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September 7, 2012   
Inside This Issue.....
2012 Seed Tour
Workers Comp Reform Package Heads To Governor
Grassley Sees Farm Bill Extension
TEXAS A&M PLANT BREEDING Bulletin
Dem, GOP Platforms Short on Ag, Agribiz Details
Upcoming Meetings
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2012 Seed Tour
 

The 2012 CSA Fall Seed Tour exposed the inner workings of the seed industry to the next generation of seedsmen and seedswomen. Students from CSU Fresno, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Chico, Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis explored the multi-faceted world of the seed industry as they toured Gowan Seed, O.P. Murphy & Sons Tomato Packinghouse, American Takii, Natividad Nursery, Seed Dynamics and Sakata Seed.

 

Seed treating, pelletizing, priming, trialing and processing were all explained and discussed to give those on the tour a good idea of the kinds of opportunities available in the industry.

 

As the tour concluded, students could be heard talking excitedly about the prospect of a future internship and how they could see themselves working in seed. Many friendships were formed between students from different schools as they discussed their common interest in subjects as diverse as international ag development, biotech, plant sciences and agribusiness. The success of this tour would not have been possible without the generosity of the above-mentioned organizations as well as those that volunteered their time to share their passion with this dynamic group of students.




 

Workers Comp Reform Package Heads To Governor
 

State Fund estimates immediate 5-7% decrease in rates

 

Near the end of the Legislative session the Legislature passed a comprehensive workers compensation reform package intended to remove inefficiencies, fraud, and some of the cottage industries within the system while providing injured workers increased benefits. State Fund has provided a letter stating they will recommend an immediate 5-7% reduction in insurance rates upon implementation. SB 863 (de Leon) is currently on the Governor's desk awaiting action, but is expected to be signed.   The savings to employers are conservatively estimated to be approximately $1 billion in 2013 and over $300 million annually each year thereafter.   

 

SB 863 passed the Assembly on a 66-4 vote and the Senate with a vote of 34-4.  The final opponents were the Applicant Attorneys and the specialty medical providers.  The association joined a coalition of business entities supporting the final package.

 

Generally, SB 863's provisions are intended to:

  • Reduce frictional costs achieved through tighter claims management;
  • Set reasonable, achievable time frames for claims resolution;
  • Create an accountable lien process;
  • Stem the flood of unnecessary "add-ons" to nearly every workers' comp claim for sexual dysfunction and sleep disorders as ways to drive up the permanent disability award;
  • Provide better access to care for injured workers; and
  • Establish some critically needed fee schedules, among other cost saving changes. 
  • All of the changes in the bill are evidence-based and data-supported.  

As passed by the Legislature on August 30, 2012, SB 863's major provisions:

  • Create a $120 million program designed to increase benefits for injured workers who suffer a disproportionate loss of earnings as the result of an industrial injury.  This will be designed for access by only the most catastrophically injured workers - such as those who are paralyzed or have suffered devastating injury that makes it impossible to return to their profession.
  • Eliminate the 15% bump-up/bump-down that increases or decreases a permanent disability award based on whether an employer makes an offer to return injured worker to work within 60 days of injury becoming permanent and stationary.
  • Authorize a $6,000 supplemental job displacement benefit that can be used for vocational rehabilitation and is made available when the injured worker is declared permanent and stationary and the treating physician determines there will be some degree of permanent disability.
  • Prohibit add-ons for psychological conditions, sexual disorders and sleep dysfunction in permanent disability awards. 
  • Require disputes over utilization review denials be resolved through an independent medical review (IMR) process. IMR would take the place of the existing requirement that an injured worker obtain a second opinion for spinal surgery.  This is expected to provide substantial savings in the long term for employers. 
  • Provide that a report by a doctor outside of a medical provider network (MPN) may not be the sole basis of an award for compensation.
  • Prohibit professional employer organizations and temporary staffing agencies from becoming self-insured.
  • Prohibit a chiropractor from serving as the primary treating physician after 24 visits.
  • Eliminate requirement that non-occupational providers make up at least 25% of a medical provider network (MPN).
  • Require periodic audits of MPNs and authorize discretionary MPN audits.
  • Provide that failure to post notice of an MPN is not a sufficient reason for an injured worker to treat outside of the network.
  • Establish a $150 lien filing fee and a $100 activation fee for liens that have already been filed.
  • Require the Official Medical Fee Schedule transition to Medicare's Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS).
  • Reduce reimbursement for outpatient surgery centers to 80% of the hospital rate.
  • Add in new reporting requirement for public self insured entities.
  • Strengthen financial stability requirements for self insured groups.

