Source: USDA, 9/19/14

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the reappointment of four individuals to serve on the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council (NGRAC), a subcommittee of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The newly appointed and returning members of the NGRAC will meet from Sept. 23 through Sept. 25 in Ames, Iowa.

The NGRAC is made up of nine voting members and eight ex-officio members. Two-thirds of voting members are selected from the scientific community and one-third from the general public. The following members have been reappointed to a 3-year term effective October 1, 2014:
Scientific Members
• Dr. Jane Dever, Professor of Plant Breeding at Texas A&M AgriLife Research. 
• Dr. Karen Moldenhauer, Professor and Rice Industry Chair for Variety Development, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture. 
• Dr. Mulumebet Worku, Animal Scientist/Professor/Biotechnologist, Department of Animal Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

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General Public Members
• Matthew Dillon, Senior Manager Agricultural Programs and Director of Seed Matters, Clif Bar & Company. 

Originally established by Congress in 1992, the NGRAC was re-activated in 2012 as a subcommittee under the NAREEE Advisory Board to formulate recommendations on actions and policies for the collection, maintenance, and utilization of genetic resources; to make recommendations for coordination of genetic resources plans; and to advise the Secretary of Agriculture and the National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP) Director of new and innovative approaches to genetic resources conservation. More recently, the NGRAC was charged with advising USDA on ways to ensure that the NGRP serves the needs of all farmers for high-quality and diverse seed for their particular farming operations and how the department can develop a broad strategy for maintaining plant biodiversity available to agriculture, and strengthening public sector plant breeding capacities.

The Council operates under the auspices of the NAREEE Advisory Board and the USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area.

The NGRAC is holding a publicly open meeting beginning on the afternoon of September 23 through the afternoon of September 25, 2014 at the Seed Science Center, Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The NGRAC will focus the meeting on further formulation and development of advice and recommendations to help ensure that the USDA serves the needs of all farmers by making sure that high-quality and diverse seed is available for farming operations of all types.

The meeting's agenda includes featured experts in genetic sciences within food and agriculture. Among those invited to speak are: Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE); Dr. Michael Schechtman, Biotechnology Coordinator and Executive Secretary Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21); Dr. Charles Brown, Chair, Organic Seed Committee, American Seed Trade Association; and Leslie Wheelock, Director, USDA Office of Tribal Relations.

Meeting Location:
Seed Science Center
191 Seed Science Building
Ames, Iowa 50011

All NGRAC meetings are open to the public.

You must register as an attendee by contacting Shirley Morgan-Jordan at shirley.morgan@ars.usda.gov or calling (202) 720-3684. A draft agenda will be sent upon request. At the end of each meeting day, the floor will be open for public comment, or interested individuals may provide written comment for the public record postmarked by Oct. 9, 2014.

For additional information, please contact Michele Esch, Executive Director, REE Advisory Board Office, Room 332A, Whitten Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0321, Telephone: 202-720-3684, Fax: 202-720-6199, or e-mail: michele.esch@usda.gov.