The meeting was called to order by Brian Rossnagel, chair.

(1) Minutes of the last meeting of the AOWC, held June 22, 1994, at Minneapolis, Minnesota

Doug Brown moved and Fred Kolb seconded that the minutes be accepted as printed in the 1994 Oat Newsletter, Vol. 42. The motion carried.

Deon Stuthman reported that The Oat Workers' Code of Ethics as proposed and discussed at the 1994 American Oat Workers Conference in 1994 in Minneapolis and the Fifth International Oat Conference in 1996 at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has met almost total agreement. A current copy of the Code is posted in this Newsletter. A point still requiring clarification for application for some people is the term "owner." This term may be important for issues of generated income because more than one institution may be involved in the steps of hybridization, selection, and evaluation in the breeding process of a line or cultivar. A form of equitable revenue sharing then would be appropriate.
 
Anyone with suggestions on this point or with suggestions or reservations on other points should contact Deon Stuthman (stuth001@maroon.tc.umn.edu). Revisions will be posted on the Oat Newsletter website. It is anticipated that the Code will be finalized and accepted by the International Oat Conference at their meeting in New Zealand in 2000.

Deon Stuthman, coordinator, reported on the status and plans for this nursery. This Nursery, currently made up of about 100 elite lines from various Cooperative Regional Nurseries and programs, will be grown at six or seven locations representing major oat growing regions around the world. Entries and use of them will be under guidance of the Oat Workers' Code of Ethics. Queries regarding observation of, or participation in, the Nursery should be directed to Dr. Stuthman (stuth001@maroon.tc.umn.edu).

Brian Rossnagel acknowledged oat workers who have passed away or retired in the past few years.

Necrology:

James Stage - University of Minnesota
Don Bell - University of Saskatchewan
Dr. John Schmidt - University of Nebraska
Retirements:
Dr. Ron Bhatty - University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Calvin Konzak - Washington State University
Harry Smith - Quaker Oats Canada, Peterborough
Dr. Vernon Burrows - Agriculture Canada, Ottawa
David Goslin - Quaker Oats Canada, Peterborough

Darrell Wesenberg reported in the absence of Greg Shaner, chair. The Committee will be meeting this fall. Items for discussion or action at the meeting should be brought to the attention of Greg Shaner, chair, or a member of the committee which includes Darrell Wesenberg, Michael McMullen, Paul Murphy, David Peterson, Pam White, Harold Bockelman, and Chuck Murphy. Minutes of the meeting will be posted on the Oat Newsletter website after the meeting.

On behalf of the Nominations Committee Howard Rines moved that the following revision be made in the Statement of the Purpose of Organization of the American Oat Workers Conference regarding the makeup of the Oat Newsletter Editorial Committee. The motion was seconded by Fred Kolb and passed.

"The Oat Newsletter Editorial Committee shall consist of four members: Editor, Past Editor, Editor-Elect, and an Industrial Representative. Each will serve a four-year term with the Editor-Elect being elected by the membership of the Conference during the regular business meeting to be held each time the Conference meets. The Industrial Representative shall be appointed by the Executive Committee of the AOWC. The Editor shall have primary responsibility for preparation and distribution of the Oat Newsletter. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to appoint an Acting Editor of the Oat Newsletter should the position be vacated between regular Conference meetings."

As indicated in earlier communications to oat workers from Editor James Chong, the Oat Newsletter has been changed to an electronics-only communication accessible on a website through Graingenes. This change was necessitated by the lack of any source of funds for printing and mail distribution of the Oat Newsletter, which has amounted to several thousand dollars per issue. James Chong stated that the next issue is essentially ready for posting as soon as minutes of the 1998 AOWC business meeting are ready for inclusion.

Doug Brown, chair, reported that 61 new gene designations had been assigned since 1978, the date of the last formal published report on oat gene nomenclature. Copies of the 1978 publication entitled "Oats: A standardized system of nomenclature for genes and chromosomes and catalog of genes governing characters" are available from Dr. Brown. It is anticipated that the information and updates will at some point be added to the Oat Newsletter website.

Fred Kolb, chair, reported that the committee recommended that 2002 AOWC meeting be held at Raleigh, North Carolina. Paul Murphy presented an invitation to the AOWC to have the meeting there. Fred Kolb moved and Darrell Wesenberg seconded that the invitation be accepted. The motion was enthusiastically passed.

Brian Rossnagel reported on behalf of the Distinguished Service to Oat Improvement Awards committee, chaired by Herb Ohm, at the AOWC Banquet July 27, 1998, in the form of presentation of awards to Richard Halstead, Don Harder, and Darrell Wesenberg.

Sam Weaver moved, Jim Menzies seconded, and the motion passed that the following slate of officers proposed by the Nominations Committee be elected for the four years 1998-2002.
Chair-elect - Jim Holland
Secretary - Howard Rines
Member at Large - Dale Reeves, Trevor Pizzey, Darrell Wesenberg

The following resolutions were presented on behalf of the committee by Dale Reeves, chair:

#1 Whereas this has been a most successful and enjoyable American Oat Workers' Conference, and whereas this success has been largely due to the excellent organization provided by our hosts; therefore be it Resolved that the Conference participants express their sincere appreciation to the staff from the oat program at the Cereal Research Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in particular to James Chong, Don Harder, Jim Menzies, Scott Duguid, Doug Brown, Greg Penner, and Trevor Pizzey.

#2 Whereas Quaker Oats (USA), Quaker Oats (Canada), General Mills, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Cargill Ltd., Can-Oat Milling, Value Added Seeds, Secan, Gustafson, and Emerson Milling have provided generous financial support to this conference; therefore be it Resolved that the Conference participants gratefully acknowledge these contributions.

#3 Whereas Dr. Brian Rossnagel has faithfully served the American Oat Workers' Conference as chairman for the past four years, be it Resolved that the members of the AOWC extend their sincere appreciation for his leadership during that period.

#4 Whereas Dr. James Chong has worked diligently as Editor of the Oat Newsletter for the past year, be it Resolved that the AOWC extend their sincere thanks to James for his exemplary work.

Reported by

Howard Rines
AOWC Secretary