The ISA board of directors voted to amend the by-laws at its September 23rd board meeting, adding two types of membership classes. Previously, there were only Regular members and Honorary members. The change adds Associate Members and Sales Members.

Seed company members continue to be “Regular Members” while non-seed company members are “Associate Members” (this is done merely to create distinctions between the two). The new class of “Sales Members” is a non-voting membership group with a representative on the board of directors. 

After strategically reviewing the Iowa Seed Association and its future, the board felt the association could better advocate for its members by allowing companies to have their professional sales representatives join the Iowa Seed Association as members. It is anticipated it will allow ISA to better serve member companies by giving a voice to the seed sales representatives and/or dealers that sell seed products. The names of your sales representatives will be kept strictly confidential by ISA’s executive director, Joan O’Brien.

A letter was sent out in August explaining this change in more detail. You can learn additional information about this change at the following link:

The bylaws have been updated on the IowaSeed.org website.

Managing treated seed properly is not just a good practice: it is critical to maintain access to seed treatment products that are under increasing scrutiny. For example, in public comments to EPA in June, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) alleged that "EPA has failed to consider the significant environmental risks and costs of the use of neonic-treated seed to produce ethanol." While ASTA does not necessarily agree with NRDC's allegations, and some of the language in the comments regarding seed treatments is misleading and taken out of context, we want to draw your attention to specific references to allegations of improper disposal of treated seed at an ethanol plant in Nebraska (see page 6 of the comments).

ASTA and other stakeholder groups have developed a set of recommendations to assist those involved in the process of treating, handling, transporting, or planting treated seeds. These recommendations can be found in a number of new and redesigned communication resources. A one-pager graphically displays the five steps for stewardship of treated seed, and outlines why and how seed treatments are used, including what the crop protection and seed industries are doing to ensure their safe use. A set of videos explore topics including: improving performance and safety with seed treatments; the five steps for stewardship of treated seed; and how seed treatments support sustainability.

For more information, visit: seed-treatment-guide.com.

September 18 Disaster Proclamation Press Release

SECTION ONE HUNDRED TWENTY begins the section related to critical trucking operations. SECTION ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR begins the section related to to motor vehicle licensing and registration.

In-person testing for Commercial Pesticide Applicators has resumed at ISU Extension Offices in Black Hawk, Cerro Gordo, Dallas, Dubuque, Johnson, Scott, and Woodbury counties. Single day testing sessions will move among the sites during the month of September. 

On days with testing, sites will hold sessions at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM. Pre-registration is required and space is limited due to social distancing guidelines. 

To find a date and time for testing visit:

Additional details about testing can be found on the IDALS Pesticide Bureau site: Guidance for Pesticide Applicator Test Sites 

Testing is also available at alternate testing sites in Ottumwa, Centerville, Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Waterloo, Council Bluffs, Atlantic, Harlan, and Shenandoah. For full details, visit the Pesticide Applicator Testing page and click on the link under the heading Testing Schedule at Alternate Test Sites. 

Register for the Self-Service Pesticide Portal

In April, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship launched an online, self-service portal. The portal uses each pesticide applicator’s unique certification number to match their application and payment to their training and testing history. The Self-Service Portal can be found at the following link:

By moving the process online, individual pesticide applicators can access their records anytime by logging into the self-service portal. The system also has a public search function that empowers customers and employers to verify that their pesticide applicators are licensed to work in the state of Iowa. 

If you have not registered for the self-service portal, visit this link to get started:

In response to the recent influx of unsolicited seed shipments into the U.S., Amazon has announced that effective September 3, the company will remove listings for live plants and seeds for planting that are offered and fulfilled by non-U.S. residents; and beginning on September 30, it will remove listings for live plants and seeds for planting that are offered by non-U.S. residents who are using Fulfillment by Amazon and have an inventory in one of Amazon's fulfillment centers.

The American Seed Trade Association, along with the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association, and over 300 agriculture and conservation organizations, sent a letter to members of the US Senate and House of Representatives voicing support for pesticide regulations currently in place under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The letter is in response to recently introduced legislation that would undermine the science-based standards contained within U.S. pesticide laws.

Congress has amended FIFRA several times to strengthen the regulatory standard for safety. Under the current law, pesticides that are approved for use are subject to continuous review whenever new scientific data becomes available. Each pesticide approved for use in the U.S. must be reviewed every 15 years, but they are generally assessed more frequently as more data becomes available.

At a recent meeting, the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force heard from Agribusiness Association of Iowa Environmental Services Director Shawn Richmond who outlined the success Iowa has had in measuring progress toward the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) goals. 

By capturing empirical data from randomly chosen retailer records, the INREC progress measurement survey collects information about crop production and conservation practices across the state. The collected data is anonymized and aggregated, then sent to the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology which provides analysis of the data and extrapolation of the results to statewide levels.

The assessment provides insight into land and nutrient management practices across the entire state and is able to capture statistically representative data that is otherwise difficult or impossible to collect. With these survey results in hand, it greatly improves the State’s ability to measure progress and provide valuable information on the adoption levels of various practices across Iowa. 

You can find the Crop Year Survey results at the following link:

Registration is now open for ASTA's CSS & Seed Expo Virtual, offering attendee registration at an 80% discount in pricing over the typical live event. Register by Sept. 30 and you will also receive a printed copy of the Attendee Roster book containing a full registrant directory.

Did you miss an issue? You can view all 2020 ISA News Bulletin publications here.