Join us on Zoom for the 3rd PSA Educational Quarterly Lunch Meeting 9.28.2022
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You are invited to join us on Zoom for the 3rd PSA Educational Quarterly Lunch Meeting. The PSA board members in partnership with the PSA communications committee are hosting these series of educational zoom calls for PSA members to enhance our educational outreach program to benefit all members. These quarterly meetings are complimentary to all members. Our third one is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28th from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm (pacific time). Join us for the 3rd quarter meeting with featured speakers:
- Ernest Allen, CSA, Director USDA, AMS, S&T, Seed Regulatory and Testing Division
- Shawn Brook, Seed World Group
Ernest Allen will be providing an update on the new seed regulations for seed crossing state lines as well as general updates on activities at the federal seed office.
Shawn Brook will be giving an overview of topics coming at the Annual Convention.
- Internal and External Communication Strategies
- Career Management Solutions and the Importance of Succession Planning
- Creating Options for Your Business in Today’s Environment
Donna Boggs is inviting you to a scheduled PSA Zoom meeting.
Topic: Pacific Seed Association 3rd Quarter Membership Luncheon Meeting
Time: Sep 28, 2022, 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89246639842
Meeting ID: 892 4663 9842
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Meeting ID: 892 4663 9842
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kCnwQY8BL
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Mark Your Calendars for the 96th PSA Annual Convention
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Ag Groups Praise Deal to Avoid a Possible Rail Strike
Agricultural groups were relieved on Thursday after fears of a potential national rail strike were dialed back with the announcement of a tentative deal between the major railroads and unions, reports DTN’s Progressive Farmer.
The White House released a statement early Thursday from President Biden after the labor deal was brokered by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who had tweeted that a deal was reached after roughly 20 hours of talks.
The American Association of Railroads said the agreement would raise wages 24% by 2024 over 2020 and provide an immediate average payment of $11,000 per worker upon ratification of the agreements.
Mike Seyfert, president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, pointed out that railroads move about 25% of all grain. Seyfert credited federal officials, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack "for understanding the threat to the food and ag supply chain and making sure it was represented in these discussions," Seyfert said.
Shipments of anhydrous ammonia had been halted on Monday, Chris Glen, a spokesman for The Fertilizer Institute, told Agri-Pulse. The shipment embargoes were lifted Thursday, but there will likely "be some lag time as those delayed shipments move through the system and things ramp back up to full force again," he said.
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) in a press release applauded the tentative agreement and encouraged the agreement to be swiftly ratified.
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Biden Announces Executive Order on Bioeconomy
On Monday, the White House announced an Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. It outlines a “a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security.”
The order calls for USDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency to identify areas of "ambiguity, gaps or uncertainties" in the federal regulatory system for biotechnology within 100 days. These agencies are required to submit a plan for implementing reforms, including identifying regulations and guidance documents that need to be "updated, streamlined or clarified."
The executive order promotes a science- and risk-based system to support the development and use of products of biotechnology. U.S. agricultural producers are regular consumers of products developed using biotechnology, from feed, fuel, or fiber derived from genetically modified ingredients to medically important vaccinations administered to livestock to treat and prevent disease.
The Ag Bioeconomy Coalition, which includes the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, Corn Refiners Association, Growth Energy, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Corn Growers Association, National Hemp Association and Plant Based Products Council, also expressed appreciation for the focus on growing the U.S. biomanufacturing sector.
However, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association told reporters, “…this Executive Order flies in the face of that investment by proposing increased funding and support for the massive, multinational corporations that are behind the production of cultured animal cells. The record profits these companies have made off the backs of cattle producers should be more than enough to fund their petri-dish protein…USCA opposes the provisions of this Executive Order calling for the advancement of foods produced using cell-cultured technology.”
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Scott, Thompson Spar at House Ag Soil Hearing
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing Wednesday on soil health practices and regenerative agriculture, writes The Hagstrom Report.
After the hearing, House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott (D-GA) noted that his first hearing as chairman was on climate change. Scott added, “Our witnesses today provided us with valuable insight to help us better understand the conservation and economic benefits of soil health practices and how they may support various approaches to regenerative agriculture, in addition to the role that healthy soil can play in reduced climate risk.
“Supporting our soil health is nothing new for the federal government,” Scott added. “The hard lessons our industry and country learned through the Dust Bowl led to the creation of the Soil Conservation Service – now the Natural Resources Conservation Service. We cannot ignore the importance of soil health in this way again. As we face ever-growing climate challenges, managing soil health is one of the most effective ways farmers can increase crop productivity and profitability while protecting natural resources.”
But Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) ranking member on the committee, said, “Unfortunately, most of today’s panelists do not represent the breadth of the conservation movement in the United States, but a small minority that wants to define ‘regenerative agriculture’ as only organic. While I support farmers who want to receive a premium through organic agriculture, we cannot let the idea permeate that organic is the only way to be a conservation steward. Attacks on ‘industrial agriculture’ or ‘conventional agriculture’ are divisive and unhelpful.
“Looking towards the next farm bill, I will not sit idly by as we let decades of real bipartisan progress be turned on its head to satisfy people that at their core think agriculture is a blight on the landscape. I have been leaning into the climate discussion, but I will not have us suddenly incorporate buzzwords like regenerative agriculture into the farm bill or overemphasize climate within the conservation or research title, while undermining the other, longstanding environmental benefits that these programs provide.”
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USDA Announces Climate Project Funding
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $2.8 billion in funding for an initial set of 70 projects that will test ways to develop markets for climate-smart commodities.
Vilsack also is increasing the total funding for the initiative to $3.5 billion from the $1 billion that was originally planned, which leaves another $700 million for smaller projects.
The projects closely align with the recommendations of a coalition of ag and conservation groups, the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance. “We basically followed the prescription that they outlined to a T,” Vilsack says.
Vilsack made the announcement from the campus of Penn State University, which is the lead partner on one of the selected pilot projects to implement climate-smart practices, quantify and track the greenhouse gas benefits and develop markets for the resulting climate-smart commodities.
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