Phased in permanent disability benefit increase of $310 million in 2013 and $530 million in 2014.     

 

 

Grassley Sees Farm Bill Extension, Stabenow Sees Disaster Aid, Lucas Wants Floor Time

 

Farm Bill veteran Sen. Charles Grassley (R, IA) this week said there's no way Congress can get a 2012 Farm Bill enacted before the current bill expires at the end of the month, meaning a one-year extension of current programs is the only option left. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D, MI), however, said farmers can expect Congress to act on some kind of disaster/drought assistance package in the absence of a comprehensive Farm Bill, and insiders say that a drought aid package could look a whole lot more like a Farm Bill than a disaster bill. Rep. Frank Lucas (R, OK), chair of the House ag panel, says he believes the August recess gave House members an earful on the need for a Farm Bill, that if leadership allows floor time for "20 or 30 amendments" and an open, straightforward process, the House can complete action on its committee-passed bill before the end of September.  

 

Grassley said the farm program extension would be tacked on to the agreed-to six-month continuing resolution to keep the government running, legislation expected to be acted upon in the next week or so. Grassley also agreed with Stabenow on the likelihood of a disaster package passing Congress, but one that looks a whole lot like the bill passed by the House in July. If Congress does not act on the Farm Bill but passes a disaster/drought bill, work will continue on completing the 2012 Farm Bill, sources said, and that bill would likely be taken up during the lame duck session expected after the November 6 election.

 

TEXAS A&M PLANT BREEDING Bulletin
 
New Cultivars from Texas A&M AgriLife Research

TAMO 411 Oat Cultivar: AgriLife Research approved the release of a new winter oat, TAMO 411. This duel-purpose winter oat was developed by the Small Grains Breeding Team led by Amir Ibrahim and Jackie Rudd. TAMO 411 resulted from the cross of TAMO 405 and 'Plot Spike' made in 2003. This new and improved cultivar combines excellent grain yield, test weight, forage potential, winter hardiness, and straw strength to resist lodging with excellent resistance to current races of crown rust in Texas and moderate resistance to current stem rust races prevalent in Texas. TAMO 411 requires an average of 104 days to maturity and averaged 42 inches in height while TAMO 405 is slightly earlier at 101 days and shorter at 36 inches. TAMO 411 has been submitted for Plant Variety Protection and authorized seed classes of TAMO 411 in the U.S. will be Foundation, Registered, and Certified. Breeder and Foundation Seed of TAMO 411 will be maintained by Texas A&M AgriLife Research Foundation Seed unit. TAMO 411 will be available for licensing to competing private entities with small quantities of seed for research purposes available from Dr. Amir Ibrahim for at least five years.
Dem, GOP Platforms Short on Ag, Agribiz Details; Policy Statements Emerge
 

With Sen. Dick Durbin (D, IL) telling the media this week the least read documents in any presidential campaign are the party platforms, a comparison of the Democrat and Republican party philosophies committed to paper shows they're short on attention to rural America and agriculture. However, some details were forthcoming in both broader policy statements issued by candidates or in their responses to media inquiries. The following is a snapshot of both candidates' broad positions on the issues important to agriculture and agribusiness:

 

Upcoming Meetings

     

 

  • September  25-26, 2012 ~ CSA Mid Year Meeting at the InterContinental Hotel in Monterey on Cannery Row    
     
  • March 3-7, 2013 ~ CSA Annual Convention at The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, Lahaina, Hawaii   

    Sheraton Maui - webcam

    http://www.seehawaiilive.com/maui/maui-resorts