Mark Your Calendars for the 97th PSA Annual Convention

I would like to personally invite you to attend the 97th Annual Pacific Seed Association (PSA) convention on February 12-15, 2023 at The Seabird Resort in Oceanside.  The facility and setting are the perfect combinations for interacting with everyone in our industry.  Our convention program has been carefully crafted to showcase topics of interest for everyone – including updates on internal and external communication strategies, identifying partners for success, succession planning, and career management solutions, creating options for your business in today’s environment, a transportation panel to address the supply chain issues, legislative updates, seed treatment and environmental updates, our PSA Annual Meeting and field crop reports. 

The annual golf tournament will be played at the beautiful Arrowood Golf Course, designed by prominent local architect Ted Robinson Jr, Arrowood Golf Course is a spectacular par-71, 6,721-yard layout imbedded in the Oceanside, CA developed village of the same name. Located adjacent to Camp Pendleton in north county San Diego, Arrowood sits on a scenic hilltop by the San Luis Rey Valley, within 10 miles of the coastline.  We also have the opportunity to participate in a North Oceanside walking food tour of restaurants with a little tasting and a little history along the way.  There will be meet and greets with the local chefs, tasting, and a fun day of camaraderie.

The goal of our program is to reinforce and reinvigorate our efforts to ensure growth and prosperity in the Pacific Seed Association as we continue to tackle new challenges in our markets.  Coming together to network as an industry will be key to our continued success. I encourage you to participate in the 2023 convention.

The PSA Annual Convention traditionally draws attendees from across the nation.  It is an essential link in bringing greater communication and stability to the seed industry.   If you have any questions regarding the convention, please call the PSA office. It has been a pleasure serving as President of PSA.  Your past support and involvement are sincerely appreciated, and we look forward to seeing you in Oceanside this year.

Best wishes,

Nicole Hostert

President

• Program
• Registration Form
• Sponsorship Opportunities

Legislative Updates:

Railroad Workers Reject Biden Deal

Dragged-out negotiations and an impending strike nearly brought the railroads to a screeching halt last month, which would have a tremendous impact on the agriculture industry. President Biden and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh stepped in to help strike a deal. The deal would have resulted in a 24 percent wage increase for workers over a 5-year period.

But, while four unions approved the tentative agreement, two unions voted against ratification. Every one of the 12 unions representing freight rail employees must ratify their contracts to prevent a strike. Voting for other unions will be completed by mid-November, which means that a strike could begin as soon as Nov. 19.

Members of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group sent congressional leaders a letter in early November, urging Congress to prepare to prevent a rail strike or lockout.

“Resolution of this dispute prior to Nov. 19 is necessary to ensure rail service continues uninterrupted. Adding urgency to this matter, critical inputs and agricultural products such as ammonia shipments could be embargoed starting on Nov. 14,” the letter states.

Imports Projected to Slow in Coming Months

Data released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates project that imports at major U.S. ports will decline through the end of the year as consumer demand for foreign goods shows signs of returning to pre-pandemic levels, reports Politico.

American imports in October are estimated to decline 9.4 percent compared to the same month last year, according to a Global Port Tracker analysis of cargo capacity. The pattern is expected to continue through December and into next year.

“We’re projecting a slowdown on total imports across the board for the next six months as the market evens out,” said Daniel Hackett, partner at Hackett Associates, a global trade firm that tracks national cargo shipments.

USDA Announces Sign-Up for ARC, PLC

Agricultural producers can now change election and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2023 crop year, the Agriculture Department announced last week.

Producers have until March 15, 2023, to enroll in these two programs.

“It’s that time of year for producers to consider all of their risk management options, including safety-net coverage elections through Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.

ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC provides crop-by-crop protection, while ARC-Individual (ARC-IC) protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2023 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, a producer who has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2023 must sign a new contract.   

If producers do not submit their election by the deadline, their election remains the same as their 2022 election for crops on the farm.  Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a shared interest in the farm.    

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.