North Dakota Stiffens Penalty for Seed IP Infringement
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple signed into law Senate Bill 2261, which among other amendments increases the maximum fine for a violation of seed intellectual property protection laws from $5,000 to $10,000, making it […]
Iowa State to Host Seed Conditioning, Quality Evaluation Workshops
Iowa State University will host a series of workshops on seed conditioning and quality testing procedures this summer. The workshops are designed to be small group sessions that feature a […]
Discovery of New Plant Switch Could Boost Crops, Biofuel Production
A team of Michigan State University researchers has discovered a switch that regulates plant photosynthesis — the process that lets plants store solar energy and use it to grow and […]
CWB Deal Increases Competition: Ritz
G3 plans to develop coast-to-coast grain processing and shipping network _x000D_ The federal government has announced the approval of a deal reached between the Canadian Wheat Board and G3 Global […]
Scientists See Faster Growth in Plants Colonized by Bacteria
An international team of researchers, including three from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, has tracked nitrogen as soil bacteria pull it from the air and release it […]
Syngenta Wins 2015 INFORMS Franz Edelman Award
The Syngenta “Good Growth Through Advanced Analytics” program has won the 2015 INFORMS Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences. The Franz Edelman competition acknowledges […]
Seed Association of the Americas Announces New Appointments
Seed Association of the Americas (SAA) announces the appointment of two important professionals joining the organization. Both are senior in their careers with proven experience and knowledge in their areas of […]
International PBR Standard Proposed
Three international seed organizations are advocating for an international system of cooperation (ISC) for plant breeders’ rights. The International Seed Federation (ISF), CropLife International (CLI) and the International Community of Breeders […]
Ioka Marketing Expands Market Reach
Oregon’s Ioka Marketing announces its new affiliation with Union Forage, a seed company based in Alberta, Canada that will further develop the customer base of PGG Seeds, which Ioka Marketing […]
Bacteria Find Could Aid Crop Protection
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom have discovered how communities of beneficial bacteria form a waterproof coating on the roots of plants. This helps protect the […]
Seed Theft Defendants Ask That FISA Evidence Be Supressed
Defendants in an Iowa seed theft case ask that evidence gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — a law created to combat terrorists and “agents of foreign power” — be […]
Nutrition-Regulating Genes Could Be Bred into Wheat, Corn
Researchers at New York’s Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research say genes to increase or enhance plant nutrition could be bred into plant varieties to create healthier crops. Researchers identified a critical transporter of […]
HarvestMaster Introduces New Sample Collector for Researchers
The Utah-based HarvestMaster is shipping its new H2 High Capacity GrainGage sample collector. Designed to collect data on large-plot, high-volume grain samples, the H2 GrainGage offers efficiency and data accuracy […]
Land O’Lakes Names New Chief Marketing Officer
Minnesota’s Land O’Lakes, Inc. hires Tim Scott as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Scott will join Land O’Lakes April 22. Scott brings years of experience to Land O’Lakes, where […]
Limagrain Marketing New Barley Variety for Brewing
Limagrain is marketing a new variety of barley meant for brewing. From the field to the finished product, beer production requires that specific products be used as part of a precise process. […]
Low Winter Mortality in Dutch Bee Colonies
This past winter, Dutch beekeepers lost about 10 percent of their bee colonies. According to Wageningen University in the Netherlands, this means that winter mortality has been roughly the same […]
Syngenta a Finalist for 2015 INFORMS Franz Edelman Award
The Syngenta “Good Growth Through Advanced Analytics” program is one of six finalists competing in the 2015 INFORMS Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences. […]
American Takii Hires Logistics and Manufacturing Manager
Toshi Ueda joins the California-based American Takii, Inc. in its newly-created position of logistics and manufacturing manager. He will manage three key functional areas for American Takii including logistics, seed production and […]
Pinnacle Holdings Acquires Liebl Ag
The Tennessee-based Pinnacle Agriculture Holdings has acquired Liebl Ag of Minnesota. Operating as part of Pinnacle’s Performance Agriculture brand, the new location will be a full-service agricultural input retailer specializing […]
CSGA | March 2015
Drill Box Survey shows Value of Certified seed _x000D_ The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association is a member of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) and sits on both […]
GMO Dust Trial Begins in Hawaii
Court proceedings are underway in a lawsuit against DuPont Pioneer in Hawaii. A group of Waimea residents are suing DuPont, claiming their quality of life has been diminished as a result […]
CSTA | March 2015
The new Plant Breeders’ Rights:_x000D_ What you need to know _x000D_ More than 22 years of hard work by the Canadian Seed Trade Association and its partners came to fruition […]
New Varieties
Readers have indicated that Germination’s New Varieties List is one of the most eagerly anticipated features of the year. The list is sponsored by seed companies across Canada —their logos […]
The Next Yield Frontier
The seed industry has made significant investments into the research and development of biologicals — be it through acquisitions or their own research teams. Here, we highlight some of the […]
Gates Foundation Grant to Boost Staple Crop Breeding
To streamline the breeding of five staple crops – wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and chickpea – the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded Cornell University $18.5 million for a […]
Horticulture Groups Question Lowe’s Decision on Neonics
Home improvement chain Lowe’s has announced it plans to phase out the sale of products containing neonicotinoid pesticides in response to what it says are environmental concerns, but four of […]
Wheat Breeders Head to Asia on Fact-Finding Mission
Four wheat breeders will travel with members of market development organization U.S. Wheat Associates to Asia from April 18-26, to demonstrate the importance of wheat research. Each year the United […]
Honeybee Die-Off Less Severe
The honeybee population appears to have survived the winter in better shape than a year ago, but still faces several significant threats, a Purdue University honeybee specialist says. After the brutally cold, […]
Grain Farmers of Ontario Opposes Draft Seed Regulations
Following a technical briefing from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, as well as a thorough review of the draft seed treatment regulations proposed by […]
Supreme Court Upholds Wheat Marketing Freedom
The Supreme Court of Canada rejected the leave application to continue with the class action lawsuit brought by the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board against the federal government for removing […]
U.K. Company Sues Bayer Over Canadian Patent
Exosect Ltd., a provider of enabling technologies based in the United Kingdom, has initiated legal proceedings against Bayer CropScience Inc. for alleged infringement of its Canadian patent that relates to, among other […]
CFI Receives Funding for Fertilizer Research
The Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI) received a federal government investment of $1.1 million to facilitate research and development to improve the efficient use of fertilizer, while reducing the environmental impacts […]
Kansas Farmers to Enjoy Better Wheat Varieties
Kansas State University wheat breeder Allan Fritz has a lifetime of intuition and experience in developing new wheat varieties. Thanks to research funded by Kansas wheat farmers through the Kansas Wheat Commission […]
Vineland Research and Innovation Centre Receives Funding
The federal government announced an investment of $143,260 to Ontario’s Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to conduct research into improving the use of biological controls for pest and disease management […]
Genome Canada Unveils New Genomics Innovation Network
Genome Canada announced a $15.5 million investment in Canada’s new Genomics Innovation Network. The network is comprised of ten “nodes,” each receiving core operational funding from Genome Canada, with matching […]
Thompsons Limited Acquires Rannoch Grains
Ontario’s Thompsons Limited announced it has acquired Rannoch Grains Inc._x000D_ _x000D_ “This opportunity expands the reach for our grain marketing, agronomy solutions and food products business into a strategic geographic […]