunities to further develop the ASTA-USDA relationship.

Association Business: Contact Jennifer Crouse

  • April 2020 saw the first ever virtual ASTA Executive Committee (EC) meeting. Thanks to all EC members for your participation.

  • ASTA’s PLDC Virtual has been a big success – with a number of highly-attended sessions taking place in June. Sessions covered topics including an economic outlook for the seed industry specifically targeting the produce sector; technology, production, and regulation of hemp; moving seed in an uncertain world; and a state legislative review

  • The ASTA Annual Members Meeting was held virtually. During the session, ASTA honored outgoing Chair Wayne Gale for his dedicated service over the past year, recognized 2020 industry award winners and welcomed the new 2020-21 leadership team:

    • Chair: John Latham, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Alexander, IA

    • First Vice Chair: Brad May, BASF, Research Triangle Park, NC

    • Second Vice Chair: Jim Schweigert, Gro Alliance, LLC, Cuba City, WI

    • See the commemorative program for more details on officers and award winners. In addition, the ASTA Board of Directors met virtually on June 17.

COVID-19 Seed Industry Impacts

ASTA is working to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, especially impacts on the seed industry – both domestically and globally. We would appreciate you sharing any impacts your company or any others in your region are experiencing. Please email me at ezimmerman@betterseed.org or call me at (419.618.7167).

We are aware of additional restrictions that are being introduced at the city and state levels and are working multiple avenues, including USDA and the White House, to ensure that seed sales and movement will continue as close to normal as possible. It is our current understanding that the current commercial restrictions that have been put in place in both California and Puerto Rico do not include agriculture related operations and continue to work with contacts with facilities in Puerto Rico to clarify.

Additionally, ASTA is joining on to a broad agriculture letter to the administration asking that agriculture be exempted from any future business restrictions.

Thanks in advance. We will continue to share new information with you as the situation is evolving rapidly.

Update on Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (10/30/19)

ASTA has received notice that as early as next week APHIS will likely issue a Federal Order (FO) imposing new phytosanitary restrictions on tomato seed and fruit. The FO comes in response to the growing global threat of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) -- a highly virulent and aggressive virus that can cause severe infection on tomatoes and peppers. It is ASTA’s understanding that seed will not be banned, but it will either have to be tested off-shore (for now) or come from a country free of ToBRFV. The new restrictions would bring U.S. policies in line with trading partners including Argentina, Chile, and the European Union, which have indicated plans to amend their own entry requirements due to ToBRFV.

ASTA is working to gather information from its members regarding the expected impact of these potential phytosanitary restrictions. If you expect that your business will be impacted, please contact Ric Dunkle with details. This information will be extremely helpful in the association’s ongoing conversations with APHIS, seed testing labs and international officials/seed industry.

For more information on ToBRFV, a detailed Q&A document is now available on ASTA’s website.

Update on China Tariffs (10/16/19)

President Trump just announced that the U.S. and China have reached what he called a  "phase 1" deal, which is seen as a sign of goodwill between countries to continue larger negotiations on the major issues of conflict between countries. Details are still emerging but this means that our List 3 tariffs on vegetable and flower seed will not jump from 25% to 30% on October 15 as previously scheduled. List 3 tariffs will still remain in place at 25% and other tariffs are not lifted.

China has also committed to purchasing $40-50 billion in U.S. agricultural products over an unspecified period of time. This is a significant increase. For context, in peak years, U.S. ag exports to China totaled $20 billion, and last year this dropped to $8 billion due to the trade war.

It’s important to note that while the mini deal was agreed to in principle today, this is all in flux-- the deal will take another three weeks to write and would conclude around mid-November. We will continue to keep you posted.

ASTA filed tariff exclusion requests with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for 20 vegetable and flower seed products on September 30. The review process will take months, but if successful, companies would be eligible for retroactive duty refunds on tariffs already paid.