News items related to ag biotech, trade ? and perhaps some other interesting items out there related to agriculture ? will be posted on this page throughout the week (as the week progresses newly added items will be in?green at bottom of sections). ?Be sure to check in regularly!
TRADE, TRADE RELATED ISSUES:
Poll: Most Americans say that globalization is a positive and that free trade improves their lives – Washington Post – By Adam Taylor (Sept 7)
East Africa: EAC Heads Put Off EPA Signing for Three Months – allAfrica.com / Tanzania Daily News – By Katare Mbashiru (Sept 9)
Link:?http://allafrica.com/stories/201609090063.html
Merkel speaks out in favor of keeping TTIP negotiations going – Deutsch Welle (Sept 9)
“Chancellor Merkel said the EU should continue negotiations with the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). But doubts about the trade deal and resisitance against it are growing.”
Link:?http://www.dw.com/en/merkel-speaks-out-in-favor-of-keeping-ttip-negotiations-going/a-19538183
BIOTECH, AG TECH, CROP PROTECTION, FOOD SECURITY, etc:
Africa: Finding the Sweet Spot of Africa’s Agriculture – allAfrica – Guest Column by Maria Andrade (Sep 8)
Link:?http://allafrica.com/stories/201609080130.html
Could Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Save Hawaii’s Endangered Birds? – The New Yorker – By Michael Specter (Sept 9)
Africa Urged to Invest to Ensure Food Security – The East African – By Allan Olingo (Sept 10)
“Africa will require more than $400 billion in the next decade to be food secure, a feat it will have to work hard to achieve.”
Nod on GM cotton field trials shifts focus to release of biotech maize – Daily Nation (Kenya) – By Gerald Andae (Sept 12)
Link:?http://www.nation.co.ke/business/996-3377528-format-xhtml-nvw0wc/index.html
One Year After, the Beating Continues -?Illumination blog – By Kevin Folta (Sept 10)
“If you can’t argue the evidence, smear the scientist.”
Link:?http://kfolta.blogspot.com/2016/09/one-year-after-beating-continues.html
Puzzle: What’s Gene Edited To Be Drought Resistant But Not A GMO? Corn – Science 2.0 -?By Hank Campbell?(Sept 9)
“Will environmental groups give up their war on science when the science is CRISPR and not a GMO? If you like to to “follow the money”, look at the $1,000,000,000 in annual revenue and you will know the answer.”
Rex Animal Health is using genomics to keep livestock healthy – TechCrunch – By Lora Kolodny (Sept 13)
Link:?https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/12/rex-animal-health-is-using-genomics-to-keep-livestock-healthy/
Big Food’s biggest trend? Crusading against Big Food – The Denver Post – By Candice Choi, Associated Press (Sept 12)
“But some are positioning themselves as advocates for change before accomplishing some health goals, and skeptics say even well-intentioned marketing can be a disingenuous way to help people rationalize overeating.”
Link:?http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/12/big-foods-biggest-trend-crusading-against-big-food/
The Organic Gatorade Illusion – The Atlantic – By James Hamblin (Sept 12)
“A new ?sports drink? stands to further confuse health-conscious consumers into buying sugar water.”
Link:?http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/09/organic-gatorade-srsly/499154/
Making Africa?s women and youth drive agriculture – SciDevNet – By Sam Otieno (Sept 9)
“That Science, technology and innovation (STI) could help transform Africa?s agriculture is well appreciated by many people who have an interest in the continent?s sustainable development.”
Smarter Farming Could Cut Hunger in Drought-Hit Southern Africa – Researchers – Reuters – By Busani Bafana (Sept 15)
Link:?http://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-farming-drought-idUSKCN11L1U8
POLICY, REGULATORY, INDUSTRY NEWS, etc:
Make America “Plate” Again – National Review – By Julie Kelly (Sept 7)
“Despite the foodies? lament about a broken food system, the U.S. has the most affordable, accessible, and abundant food system in the world.”
Sanderson Farms: judicious antibiotic use improves sustainability, animal welfare – Feed Navigator -?By Aerin Einstein-Curtis (Sept 8)
“Feeding antibiotics selectively allows producers to be more sustainable and responsive to animal welfare, says Sanderson Farms.”
USDA seeks public comments on GMO labeling regulations – Feedstuffs (Sept 8)
Link:?http://feedstuffs.com/story-usda-seeks-public-comments-gmo-labeling-regulations-45-146375
More than half of pesticides used by California farmers are active ingredients approved for organic -? Genetic Literacy Project – ?By?
“Would it surprise you to know that many of the same pesticides are used by both conventional and organic farmers?”
Court Rules EPA Violated Farmer Privacy – AgWired – By Cindy Zimmerman (Sept 12)
?EPA?s release of sensitive, private and personal materials on more than 100,000 farmers and ranchers was an outrageous abuse of its power and trust”
Link:?http://agwired.com/2016/09/12/court-rules-epa-violated-farmer-privacy/
Hostility Towards Agri-Biotech MNCs, But What About Our Faults? – The Quint – By Vivan Fernandes (Sept 10)
Bayer Said Close to Monsanto Tie-Up With Deal Seen Next Week – Bloomberg – By Aaron Kirchfeld, Naomi Kresge (Sept 9)
“Negotiations over $56 billion seed, pesticide deal progressing”
Potash Corp, Agrium to merge to create $36 billion company – Yahoo! Finance / Reuters (Sept 12)
Link:?http://finance.yahoo.com/news/agrium-potash-corp-merge-102026838.html
As the Pool of Agribusiness Giants Shrinks, Will Innovation Follow? – Stratfor, Analysis (Sept 8)
“[I]nnovation in traditional sectors will continue…the long-term effects of the industry’s big mergers may not all be bad”
Link:?https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/pool-agribusiness-giants-shrinks-will-innovation-follow
EU Antitrust Regulator Suspends Dow-DuPont Merger Review – Wall Street Journal – By Natalia Drozdia (Sept 9)
“The suspension will probably delay the EU?s investigation, throwing a wrench into the companies? previous plans to close the transaction before the end of the year.”
Link:?http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-antitrust-regulator-suspends-dow-dupont-merger-review-1473419724
Bayer signs deal worth close to $66 billion to buy Monsanto – MSN / Reuters – By Greg Roumeliotis and Ludwig Burger (Sept 14)
“Bayer’s move to combine its crop chemicals business, the world’s second largest after Syngenta AG, with Monsanto’s industry leading seeds business, is the latest in a series of major tie-ups in the agrochemicals sector.”
Opinion: Removing regulatory obstacles in agriculture – Agri-Pulse – By Daren Bakst (Sept 15)
“Through what seems like an endless number of regulatory obstacles, the federal government is making agricultural production extremely difficult for farmers.”
Link:?http://www.agri-pulse.com/Opinion-Removing-regulatory-obstacles-in-agriculture-09152016.asp