Innovation was the buzz word during the 2011 USDA Science and
Technology Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) Board Meeting.
The PVPO, part of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS)
Science and Technology Program, gives legal intellectual
property rights, similar to patents, to breeders of new
varieties of plants which are produced by seeds such as corn and
soybean or by tubers such as potatoes. The program protects
intellectual property rights by offering certificates to owners
of unique plant varieties so that they can introduce them to the
marketplace. The board, made up of a diverse group of experts in
the plant variety development field, met to discuss pressing
industry matters and address how the PVPO conducts its business.
“Our goal with this group is to make sure that PVPO effectively
meets industry demands and becomes an internationally recognized
program,” said AMS Associate Administrator Dave Shipman. “With a
world population estimated to reach 9 billion people in 2050,
PVPO will play an impo