Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148Collaborating with our partners for seed and business success. At BASF, we believe in collaboration as much as we do innovation. Together with our partners in the lab, meeting room and field, we focus not just on the performance of the seed, but also on the success of your business. And we deliver on that promise by bringing you a wide spectrum of solutions, from functional coatings and biologicals such as inoculants to insecticides and fungicides. Partner with BASF for advanced solutions today and a host of innovative technologies in the years ahead. Visit us at our ASTA Hospitality Suite in Columbus Hall or online at agproducts.basf.us © 2016 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved. S:16.8 T:18 B:18. What Role Have Regulations Played? JULIE DEERING serves as the editor for Seed World. Born on an Indiana farm, she is an agricultural enthusiast who enjoys sharing her passion with others. IN THE FACE of the ongoing mergers and acquisi- tions, that is. I have to ask this question as the seed industry cites the need for consolidation is to improve synergies. Businesses at all levels seek to improve syn- ergies, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they spend billions of dollars doing it. So what’s the real impetus? Is it shareholders? Is it the down ag economy? Is it the market maturing? Is it the regulatory environment? It’s likely a combination of these factors all converging at once, but I can’t help but think our current regula- tory environment plays a bigger role than what’s been discussed or covered in media. Now I recognize I’m young in this industry com- pared to many of the industry’s experts but during the past 20 years, history shows us that government, regardless of which party has been in office, has done nothing but get bigger. The cost of discovery, development and authori- zation of a new plant biotechnology trait introduced between 2008 and 2012 is $136 million, according to CropLife International. The time from the initiation of a discovery project to commercial launch is 13.1 years on average. But the number that catches my eye is the length of time associated with registration and regulatory approval. In 2002, the time associated with registration and regulatory affairs was a mean of 3.7 years. In 2011, the time frame increased to an estimated 5.5 years. CropLife reports that regulatory science, registration and regulatory affairs account for the longest phase in product development, estimated at 36.7 percent of total time involved. That’s more than one-third of the total process, just for registration and regulatory approval. And we haven’t even touched on other regula- tions that impact business owners and agriculture. Policymakers, while trying to protect the environment and curtail climate change, place undue burden on farmers and agribusinesses. One of the most ludicrous regulations put forth was to regulate farm dust. You can’t even drive down a rural Missouri road without stirring up a little dust, let alone plant or harvest a field. Then there’s the controversial “Waters of the United States” rule, more commonly known as WOTUS. This regulation, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, seeks to clarify and expand the agencies’ regulatory jurisdic-