The Council for Biotechnology Information

Hawaii Crop Improvement Association Announces 4th Annual Scholarship Contest! Deadline: April 30, 2010

CBI — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:13:54 +0000

The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association (HCIA) has opened its 4th annual Dr. James L. Brewbaker Scholarship contest. Dr. Brewbaker helped establish the Corn Research Program at the University Of Hawaii College Of Agriculture in the 1960s and founded HCIA.

Three scholarships will be awarded to Hawaii high school students graduating in 2010 in the amount of $1,500, $1,000 and $500 for essays that best address how innovations in agricultural biotechnology benefit Hawaii now and in the future. The essay submission deadline is April 30, 2010.

Visit www.hciaonline.com for more information and an essay submission application.

Roger Beachy joins Obama Administration as National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director

CBI — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:42:32 +0000

Roger Beachy, long-time head of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, has agreed to join the Obama Administration as director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the new research funding arm of the US Department of Agriculture. As the head of this organization, Beachy aims to fund studies that answer agriculture’s most pressing challenges, including “sustainable food production and nutrition, readiness for climate aberrations that will impact productivity and developing renewable options like biofuels.”

Under Roger Beachy’s leadership NIFA will prioritize education in its grant-making in order to “ensure that the knowledge we gain from research reaches farmers and consumers; from the lab to the field to the fork.” He also hopes to fund innovative and exploratory projects, including looking into additional areas of ag biotech development.

Roger Beachy will be speaking at the 2010 Biotechnology Industry Organization Annual Convention at a summit organized by the Food & Ag and Industrial & Environmental sections of BIO.

You can read a full interview with Mr. Beachy in Nature and Biotechnology here.

2010 Iowa Agribusiness Showcase: Leading a Growing Industry

CBI — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:25:45 +0000

Members of the Iowa ag community will gather in Des Moines February 9-10 for the Iowa Agribusiness Association’s annual Agribusiness Showcase and Conference. The event will include an “Ag Industry & Crop Management Conference” with seminars and workshops focusing the latest industry innovation and technology for crop production professionals, as well as the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Annual Meeting, an All Industry Reception and an awards banquet.

Additionally, the Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) 2009 Farm Broadcaster of the Year Ken Root will speak at the Appreciation Breakfast on February 10 at 8:00 a.m.

The Agribusiness Association of Iowa represents all facets of the agribusiness industry including feed, grain, plant food, crop protection products, equipment, seed and an array of allied industries. The Agribusiness Association of Iowa was formed in 1994, as the result of a merger between the Iowa Grain & Feed Association and the Iowa Fertilizer and Chemical Association.

For more information on the Agribusiness Showcase and Conference, click here or contact AAI at 1-800-383-1682. The event is free and open to the public.

Maine farmers come together to feed the world

CBI — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:40:04 +0000

In early January, we wrote about the co-existence event at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, which brought together both organic and conventional farmers to discuss how the two practices can work together to feed the world.

The Maine Biotechnology Information Bureau was on hand for the standing-room only event that addressed issues including pesticide use, food production and the environment. “We have to increase production with lower environmental costs,” said keynote speaker Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. Click here to read MBIB’s recap of the event and to hear from farmers on both sides of the issue.

Jon Olson, Executive Secretary of the Maine Farm Bureau, also provided an interesting perspective in an op-ed published in the Kennebec Journal last week. He writes, “Farmers in Maine are fed up with the controversy and are quietly talking among themselves, looking for ways to move beyond the divide. Collaboration is replacing confrontation, for the benefit of all Maine farmers.”

Davos 2010 World Economic Forum: Rethinking how to Feed the World

CBI — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:36:19 +0000

World leaders and CEOs at the Davos 2010 World Economic Forum participated in a panel called “Rethinking how to feed the world.” The panel discussed the challenges facing global food production and possible solutions that will increase yield and support agricultural producers worldwide.

The panel was moderated by Prannoy Roy, Chairman, New Delhi Television (NDTV), India, and panelists included:

William H. Gates III, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
Jakaya M. Kikwete, President of Tanzania
Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, DuPont, USA
Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam; Chair, 2010 ASEAN
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank, Washington DC; Global Agenda Council on Corruption
Patricia A. Woertz, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), USA;

According to Tanzania President Kilwete, “…a combination of mechanization, irrigation, high-yielding seeds, getting the fertilizers and imparting skills to farmers” is needed for Tanzanian farmers to improve agricultural practices and food production.

