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Minutes of the January 10, 2001 FRSA Business Meeting
Submitted by Mike Bricker, FRSA Secretary, USDA-REE-ARS, National Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado

The January 10, FRSA Business Meeting was held at Hilleshog in Longmont, Colorado.  Mike Dideriksen and Carri-Ann Bard were the meeting’s hosts.  Mike informed the membership of the name change from Novartis Seeds, Inc. to Syngenta Seeds, Inc. of which Hilleshog is affiliated.

Members present:  Barbara Atkins, Carri-Ann Bard, Stacy Bieberdorf, Mike Bricker, Jim Bruce, Pat Conine, Mike Dideriksen, Brigette Fishburn, Jane Hall, Tim Loeffler, Mary Loring, Billie Lundberg, Marilyn Milhous, Annette Miller, Margaret Sharp, and Laurie Thoma.
Guests present were Tim Larson of Hilleshog, and from STA Laboratories, Phyllis Paulke and Marjorie Stover.

The meeting was called to order by Billie Lundberg, President, at 1:05 PM MST.  Approval of the October 12, 2000 FRSA Business Meeting minutes were approved as provided on the FRSA web site.  Mike Bricker reported on current 2001 memberships / support members / and sponsors.  As of 1-9-2001 there were 9 individual memberships, 7 support memberships, and 9 sponsors for a total of 25.  The Treasurer’s report was presented by Pat Conine.  The treasury was found to be in good standing.  A Treasurer Audit Committee of Tim Loeffler, Brigette Fishburn, and Billie Lundberg will audit the 2000 transactions and report the committee’s findings at the April 11 FRSA meeting.

Annette Miller presented the Web Page Administrator’s report.  A request was made for increasing the web site capacity from 25 megabits to 150 megabits at an additional cost of $11.00 per month.  Annette presented a table of used space, indicating that future downloading of data would surpass the present site capacity.  Increase in web site capacity to 150 megabits was approved.  Annette also asked for and received approval to use space on the FRSA web site for an  AOSA Tetrazolium Handbook Page to be used among the TZ Handbook Committee members.  The space will be used for review of TZ Handbook changes prior to requesting AOSA membership approval for publication updates of the Handbook.  Once the capacity upgrade is made, Annette’s top priorities for the web site will be adding out-of-print USDA seed plates and the remaining four years of the Seed Forum Newsletters to the archives.  Annette also presented an updated version of the “Seeds of Cultivated Flowers” CD.  The original 2-disk set is now on one disk using Acrobat Reader 4.0, included on the disk.    Annette is targeting the May AOSA/SCST Annual Meetings for having the new CD available.  For information regarding the new CD, contact Annette at amiller@lamar.colostate.edu , or at (970)495-3240.

Annette reported there was some interest by attending participants at the December 2000 CSGA/CSIA and CSSRM meetings in purchasing a copy of the Colorado Noxious Weed Seed Poster, an FRSA presentation at the meetings.  Bids for having the poster scaled to a standard 2 feet by 3 feet poster size will be procured by Jane Hall and Mike Dideriksen through their respective printing venders.  Jane and Mike will report at the April meeting on poster publication costs.  At that time, a decision will be made as to whether the poster will be reproduced.

Old Business
Barbara Atkins reported there is an effort by the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture to collect seed for the species presently on the updated Colorado Noxious Weed List. (Two weeks following the January 10 FRSA meeting, Jim Bruce attended a meeting hosted by Gil Waibel, CSGA manager, which presented a DRAFT of the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture’s “Mission for Colorado’s Weed Management”.  The DRAFT outlines the vision of the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture in managing existing noxious weeds and curtailing future noxious weed infestations.)

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Jane Hall and Carri-Ann Bard had no report regarding the SCST Continuing Education Points Application Committee.  Barbara Atkins indicated there is a short supply of 2001 SCST Continuing Education workshops, and had heard that 2001 will be the last year for the Federal Seed School.  FRSA plans to request approval for SCST Continuing Education Points for the July 2001 FRSA Seed Analysts Forum to be held July 13, at the National Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Tim Loeffler and Jim Bruce presented an update on the Distance Education Seed Analysts Course.  Present emphasis is on getting the existing four courses onto the Internet.  Additionally, Jim has been working on the scientific names / common names index for the “All States’ Noxious Weed Seed” manual.  This index will be comprehensive in scope and supplement not only the manual, but provide seed analysts a comprehensive reference source.  Members of the Seed Analysts Course Committee are considering a presentation at the AOSA/SCST Annual Meetings on the confusing nature of noxious weed lists used around the U.S.

Barbara Atkins reported the revision on Agricultural Handbook 30 has been completed, the revision was presented to AOSA, and AOSA has presently tabled work on the handbook.

The members present discussed the use of a tri-fold FRSA information brochure as a handout at upcoming 2001 Seed Industry related meetings.  Annette suggested making a business card, with the web site address, available at upcoming meetings that FRSA members will be attending.  The business card was developed for the December 2000 CSGA/CSIA and CSSRM meetings.  Should any FRSA member wish to have the FRSA business cards available as handouts at an upcoming meeting, contact Annette Miller or Mike Bricker (mbricker@lamar.colostate.edu), or call (970)495-3245.

There was no other Old Business.

New Business
Billie led the discussion regarding the July Seed Analysts Forum.  The Forum will be held in conjunction with the Seed Analysts Course Purity Workshop scheduled for July 9-13, with the Forum being held on July 13.  The Forum will cover purity subjects.  A Seed Analysts Forum Committee of Margaret Sharp, Marilyn Milhous, Laurie Thoma, Jim Bruce, and Mike Bricker will develop program ideas and make a presentation at the April FRSA meeting.

Mike Bricker reported the 2001 Anna Lute Award Nominations Letter and Nominations Form would be published in the upcoming February issue of The Seed Technologist Newsletter, and asked Annette to update the Letter/Form on the FRSA web site with the appropriate closing date.  Nominations for the 2001 Anna Lute Award are to be mailed to Mike Bricker, National Seed Storage Laboratory, 1111 So. Mason St., Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, by March 15, 2001.  A suggestion was made to solicit nominations with a mailing to laboratories in the general region of that existing year’s AOSA/SCST Annual Meetings.  This idea will be tried to see if there is any response, and evaluated as a viable communication tool for future years’ use.   The 2001 Anna Lute Award Nominations Committee will be Pat Conine, Mike Dideriksen, and a Colorado Seed Industry representative, who has yet to be named.

Members approved a donation of $200 to the Thornton/Massa Lecture Fund at Colorado State University.  Members also approved a donation of $200 to the Colorado Seed Grower Assoc./Colorado Seed Industry scholarship fund used at Colorado State University in the Plant Science Department. 


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Jane Hall announced Applewood Seed Company is holding an Open House on Friday,
February 9, 2001 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.  Applewood Seed Company is located at 5380 Vivian Street, Arvada, Colorado.

Jane, also, announced that ISTA is opening up membership to Commercial Seed Laboratories.  This is a major organizational change for ISTA.

Barbara Atkins announced Registered Seed Technologists are to receive a ballot for SCST Constitutional changes. 

Mike Dideriksen presented a video about Syngenta Seed, the new parent company of Hilleshog.

There being no additional New Business, the meeting adjourned at 3:25 PM.

The next FRSA meeting will be Wednesday, April 11, 2001 at the Colorado Seed Laboratory, Colorado State University, Plant Science Building, Fort Collins, Colorado.  Meeting time will be 1:00 PM MDT.  Room location to be announced.  Hosts are Tim Loeffler and the Colorado Seed Lab staff, (970)491-6406.