Seed Notes October 2009

New directors

Three appointed directors to the CCIA Board were changed at the May Members meeting.

‘At-large’ director - We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Ron Rubin for his many contributions to CCIA. Ron Rubin served on the board for 6 years representing the California Seed Association and 4 years in the ‘At-large’ position. Ron served as treasurer and was a very active member of the board. Edward Eggers, President & CEO of Sunfield Seeds, was appointed by the board to this seat. Ed brings many years of experience in the seed industry and we welcome him to the board.

Cooperative Extension - Mick Canevari announced his upcoming retirement from CE and also from the CCIA board. Mick also served as treasurer for several years and we thank him for his service. Shannon Mueller, Farm Advisor in Fresno County, has been appointed to this seat. Shannon brings experience in agronomy, alfalfa seed, hay production, seed certification, forage crops, pollination and honeybee management, oil seed crop production, and dry beans.

UCD, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences - After 10 years of service, Dr. Michael Parella stepped down as CCIA director at the May meeting. In September, Dean Neal Van Alfen appointed Dr. James Hill to serve on the CCIA board. Jim brings expertise in the field of rice research and his knowledge of the University of California, the California seed industry, and of seed certification will provide important continuity in the representation from the CA&ES. Jim is also a returning director - he served on the board representing the UCD Department of Agronomy and Range Science in the mid 1990’s.

As a brief reminder, the board is composed of 19 directors as follows:
8 District directors - voted by CCIA members
2 ‘At-large’ directors appointed by the board
1 representative from the following groups appointed by their agency director:

  • Ag Commissioners Association
  • California Seed Association
  • California Farm Bureau Federation
  • California Dept of Food & Agriculture
  • UCD, College of Agriculture & Environmental Science
  • UC Cooperative Extension
  • UCD, Department of Plant Sciences
  • Ex-officio (non-voting member) - Seed Biotechnology Center and the Foundation Seed Program

Research fee increase

CCIA directors recognize the importance of supporting agronomic research and also are aware that research funding has become more difficult to obtain. At the September board meeting the directors approved a $.05/cwt increase in research fees for alfalfa and small grains. As of October 1st fees for alfalfa and small grains will be adjusted as follows:

Alfalfa
$.25/cwt alfalfa research
$.15/cwt National Alfalfa Alliance (no change)
$.90/cwt certification fee (no change)
Total Alfalfa certification fee = $1.30/cwt

Grain
$.22/cwt grain research
$.16/cwt certification fee (no change)
Total Grain certification fee = $0.38/cwt

The complete fee schedule is available at the CCIA web site.


Online seed cert requests

Three years ago CCIA implemented the online application process. This process allows applicants to enter their applications online, mark the field location on an electronic photograph of the area and upload scanned tags and certificates for verification of planting stock. The next step is now ready for implementation - online seed certification - the process will be similar to the online application process. A company representative will designate the employee(s) who will have access to the system by adding their email and password into the company profile. This employee will login and choose to “Certify a seed lot”. Information about the seed lot will be entered. A Seed ID Number (SID) will be generated - this number will replace the current Sample Form Number. The SID and lot information may be printed and sent along with the seed sample to the lab. It may also be printed and attached to the reference seed sample kept for possible auditing. A grid (list) of your pending seed certification requests is available for your viewing at anytime. When the lab analysis is received, the SID is selected from the grid. The lab results are entered; the crop seed standards will be automatically checked by the computer and you will receive an error notice if the results are outside the approved standards. The paper copy of the lab results is scanned and uploaded to the CCIA web site. The employee then submits the information to CCIA. A CCIA staff person receives an email that a request for seed certification has been submitted; they will verify the lab results and check for additional standards or assay results that may be required. When approved, the seed conditioner will receive an email that the Seed Inspection Report is available for viewing. An email will also be sent to the Applicant and the local Agricultural Commissioner. All approved/accredited seed conditioners will receive a letter with detailed instructions on how to use the system.

Reminder - The new crop year began October 1st. Be sure to choose 2010 when entering your new applications.


Application assignments by crop

After you submit an application to grow certified seed, a CCIA staff person reviews the application and schedules a field inspection. This responsibility has been assigned to various staff by crop. We understand that you may be comfortable, or have a history of speaking to one person at CCIA, however, if you have a question regarding your application we encourage you to contact the lead CCIA staff as noted below. If they are not available, contact the staff assigned as back-up. These staff will have the most knowledge about your application and will be able to help you.

list of staff crop assignments

Staff Focus - Larry Teuber

Larry TeuberDr. Larry R. Teuber has been associated with CCIA for many years. He has served as an ex-offico representative for the UC Davis Foundation Seed Program and as Academic Advisor. He became Executive Director in 2006. In addition to his CCIA responsibilities, he is also a UC Davis Professor and Researcher and Director of the Foundation Seed Program. His research interests are the genetics and biology of floral characters influencing alfalfa pollination by honey bees, resistance to lygus bugs and whiteflies, tolerance to “summer dry-down” irrigation management, and fall dormancy. He is also working closely with the Wild Rice industry to improve this crop for cultivation in California. Larry is active in many agronomic and seed associations including: AOSCA (Association of Seed Certifying Agencies), California Seed Association, Pacific Seed Association, North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference, and the California Alfalfa Workgroup. Larry is married to Suzanne and they have 2 teenage daughters – Stephanie and Melissa. Suzanne is a UC Davis faculty member and medical doctor specializing in allergies at the UC Davis Medical Center. The kids are very active in team sports and the family spends most weekends traveling with club teams. Larry enjoys long distance bicycling and wood working as hobbies.