Vol. 51—1997 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

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! RESEARCH COORDINATOR
William S. Curran
The research coordinator worked in the following areas in 1995. Weed Science field day dates
were scheduled for participating universities. Dates were promoted through the NEWSS
Newsletter. r
NominatiO~ for Applied Research Awards for Food and Feed and Turf, Ornamentals, and
Vegetation M agement and for Innovator of the Year were solicited from society members. A
committee cons sting of the Research Coordinator and Drs. Henry Wilson and Prasanta Bhowmik
reviewed ands elected the awardees. Biographical information was prepared for award recipients
for the award bjrochure.
Working in]conjunction with the NEWSS Editor, new or changing herbicide nomenclature was
reviewed and assembled and updated for the herbicide indices section of the Proceedings.
Pesticide r~certification credits for 12 of 13northeastern U.S. states were arranged for the 1996
annual meeting] Pesticide Coordinators from each state were contacted and the authorization was
obtained to accredit the 1996 program in eleven different sessions. The recertification process will
be completed b~ individuals in all states at the registration desk during posted office hours.
CAST REPRESENTATIVE
RD. Sweet
This past yiear CAST added two major events to its normal activities. In the winter it sponsored
a national wor~hop on the 1995 Farm Bill and Sustainable Agriculture. The meeting was notable
because invitations went to many groups outside the traditional farm organizations and commodity
representatives. The "outsiders" included a wide range from the Sierra Club to Organic Farmers.
Several attendees were members of NEWSS. The event was highly successful. Discussion was
constructive andstrident negative comments were conspicuous by their absence. Of course not many
issues and prot1lems were actually solved, but in quite a few instances issues were clarified and
agreements r§ched as to the approaches that would likely lead to solutions. The only criticism
was that CA was too lavish in its spending for the event. The Board heard the comment and put
appropriate b dget controls in place. A second special event was a workshop for professional
societies whos members deal directly or indirectly with agriculture and food. It was financed bya
grant from the 1w.K. Kellogg Foundation and was held in St. Louis in mid-October, The purpose was
to assist societies in dealing with change. The 30 societies which make up CAST plus about 15
others each se~t 2-3 delegates. Rich Bonanno and Dave Vitolo represented NEWSS. I do not know
their reactiona, However I have recently reviewed the manuscript which summarizes the meeting
and which S~OUld appear in January. Although the overall purpose as stated was to aid
professional s cieties, the manuscript contained quite a few comments about the need for change in
the Land Gr t University system. This past year has seen CAST's recognition increase
dramatically. It is now viewed not only as a good source of accurate information but also as an
organization Which can bring diverse groups together for discussion of issues involving agriculture.
Of course tra1.tional publications are continuing. Later this winter one will appear which deals
with the co lex issues concerning grazing cattle and sheep on western public lands. This is
particularly t mely in view of the "Western Republican "which is being reported in the print
media.
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LEGISLATIVE
A. Richard Bonanno
This yeatj, Dr. Robin Bellinder (NY), Dr. Dan Kunkel (IR-4), and Mr. Leonard Cianessi
(NCF AP) se~.d on the NEWSS Legislative Committee.
On Nove ber 16, 1994 the USEPA proposed regulations to address plant pesticides. In general
they are look ng to exempt most from regulation. "The Agency believes that plant pesticides can
offer an oppo unity to reduce the use of conventional pesticides that are applied to agricultural
plants and re~uce the overall heal th and environmental risks from pesticides. The Agency believes
that many pl~nt pesticides would not pose risks that require regulation by EPA. However, the
Agency believies some type of oversight is appropriate for plant-pesticides that are new to the
plant and ha~e a toxic mode of action".
Mike Esp stepped down as Secretary of Agriculture and former (1976-1994) Congressman Dan
Glickman of ansas has been tapped by the President. In his acceptance address to the President,
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