b'STATE LAWS SCRUTINIZE SEEDDuring the State legislation period, seed and seed protection was looked at under a magnifying glass.Alex MartinKEEPING YOUR FINGERon theThe top issue Miller notes they dealtintroduced. Later, it was introduced in the pulse of the industry is imperative,with this year was a piece of legislation inbudget bill, however, it was cut out of the especially when it comes to laws involv- New York.final budget bill. ing seed. Theres always a chance thatThey had a bill that would haveMiller does not believe that either a bill doesnt support the seed sector oreliminated the treated article exemptionthese New York or Minnesota bills will pop farmers and their ability to access thefor seed, which would cause treated seedback up in special sessions, but its impor-best tools for planting, so keeping an eyeto be handled as a pesticide, Miller says.tant to keep your finger on the pulse of on legislation is paramount. That legislation would have been dev- these legislations because anything can While 2021 has been another abnor- astating for the seed industry, becausehappen at any time. mal year due to the pandemic, not muchevery lot of seed would have to be regis- Another bill failed early in the has changed in terms of legislation beingtered as a pesticide. Oklahoma legislatureone that wanted draftedthe American Seed TradeMiller says that would have basicallyto raise the germination requirement for Associations (ASTA) Pat Miller has beeneliminated the use of treated seed in Newcotton seed to 90%, when other state diligently on the lookout when it comes toYork. And if youd asked Miller in May, heregulatory levels rance from 60-80%, state laws involving seed.says he thought this legislation wouldwith most at 70%. Last March, I crawled into a Zoomhave passed. Another interesting bill introduced in meeting, and Ive just now come out of it,Half of their legislature, including theNebraska would have changed the germi-Miller, director of state government affairs,governor is from New York City, he says.nation standards for native seeds, and the jokes. While its been a long year, thereAs a result, they dont have as much ofsponsor was open to industrys sugges-have also been some successes to comean agriculture background or a full under- tions, but it failed to gain momentum.out of it in terms of state policies. standing of the safety and importance ofThis is the first year Ive seen any type treated seed. But the bill ran out of time. of legislation, in my 14 legislative sessions, Failed Legislation One spectacular moment to come outthat had anything to do with germina-Sometimes the legislation that doesntof that legislation was the effort of thetion, Miller says. It really surprised me, pass is more important than what doessector coming together to work the bill. and Im hoping its not a trend, because pass, Miller says.All segments of agriculturepro- those are science-based decisions result-ducers, retailers, distributors, manufactur- ing from years of industry research.ers, associationswere involved in theThese were among the most notable effort to address this legislative effort in abills that failed, though not all-encom-very coordinated manner, Miller says.passing.Miller says similar legislation was pro-posed in Minnesota.Passed LegislationIt went through the Senate quiteThe question, what actually did pass? fast, and with a lot of screens, he says.One of the biggest bills that passed When it got to the House, it didnt getwas in Nebraska regarding treated seed for ethanol production. For background, in early February, an AltEn plant in Mead, Neb., was ordered to shut down operations by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy due to a discovery of three lagoons con-taminated with wastewater. That facility was one of only two in the country that 4/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2021'