b'Outside of those areas, in the more marginal growing areas oflong as the results are comparable to those possible through the northern and southern states, there may be greater fluid- conventional breeding.ity and this will be impacted by policy decisions in WashingtonMexico, a partner in the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agree- where the closing months of 2023 were marked by delays inment that replaced NAFTA in 2020, is moving in the opposite passing a new Farm Bill. direction, however.The previous bill expired at the end of September, and whileMexico has announced plans to phase-out the herbicide certain policies are in place to ensure continuity, any delay cre- glyphosate and ban the import of genetically modified corn for ates uncertainties. both human and animal consumption by January 2024.It hasTheres a lot of areas that we require consistency on in termsalready banned cultivation of genetically modified corn, which of USDA funding, says Janae Brady, vice-president, governmentit considers a credible threat to native corn varieties through affairs with the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). Theuncontrolled cross-pollination.Farm Bill sets the standard for agricultural policy for the U.S.,The United States is challenging the ban and is carefully whether through reference prices or in Title I commodity pro- tracking ongoing developments.grams, or through funding USDA research programs. This legis- Were tracking closely the biotechnology regulations that lation is the risk management foundation for U.S. agriculture. were seeing out of Mexico; were continuing to track as Europe Policies regarding cover crops are of particular interest as theand Canada release their regulations, Brady says. How does crop sector looks at becoming more sustainable. that align with what were seeing in the U.S.?Cover crops are a good exampleas we look at conser- In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vation programs and conservation tools, she says. Are newissued a final rule in July that clarified its regulation for plant-policies being put in place that will increase demand for seedincorporated protective traits that are similar to conventional like cover crop seed or seeds utilized in other programs like thecrops. conservation reserve program? Its not just the barriers to trade that new policies create that At this point, uncertainty over what programs and policiestrouble Brady. Research also needs to keep pace with growers could be in place means the seed industry has difficulty gaugingevolving needs.future demand. Were constantly looking at not just what is the farmer going We as the seed industry are able to ebb and flow and pivotto need next year, but what is the farmer going to need in 20 and make sure that we have the seeds that are necessary asyears that research and development needs to begin for now, farmers are making these decisions, but there has to be someshe says. And do we have the right regulatory systems in place certainty and predictability for our seed growers to have a gen- that will allow for that?SWeral understanding of expected demand, she says. While the vast majority of most seed is produced in the market where its needed, international trade in seed is significant and full of opportunities.The global market for seed still shows great potential for the future introduction of improved varieties from the U.S., an ASTA policy paper states. However, the imple-mentation of robust intellectual property regulations, par-ticularly in emerging markets around the globe, is necessary for the widespread introduction of new and improved U.S. varieties.International Seed Federation statistics rank the United States among the worlds largest suppliers of seed for row crops alongside France, Poland, Denmark and Germany.Conversely, the worlds largest buyer is Belgium, at 1.2 million metric tonnes, followed by Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Germanyall members of the European Union, where policies regarding gene-editing, novel technologies and plant-incorporated protection are poised for an historic loosening.EU recommendations released in July 2023 pro-pose the separation of gene editing and other new genetic techniques from the restrictions on GMOs, so DECEMBER 2023SEEDWORLD.COM /113'