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SEPTEMBER 2015 SEEDWORLD.COM 59 AGRICULTURESECRETARYCALLSONINDUSTRYTO EDUCATECONGRESSABOUTTHENEEDFORRESEARCH U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed concerns about the proposed budget cuts to research and asked those in the seed industry to help educate friends in Congress about its importance. On June 18 Vilsack told ASTA convention attendees that Congress is looking at a budget for USDA that is 3.3 billion less than it was when he first became secretary. This proposed budget would go into effect Oct. 1. Given the need for America to remain competitive given the fact that we have great universities given the fact that we have committed for over 150 years the important role of our land- grant universities one would think that we would look for ways to support research both privately and publicly Vilsack said. He explained that a good portion of the budget cuts have come from research primarily research facilities associated with USDAs Agricultural Research Service Economic Research Service National Agriculture Statistics Service and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Support for research needs to be an ongoing commitment Vilsack said. Theres probably not a company in this room that hasnt made a significant commitment to research and hasnt made it year after year after year. And it has probably taken that long for the innovations that the companies in this room have created to take hold. It cant just be a one-off opportunity it has to be a long- term commitment. I certainly appreciate the importance of other aspects of our economy and the research that needs to take place in things like healthcare. But fundamentally it all starts with our ability to feed our people. It all starts with our ability to main- tain our vibrant rural economy. During the opening general session of ASTAs 132nd Annual Convention Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took questions from the audience. ASTAHONORSTWOWITH DISTINGUISHEDSERVICEAWARD Greg Lamka and Betsy Peterson were recognized with ASTAs Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the association and the seed industry said John Schoenecker of HM.CLAUSE and 201415 ASTA chairman. Lamka who has retired from DuPont Pioneer after a 22-year career is responsible for developing the ELISA test while at Iowa State University. The test still used globally ensures that seed corn for export is free from Stewarts wilt. Throughout his career Lamka held several positions including soybean seed produc- tion manager director of soybean breeding quality assurance manager phytosanitary regulatory manager and seed treatment strategy manager. He has also served the broader industry at the state national and international levels. Lamka has served as chair of the Iowa Seed Association board of directors a long-time member of ASTAs Phytosanitary and Seed Treatment Environment ernstseed.com salesernstseed.com 800-873-3321 Native seeds for Pollinator Habitat Restoration Reclamation Sustainable Landscapes Conservation Biomass