Idaho-Based J.R. Simplot Company Has Acquired Gene Editing Licensing Rights. A multinational agricultural company based in Idaho has acquired gene editing licensing rights that could one day be used to help farmers produce more crops and make grocery store offerings such as strawberries, potatoes and avocados stay fresher longer.
J.R. Simplot Company on Monday announced the agreement with DowDuPont Inc. and the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, developers of the nascent gene editing technology. Simplot is the first agricultural company to receive such a license.
“We think this is a transformative technology—it’s very powerful,” said Issi Rozen, chief business officer of the Broad Institute. “We’re delighted that Simplot is the first one to take advantage of the licensing.”
There is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat, but changing the genetic code of foods presents an ethical issue for some. For example McDonald’s had declined to use Simplot’s genetically engineered potatoes for its French fries.
The food industry has also faced pressure from retailers as consumer awareness of genetically modified foods has increased.
J.R. Simplot officials declined to say how much the company paid for the licensing rights acquired through a process intended to prevent the technology from being used unethically. The technology allows scientists to make precise changes to the genome of living organisms and has wide-ranging applications for improving plant food production and quality.
“The issues are about getting the right kind of food produced in the right kind of way,” said Neal Gutterson, chief technology officer at Corteva Agriscience, DowDuPont’s agriculture division. “It’s important to be able to produce enough food for the nine to 10 billion people who will be on the planet in 30 years.”
The gene editing technology is called CRISPR-Cas9, the first part an acronym for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.” The technology speeds up the traditional process of breeding generation after generation of plants to get a certain desirable trait, saving years in developing new varieties that are as safe as traditionally developed varieties, scientists say.
Essentially, if an organism’s genome is made analogous to a large manuscript, CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to edit specific words in the manuscript using a “search and replace” function. One of the remaining challenges, scientists say, is getting the complete genome for particular food crops. Or, to use the analogy, to not only have the complete manuscript but to have it translated so scientists know where to make the edits.
The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is so new that in March the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates how food is produced, issued a statement clarifying its oversight of foods produced with gene editing. “Under its biotechnology regulations, USDA does not regulate or have any plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques,” the agency said.
Simplot markets products in more than 40 countries, and it has major operations in the United States, China, Canada, Australia and Mexico. The company, which is a top producer of avocados grown in Mexico and sold in the U.S., is perhaps best known for potatoes.
The company has already used other genetic techniques to adapt genes from wild and cultivated potatoes to produce commercially sold potatoes that resist bruising and late blight, which caused the Irish Potato Famine and continues to cause problems for potato farmers. Gene editing is expected to further the company’s expertise in potatoes.
“That’s part of our vision for Simplot—to be the knowledge leader for potatoes,” said Susan Collinge, vice president of plant sciences at Simplot, where she supervises about 95 plant scientists.
Idaho produces 13 billion pounds (6 billion kilograms) of potatoes annually—a third of the nation’s potatoes—worth about $1.2 billion.
Gene editing likely wouldn’t result in new varieties of potatoes for at least five years, and probably longer before the potatoes could be sold commercially, Collinge said.
Room blocks have been reserved at the Embassy Suites in Lynwood. You can call in your reservation to 
In a close competition, their margin of victory was less than a full stroke over both Rainier Golf & Country Club and Kitsap Golf & Country Club. With a similar score, Western Equipment won the Industry Team division.
Cornelius, OR (July 02, 2018)—As of July 1, 2018, Crop Production Services’ Cornelius retail branch is rebranding as Nutrien Solutions™. The Cornelius branch is one of more than 1,500 retail locations aligning across North and South America as part of Nutrien Ltd. (Nutrien)’s international network, strengthening the company’s long-term mission to help local turf and landscape managers meet increasing demands profitably and sustainably. 
We have decided to discontinue the GHIN program at this point. If you want to continue to maintain your handicap through the USGA GHIN system you can join at your local club or you can call or email Shari Jacobson with the Washington State Golf Association and she will get you pointed in the right direction. She can be reached at 
Glen started at Sahalee Country Club in October of 2002, he was our Equipment Manager. Prior to joining our team, he spent 6 years at The Golf Club at Newcastle as the Equipment Manager which began during construction of the development. Before that, he was employed as the mechanic for numerous years with the City of Bellevue’s municipal golf operations. He was well-respected by his peers and friend to many through the years of hosting tournament events and attending seminars. Glen was a native to the Puget Sound area, in fact, grew up on Lake Sammamish in a cabin and attended Issaquah High School.
