Modified corn could provide vitamins
The Des Moines Register — Philip Brasher
5/3/2009

A multivitamin for the world's poor could be found in a cup of cornmeal. Scientists in Spain have engineered African lines of white corn to provide high levels of beta carotene, a key source of vitamin A, a nutrient critical to protecting eyesight. The grain, which has an orange tint because of the beta carotene, also contains significant levels of vitamin C and folate.

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Gene discovery could help make crops resistant to heat, drought
CBC News —
4/30/2009

After a decades-long search, researchers say they have finally found an elusive group of proteins that help plants survive stresses such as drought, cold and heat that may increase with climate change. The results came about thanks to a technique similar to methods used to screen for new drugs, and a unique collaboration of scientists from Canada, U.S. and Spain, said Peter McCourt, one of the co-authors of the paper published Thursday in Science Express.

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Sustainability and Crop Engineering
New York Times - Green Inc. — Jared Flesher
4/30/2009

A three-day conference — “Feeding a Hot and Hungry Planet: The Challenge of Making More Food and Fewer Greenhouse Gases” — kicked off at Princeton University Wednesday, bringing together scientists and agricultural experts from across the globe. The use of corn, cotton, and soybean crops that are genetically modified to be resistant to certain pests or herbicides is already widespread in many parts of the world, so all the big issues were on the table — including whether genetically modified crops are “sustainable.”

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Designing Drought-Resistant Crops
Eco World — Daniela Muhawi
4/29/2009

Droughts are a farmer’s worst nightmare: Crops meant for the dinner table wither away in the dry heat leaving people hungry and farmers broke. Not all plants are as sensitive to drought, though, and it is the genetic makeup of these more resilient plants that is of interest to scientists who feel the need to develop crops that can handle drastic shifts in their environments.

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Yielding to Ideology Over Science
Reason Magazine — Ronald Bailey
4/21/2009

One might think that environmentalists would celebrate the accomplishments of modern farming on Earth Day. After all, the biggest way humanity disturbs the natural world is in how we produce food.

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Economic Importance of Agriculture
CBI —
4/16/2009

On Wednesday, former Senator/Democratic presidential nominee/Recipient of the 2008 World Food Prize George McGovern wrote in Politico about the connection between investment in food production in developing countries and their economic success:

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New Blog Dedicated to Agricultural Biotechnology News for 2009 BIO International Convention
CBI —
4/9/2009

The Council for Biotechnology Information has launched a blog dedicated to agricultural biotechnology news and information for the 2009 BIO International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, May 18 to May 21.

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A new green revolution
Washington Times — Richard G. Lugar and Norman Borlaug
4/5/2009

The world is not producing enough food, and many poor families cannot afford to buy the food that is available. As a result, nearly a billion people, a sixth of the Earth's population, do not have enough to eat. This global food crisis erupted into public view last year when food prices spiked around the world and food riots and demonstrations rocked 19 countries, from Bangladesh to Egypt.

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Great Expectations For Obama
CBI — Maria Gabriela Cruz
4/2/2009

Barack Obama promised to bring change to the United States. Will this son of a Kenyan who is a former resident of Indonesia also bring change outside of America's borders? Last summer, at his speech in Berlin, this self-proclaimed "citizen of the world" suggested that he would try.

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Earth population 'exceeds limits'
BBC News — Steven Duke
3/31/2009

There are already too many people living on Planet Earth, according to one of most influential science advisors in the US government. Nina Fedoroff told the BBC One Planet programme that humans had exceeded the Earth's "limits of sustainability".

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Tired of Being Left Out In the Cold
Truth About Trade & Technology — Allan Skogen
3/27/2009

The poet T.S. Eliot knew what he was talking about when he called April “the cruelest month.” We’re approaching the critical time of year when wheat farmers in the Upper Great Plains will first get an idea what the crop potential may be.

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GM can safeguard the environment
Farmers Guardian — William Surman
3/25/2009

Worldwide use of pest-resistant genetically modified crops (GM) has reduced pesticide use by nearly 300 million kg - equivalent to the EU's entire yearly usage of sprays. Speaking to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture yesterday (Tuesday, March 24), agricultural economist Graham Brookes said after 11 years of widespread use, GM crops had done more to help protect the environment than any other single technology.

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Crops With Attitude
NEWSWEEK — Mac Margolis
3/23/2009

Africa is no stranger to scourges, but few cause as much ruin as maize streak virus. Spread by the tiny leafhopper bug, MSV plagues farmers across the southern part of the continent, where tens of millions rely on corn for more than half their daily calories. It starts discreetly: a patina of pale circles at the bottom of young leaves.

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Do GM crops increase yield?
Truth About Trade & Technology — Brad Mitchell
3/22/2009

Recently, there have been a number of claims from anti-biotechnology activists that genetically-modified (GM) crops don’t increase yields. Some have claimed that GM crops actually have lower yields than non-GM crops. Both claims are simply false.

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Why we need GM Crops
The Times (UK Edition) — Mark Henderson
3/21/2009

The world is already a crowded place. Today's population of 6.8 billion represents more than 5 per cent of all the people who have ever lived, andthe figure is growing at a dizzying rate. The US Census Bureau recently revised its estimate for the global population in 2050 upwards to 9.4 billion. In 40 years there will be almost 40 per cent more of us.

