Front Range Seed Analysts Meeting Minutes
April 18, 2000
Submitted by Mike Bricker, FRSA Secretary, National Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado
Members present at the meeting were Barbara Atkins, Carri-Ann Bard, Mike Bricker, Jim Bruce, Irene B. Cardona, Pat Conine, Mike Dideriksen, Gabe Gavin, Cheryl Johnson, Arnold L. Larsen, Tim Loeffler, Marilyn Milhous, Annette Miller, Mary McMahon, Cindy Patterson, Stephanie Townsend, Gil Waibel, and Loren Wiesner.
Guests present were Julie Laufmann of the National Seed Storage Laboratory, Connie Ramirez of the Colorado Seed Laboratory, and Rob Wilson, graduate student, Colorado State University.
Prior to the meeting a boxed luncheon was provided for members and guests attending. During the luncheon, Annette Miller, FRSA President, introduced Tim Loeffler, the new Colorado Seed Laboratory Director, to the membership.
Also, during the luncheon, Rob Wilson presented a talk on diffuse knapweed. Rob is involved with a Graduate Research Project on biological control and herbicide treatment of the species.
Annette informed the members that a letter was sent to Eric Lane of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, informing Mr. Lane that FRSA would like to assist with providing seed sample sets of species listed on the Colorado Noxious Weed List. Annette requested bulk seed samples of the Noxious Weed List species.
Mary McMahon handed out seed samples of Dames Rocket, a species which is to be added to the Colorado Noxious Weed List effective January 1, 2001. Gil Waibel indicated that the addition of Dames Rocket to the Noxious Weed List is being challenged.
Annette asked for ideas for the July Seed Analysts Forum. Ideas presented were 1) Seed counts: information gained to be used for rule additions to purity tables, 2) Critique of proposals for Seedling Evaluation Handbook changes on Solanaceae and Balsaminiaceae, 3) Ergot in Buchloe dactyloides (buffalograss): pure seed determination, and 4) Cut test comparison of x-ray to hand cutting of Atriplex canescens (four-wing saltbush).
The meeting was called to order by Annette Miller, President at 1:05 PM MDT. The minutes of the January 12, 2000 meeting were approved as presented on the FRSA website. Mike Bricker, Secretary, gave an update of FRSA Year 2000 individual members (13), support members (12), and sponsors (13) for a total of 38 to-date. Acknowledgements of the memorial contributions in memory of Wendell Bragonier were received by Pat Conine, FRSA Treasurer. The first lecture of the Thornton-Massa Lecture Series is to be held at Colorado State University on April 19. Mildred and Bruce Thornton were longtime sponsors of FRSA. The Thornton family established a foundation with Colorado State University in memorial to Mildred and Bruce. FRSA made a contribution to the memorial foundation in 1999. The foundation was combined with the Massa Foundation. The April 19 lecture is the first endeavor of the combined foundations.
The Treasurer’s Report was presented by Pat Conine, and found to be
in good standing. The Audit Committee of Jim Bruce and Mike Dideriksen
found the Treasurer’s records for 1999 to be in good standing.
A thank you was given to Pat for another year of outstanding service.
Annette and Stephanie Townsend presented a Web Page Administration report. Annette indicated that the Year 2000 Seed Analysts Wage Survey had 86 responses to-date, a drop in responses compared to the last wage survey. Annette sent out numerous e-mail messages to laboratories with e-mail addresses and reminder letters to laboratories with no e-mail address, requesting participation in the Wage Survey. Members decided to extend the Wage Survey web site through the month of May. The web site was originally to be discontinued at the end of April.
A letter was received from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture stating that the Wyoming Seed Laboratory would officially close effective July 1, 2000. This is sad news regarding the decision by the State of Wyoming.
The date for the FRSA Seed Analysts Forum will remain July 14, 2000 beginning at 10:00 AM MDT, at the National Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado. Topics for the Forum were discussed during the luncheon prior to the meeting.
The main purpose of the April meeting was to review the Year 2000 AOSA
Rules Proposals. Member present voted to support Rules Proposals
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 22 as
published in the February 2000 (v. 74, n. 1) issue of The Seed Technologist
Newsletter.
Rule Proposal 3 had split support / opposition. Opposition to
Proposal noted increased costs to perform tests, additional number of seeds
required for paired tests, and need for additional germination chamber
space. Support for Proposal noted increased precision in paired tests
and improved consistency. Supporters felt that additional time
spent on the test and the need for additional germination chamber space
would be minimal.
Rule Proposal 5 had member support for the intent of the Proposal, however, there is a recommendation by FRSA that there be a description for ‘sand’ similar to the description used by ISTA for ‘sand’ [section 5.4.A.2. sand, page 163, International Seed Testing Association (1999), Seed Sci. & Technol., 27, Suppliment; International Rules for Seed Testing Rules 1999].
Rule Proposal 16 had a majority of the members support the Proposal as written, however, a few members questioned the need to split the species viridis into the subspecies crispa and viridis.
Rule Proposal 21 has support from members with the question arising
as to the spelling of ‘rocketsalad’, recalling the spelling to be two words,
‘rocket salad’, in some former publications.
A letter covering the review of the Year 2000 AOSA Proposed Rules is
to be sent to the AOSA Rules Committee in care of Doug Ashton, Chair.
New Business
Gil Waibel indicated there is to be a Symposium on ‘Evasive Plant Species’ on November 30 and December 1, 2000 at Fort Collins, Colorado. Gil will provided more information regarding the Symposium at the July Seed Analysts Forum.
There being no additional business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:53 PM MDT.