Seed Today - Q1 2008 - (Page 26)

AOSCA Notes Moline, IL • 309-736-0120 www.aosca.org Higher Stakes nyone dealing with some aspect of production agriculture these days knows that the stress of playing a winning hand in a Texas Hold’em tournament is child’s play compared to the daily thrill of managing historic crop and input prices for the upcoming 2008 season. The stakes have never been higher and neither have the risks. A field who inspect growing crops, conduct seed tests, and approve seed conditioning plants who make the system work. In the end, a farmer who sees the familiar Certified “Blue Tag” on the bag or container of seed knows there is one less thing to worry about and one less variable to manage. Seed certification is an economical and time-proven risk management tool. Risk Management Unbiased Inspections Farmers are continually looking for ways Seed companies have learned that making to hedge their bets and manage risks where use of the services offered by seed certifying they can. The difference between success agencies is a good way for them to manage and failure can easily turn on one “bad risks in their businesses, as well. By providing card”. unbiased, third-party inWhether a farmer is spections, AOSCA member well-established or just agencies support quality beginning their career, assurance systems that ulthey must manage risks, timately lead to satisfied as well as capture profits customers and repeat from these new market business. levels, to succeed. Trait stewardship reNew technologies, inlated to biotechnology cluding in-plant resispresents a new area of tance to insects and disrisk that seed companies Chet Boruff, AOSCA CEO ease, and new services like need to manage and we crop revenue insurance, are helping with it, as all provide a backstop to well. protect growers from the increasing risks in By conducting surveys with growers to farming. make sure they follow IRM requirements, For the first time, the 2008 crop year ofAOSCA and participating agencies help manfers a marriage of these new risk management age the risk related to meeting government tools, as the insurance industry offers premium requirements. reductions to growers who plant certain inIn addition, we provide inspection and qualsect-resistant varieties. ity assurance services for crops containing new traits “in the pipeline” to manage the risk related to the handling of seed products in early Success Begins With the Seed production stages. The success in any crop year begins with In nearly all we do, how we play our cards the seed that is planted. For generations, growers have placed their confidence in a determines our success. Planting certified seed system that was developed even before any is a sure bet for producers. It is one of the of us were using the term “risk managemost cost-effective ways they can manage risk ment”. in this high-stakes game that could make or Certified seed may be taken for granted, break their businesses. but it provides consistent assurance that growers are buying the highest quality seed and Chet Boruff the purest varieties possible. Chief Executive Officer AOSCA represents seed certifying agencies Association of Official Seed around the globe, providing support and serCertifying Agencies (AOSCA) vices to help them meet their goals. However, 309-736-0120 it is the experts at the local level and in the cboruff@aosca.org “How we play our cards determines our success. Planting certified seed is a sure bet for producers.” 26 First Quarter 2008 http://www.aosca.org http://www.aosca.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Seed Today - Q1 2008

Seed Today - Q1 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes Cover Feature: Agrecol® Corporation Reed Barker, Ph.D. Cal/West Seeds Inc. Annual GM Use Report Bt Resistance Reported Camelina Tony Harper Gayle Jacklin According to ASTA Krauter Structures AOSCA AOSA/SCST GM and Greenhouse Gas Seed Associations Ad Index

Seed Today - Q1 2008

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