On January 13, a group of organic and conventional farmers at the Maine Agricultural Trade Show will come together in a workshop to discuss the future of working together for the common good. While genetically-modified crops have traditionally had little support in the organic community, the workshop is focused on how the two agricultural practices can coexist. The workshop goes from 1:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13.

Keynote speakers will include Dr. Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak, the husband and wife team who co-authored “Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food.” Pamela is a plant geneticist at UC Davis, while Raoul is an organic farmer. The workshop will be followed by a reception featuring Maine produced beer, wine, vodka, and  hors d’oeuvres. Pamela is also a member of our CBI Experts List. Their book has been reviewed in numerous magazines and journals, including Science, Nature Biotechnology and Organic Gardening Magazine.    She’s also been the subject or author of several blog posts on CBI’s Web site.

The trade show will also feature a keynote speech by Jonathan Foley, Director of the new Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota  at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday, January 13^th, at 1pm. He will talk about major issues that must be addressed if we are going to double world food production in the next 40 years given continued population growth, increasing meat consumption and pressure from biofuels.

The Maine Biotechnology Information Bureau is a CBI state partner and co-sponsoring organization of the Trade Show.  Its mission is to promote informed discourse on biotechnology issues and the positive benefits for Maine, its citizens and its environment.

For more information on the Maine Agricultural Trade Show, click here or contact Judy Blaisell at jblaisell@maine.gov. The trade show is free and open to the public.