Front Range Seed Analysts Meeting Minutes
October 14, 1999
Submitted by Mike Bricker, FRSA Secretary, USDA-REE-ARS, National Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado
The October 14, 1999 FRSA meeting was hosted by Barbara Atkins of STA Laboratories, Longmont, Colorado.
Members present for the meeting were Barbara Atkins, Carri-Ann Bard, Mike Bricker, Jim Bruce, Mike Dideriksen, Arnold L. Larsen, Billie Lundberg, Mary McMahon, Marilyn Milhous, Annette Miller, and Diane Walker Tompkins.
The meeting was called to order by Annette Miller, President, at 1:05 PM MDT. The July 1, 1999 meeting minutes were made available in hardcopy. The meeting minutes were not accessible on the FRSA web site prior to the meeting. Approval of the July 1, meeting minutes was tabled till the January 2000 meeting.
Mike Bricker reported that two books, “Seeds” by Carol and Jerry Baskin, and “Principles of Seed Science and Technology” by Copeland and McDonald were donated in September to the Fort Collins Public Library in memorial of Bruce and Mildred Thornton.
Mike reported on additional sales of “Seeds of Cultivated Flowers” manuals and disk sets, bringing the total manuals sold to 76 and disk sets to 12.
With the absence of Pat Conine, Treasurer, Mike presented the Treasurer’s report. The report was found to be in good standing and was approved by the members present.
Annette Miller provided the Web Page Administrator’s report, presenting an outline of the web sites home page changes. Stephanie Townsend at the National Seed Storage Laboratory will assist Annette with initiating the home page changes. Annette asked for and received approval on loading the “Seeds of Cultivated Flowers” seed plates to the web site. Requests were made to have access to the number of hits the web site receives and to link the web site to the Seed Quest web site.
Old Business
Carri-Ann Bard reported that her and Jane Hall had not had time to
work on the Continuing Education Points Application Form which will be
presented for approval to SCST. Barbara Atkins is to assist Carri-Ann
and Jane, and plans are to present a draft of an Application Form at the
January 2000 meeting.
Jim Bruce and Arnold Larsen reported on the Seed Purity and Seed Germination Workshops held in July at the National Seed Storage Laboratory. The workshops were hands on instruction and training for individuals participating in the Distance Education courses on Seed Analysis. Plans are for these workshops to become annual events.
Jim and Arnold reported that the Distance Education Seed Analysts courses
are being considered for worldwide licensing. There is interest from
Australia. Presently, the courses that are available are being fine
tuned.
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There was no new news regarding the Colorado Noxious Weed List. Annette will contact Eric Lane, Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Weed Agent, regarding samples of seed of the existing Colorado Noxious Weed list. Jim Bruce said the Federal Noxious Weed list is in the process of being updated.
The search for a new manager at the Colorado Seed Laboratory is still ongoing. The job description has been revised and the position’s announcement reissued.
The status of the Wyoming State Seed Laboratory is that the State of Wyoming has approved funding for the Laboratory up to July 2000, according to Billie Lundberg, Lab Director. About a month after the October meeting, Billie was advised that the Wyoming Department of Agriculture had received funding to continue operation of the Lab. Looks like the future of the Wyoming Seed Lab has stabilized.
New Business
Mike Bricker presented a draft of the Year 2000 FRSA Membership Renewal
Letter. The draft was approved by the members present. The
Year 2000 FRSA Membership Renewal Letter will be mailed toward the end
of December 1999.
There was a suggestion that the organization create an information brochure. Annette Miller will develop the brochure, with copies being available for handout at the Colorado Seed Growers Association / Colorado Seed Industry Annual Meeting to be held December 2 and 3, 1999. Plans are to have the FRSA information brochure available for the Year 2000 AOSA/SCST Annual Meetings and other pertinent future meetings.
Members discussed FRSA sponsoring a new Seed Analysts Wage Survey. Nearly five years have passed since the last FRSA sponsored Seed Analysts Wage Survey. Annette Miller is to chair a Wage Survey Committee of Jim Bruce, Marilyn Milhous, Jane Hall, and Annette. The Committee will report at the Year 2000 January meeting about the format for the survey.
The Year 2000 FRSA Meeting dates and hosting agents were determined.
The dates and hosts are:
Wednesday, January 12, 2000
Mike Dideriksen, Hilleshog, Longmont, Colorado
1:00 PM MST General Business Meeting
/ Video on growing Sugar Beet seed
Wednesday, April 12, 2000
Colorado Seed Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado
1:00 PM MDT Review of Yr. 2000 AOSA
Proposed Rules
Friday, July 14, 2000
National Seed Storage Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado
10:00 AM MDT Seed Analysts Forum (hands on
workshops—subjects to be determined)
Wednesday, October 11, 2000
Richard Agnew, Arkansas Valley Seed, Denver, Colorado
1:00 PM MDT General Business Meeting
/ Selection of Yr. 2001-2002 FRSA Officers
There being no additional business, the meeting adjourned at 2:45 PM.
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Directly following the meeting, Barbara Atkins presented a workshop on “Interpretation Problems with Germination of Pelleted Linaria spp.”. Barbara indicated that pelleted Linaria spp. seeds require an extended germination period from 7 days to 14 days to read the test. The pelleting material inhibits the germination progress. Additionally there is little to no correlation between plug test germination and pelleted seed test germination. The primary problem for the Seed Analysts when performing the test is to read the test consistently, meaning that multiple variations exist between replicates as to root growth, hypocotyl elongation, and cotyledon development. Pelleting the seed seems to initiate short, stubby root growth, shortened hypocotyls, and damage to cotyledons which must break through the pelleting material. Barbara and her staff find germination of pelleted seeds to be one of the biggest challenges in the laboratory.
The next FRSA meeting will be held Wednesday, January 12, 2000 hosted by Mike Dideriksen of Novartis Seeds, Inc./Hilleshog, Longmont, Colorado, at 1:00 PM MST.