The panelists agreed that science based solutions and better education for farmers will need to play a role in increasing food production. Please comment with your thoughts on this fascinating discussion.

Leonardo Academy Announces New Members of its National Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee

CBI — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:10:26 +0000

In November, CBI blogged about the Leonardo Academy’s search for applicants to fill seven vacant seats on its National Sustainable Agriculture Standards Committee, which aims to establish a common set of economic, environmental and social metrics by which to determine whether an agricultural crop has been produced in a sustainable manner. The committee announced that is has filled these open seats. The new committee members include representatives from the National Cotton Council and the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

You can read more about the committee and learn about the backgrounds of its newest members here.

Did You Know? By 2050, it is predicted that global demand for food will increase by at least 250%…

CBI — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:45:10 +0000

This and related challenges will be discussed on Friday, February 12th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern, at The Newseum in Washington, D.C., leading agricultural experts host an international discussion on how to address challenges farmers and nations will face in the next century. Panelists will comment on Dr. Borlaug’s last published statement – featured in a new Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) report, which is available for free download here.

Panelists include: Robert Paarlberg, Professor at Wellesley College and author of Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept Out of Africa; Nina Fedoroff, Science and Technology Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State and to the Administrator of USAID, author of Mendel in the Kitchen; Mark Cantley, former head of the European Commission’s “Concertation Unit for Biotechnology in Europe” and of OECD’s Biotechnology Unit; Calestous Juma, Pew award winner and Professor of Practice at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; Gale Buchanan, lead author of the CAST report and former USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics.

To attend the event in-person or submit discussion questions, please contact: Alexander Rinkus at arinkus@CropLifeFoundation.org

Follow the event online at www.CropNewsNetwork.com, on Twitter @CropLifeFdn and @AgBiotech, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/CropLife-Foundation/255237947060

Bill Gates: A False Choice between Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability

CBI — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:19:54 +0000

Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes about the importance of achieving both agricultural productivity and sustainability. As head of the largest foundation in the world, Mr. Gates has made a $1.4 billion commitment to small farmers for reducing global hunger through approaches that include agricultural technology.

Mr. Gates writes, “I have seen proof that agricultural science can make people’s lives better” and points to advances like the Swarna-sub1 Rice, a seed variety that can survive underwater for more than two weeks and help farmers in places that are prone to floods. According to Bill Gates, the next “Green Revolution” must help feed a billion people using modern technology in a sustainable manner.

You can read the entire piece by Bill Gates here.

Another Inconvenient Truth: A Colossal Challenge in Land Use and Agriculture

CBI — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:55:28 +0000

The University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment produced an excellent video that asks the big question “how will we feed a growing population without destroying the planet?” The video shares some sobering facts that underline the enormity of the challenges before us, but also provides solutions and ideas on ways to improve agricultural productivity.

UMN Institute on the Environment Director Jonathan Foley wrote a piece that corresponds with the video and discusses “the other” inconvenient truth: “a global crisis in land use and agriculture that could undermine the health, security and sustainability of our civilization.”

You can watch the video below and also find it on the Institute’s site. You can read Mr. Foley’s piece here.

Forbes: Feeding the World and Growing the US Economy

CBI — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:55:36 +0000

Joel Kotkin of Forbes Magazine discusses the troubling “assault on mainstream farmers” that is slowly manifesting itself in policies that result in “cutoffs on water…and a growing movement to ban the use of genetic engineering in crops” at a time when the world population is multiplying rapidly. He reminds his readers that agriculture’s impact extends further than many assume, and a threat to mainstream agriculture and scientifically run farms will hurt the U.S. economy by adversely affecting growth in other sectors, including food processing, marketing, shipping and supermarkets.

According to Mr. Kotkin, a realist approach must guide our food policy because “scientifically advanced farming still produces the majority of the average family’s foodstuffs, as well as the bulk of our exports,” whereas “organic foods and beverages account for less than 3% of all food sales in the U.S.” He believes that this approach will help us feed the world while growing our economy and saving American jobs.

You can read Joel Kotkin’s entire piece here.