In February of this year we put out the notice that we were looking for a new Executive Director. We formed a search committee consisting of board, affiliates, members at large and Brian Coury; the Executive Director of the Western Washington PGA. The committee was tasked with narrowing the field from over ten applicants to three finalists. Those three finalists interviewed with the board before Bill was chosen. We feel Bill will help take our association to the next level and be an outstanding face of our organization.
Serial Number TC203AT0020372, along with custom Baby Bowie hydroseeder serial number 28131 belonging to Greenshield Systems. They were taken at 1 a.m. July 13, 2018 from Stahl Jr Hi, Puyallup.
Our host Superintendent John Alexander and his staff put on a show this year with their superb course conditions! After a beautiful day of golf at Fircrest, Steve was handed over the award presented by the WWGCSA Board, which was accompanied by some tears in the crowd. This is just the most recent award in Steve’s 30 year career as the superintendent at Glendale Golf & Country Club. Over the years he has proven to be one of the best communicators in the industry for environmental stewardship and the importance of the superintendent in the golf community at large. Steve has also played an important role in the development of the First Green Program which is dedicated to the education of youth with regard to turfgrass management and the world of agronomy. Steve provides numerous hours of community service, donating his time and talents to educate local area high school students on agronomic and environmental issues.
Turns out they ended up returning it from whence it came, as Tacoma’s team of Miguel Hernandez, Kevan Kenna, Joe Monteleone, and Richard Young beat the field by four shots after carding a 55. Three teams finished tied for second with a 59, forcing a playoff won by Suncadia over North Shore Golf Club and one of the four teams representing Sahalee.
Here is the new mission statement:
The GCSAA recently hosted the Annual Delegates meeting in Kansas City/Lawrence, Kansas in November. The GCSAA is made up of 99 chapters that has a voting delegate to represent the 18,000 plus members of the association. Most delegates arrive on Tuesday for dinner and a “State of the Association” address from Rhett Evans, CEO of GCSAA. The association is under great leadership with Rhett at the helm. Partnerships with other industry organizations continue to grow in both exposure and strength. Our association continues to endeavor to be the leader in the global golf industry as many know the dedication and time Superintendents put into their jobs and organizations.
This may be hard to read, but it’s true: 22 a day. That’s the number released by the Department of Veterans Affairs in February. 22 veterans take their own lives every single day. The fear is, the actual number may be even higher. What’s a country to do? What are we, as individuals, to do?
Nearly 65 volunteers, a collection of Golf Course Superintendents from the states of Oregon and Washington working together with Military Veterans, prepared the American Lake Veterans’ Golf Course for Spring in a large, collaborative effort on March 14th. This all- volunteer labor force provided time and equipment to aerate greens and tee boxes, while also cleaning the debris remaining on the ground from a harsher winter than normal. In less than 5 hours the course was ready for its spring rush of golfers.
Evan Johnsen of First Tee and Troy Andrew of WA Golf and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association will join our keynote speaker, Dr. Brian Horgan, at WWGCSA’s Winter Meeting to participate in a roundtable to discuss further resources that golf courses provided to their surrounding communities. The Roundtable is part of a larger program led by Dr. Horgan’s presentation addressing the Science of the Green.
“My surgery was on December 6th to remove a benign brain tumor, that was discovered after I lost my sense of smell. I went through an eight-hour procedure where they were able to remove the tumor with no complications.
Randy Moen had spent most of his adult career as a Union Sheetmetal/HVAC worker. But in 2007 he started volunteering at American Lake Veterans Golf Course. Back then, the course had only 9 holes and was having difficulty finding the resources to be maintained well. Randy reflects that that’s when “I decided to put a little more effort into the appearance of this beautiful course.” 
A collection of as many as 60 Golf Course Superintendents from the states of Oregon and Washington are gathering at the Children’s Course in Gladstone,OR to provide volunteer labor and equipment to help get the course ready for the upcoming Spring and Summer Seasons. The Service Project will be held on Thursday, March 19, between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Here was one thing we came up with the for the cup. A 4” circle of AstroTurf with a hole cut in the middle to slide down the flagstick. We set it about ½” deep in the cup so the ball can roll in, but nobody has to reach in the cup or touch the flagstick. Started on Tuesday, and a member had a hole in one on the first day! We like it better than leaving the cup 1” up to deflect balls.