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Perfect storm of food, energy and water shortages will bring global mayhem by 2030, Government scientist warns
Daily Mail —
3/19/2009

Shortages of food, water and energy will come together in a 'perfect storm' by 2030, the Government's chief scientist is set to warn. Global demand for energy and food will rocket by 50 per cent, while demand for water will soar by 30 per cent, Professor John Beddington will tell a conference in London today.

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Flood-Resistant Rice Aids Farmers in South Asia
Voice of America — Mike O'Sullivan
3/12/2009

Most rice grows in wet environments, but too much water can be disastrous for rice crops. Plant biologist Pamela Ronald helped create a type of flood-resistant rice that is being introduced to India and Bangladesh. In Davis, California, we spoke with Ronald about her new rice and its promise for small farmers in South Asia.

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Ghana to undertake field trials on GM crops
Ghana News Agency —
2/27/2009

Ghana will soon begin field trials with Genetically Modified crops, which, when successful, will help enhance agricultural modernization and productivity. This follows the coming into force of a legislative instrument in May 2008 allowing research into GM crops pending the passage of the Biosafety Bill.

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Expansion of Biotech Crop Plantings in 2008
Truth About Trade & Technology — Ross Korves
2/19/2009

Continued expansion in the worldwide acreage of biotech crops is the result of economic and political forces. Farmers adopt them to increase yields and/or lower costs and government regulators in more countries accept them as safe as real world experiences confirm what scientists have reported for almost two decades. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agro-biotech Applications (ISAAA) in its “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008” estimates that acreage planted to biotech crops increased 9 percent in 2008 to 308.8 million acres, 16.1 percent of the 1.92 billion acres of crops in the 25 countries that grow approved biotech crops.

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Biotech Companies Claim Easing of Europe’s Crop Bans
New York Times — James Kanter
2/17/2009

The biotechnology industry, claiming the backing of European Union governments, signaled a new effort on Monday to win greater leeway to grow genetically modified crops in Europe. European Union experts deadlocked Monday on whether France and Greece should lift their bans on growing the sole bioengineered seed approved for planting: an insect-resistant corn made by Monsanto.

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France's Genetically Modified Ban
Wall Street Journal —
2/16/2009

French food-safety authorities have finally owned up to the fact that a form of genetically modified corn isn't dangerous. Now it's up to the rest of the EU to make sure Paris doesn't keep using junk science to ban the crop.

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Global uptake of GM crops grows
The Weekly Times —
2/12/2009

THE global uptake of genetically modified crops continued to grow in 2008 according to an annual report released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. Over 13 million farmers grew GM crops in 2008 compared to 12 million in 2007.

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Reporter's Notebook: Report Illustrates Continued Growth of Agricultural Biotechnology
CBI —
2/11/2009

United States Remains Largest Planter with 154.4 Million Acres

The Council for Biotechnology Information welcomed a report released February 11 that confirmed that the use and benefits of agricultural biotechnology continue to grow in the United States and around the world.

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Global GMO crops grow with political will-ISAAA
Reuters — Carey Gillam
2/11/2009

Global plantings of genetically modified corn, soybeans and other crops grew 9.4 percent last year as economic challenges spurred growing political will to adopt biotech crops that help farmers fight weeds, pests and crop diseases, an industry-backed study said on Wednesday.

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Ethanol Groups Criticize Negative Study
Domestic Fuel — Cindy Zimmerman
2/8/2009

Ethanol industry organizations say a University of Minnesota study critical of corn ethanol is flawed. The study, which claims corn ethanol is worse for health and the environment than gasoline, was analyzed in detail by the Renewable Fuels Association.

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Cellulosic Ethanol May Benefit Human Health And Help Slow Climate Change
ScienceDaily —
2/3/2009

Filling our fuel tanks with cellulosic ethanol instead of gasoline or corn-based ethanol may be even better for our health and the environment than previously recognized, according to new research from the University of Minnesota. The study finds that cellulosic ethanol has fewer negative effects on human health because it emits smaller amounts of fine particulate matter, an especially harmful component of air pollution.

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Helping To Eliminate Hunger
Voice of America News —
2/2/2009

These are the facts: 923 million people go to bed hungry most nights, 907 million of them in the developing world. That's 75 million people more than last year. This means that more undernourished mothers will give birth to malnourished children – a start in life that reduces the chances of success in school or work and contributes to an ongoing cycle of poverty. In this way hunger is cause as well as a consequence of poverty.

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Fighting hunger with flood-tolerant rice
CNN International — Peter Ornstein
1/29/2009

If every scientist hopes to make at least one important discovery in her career, then University of California-Davis professor Pamela Ronald and her colleagues may have hit the jackpot. Ronald's team works with rice, a grain most Americans take for granted, but which is a matter of life and death to much of the world. Thanks to their efforts to breed a new, hardier variety of rice, millions of people may not go hungry.

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‘GM Crops’ Part of Food Crisis Solution, U.K. Says
Bloomberg — Alex Morales
1/29/2009

The world is facing an “enormous” challenge to feed a growing population as temperatures warm globally and genetically-modified foods may be part of the solution, the U.K. government’s top scientist said.

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'Golden Rice' on target for release in 2011
Reuters —
1/28/2009

GENETICALLY modified (GMO) Golden Rice may be available to farmers as early as 2011, possibly helping to save millions of children threatened with blindness or premature death due to Vitamin A deficiency. Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), said that it expected to release the GMO rice, enriched with Vitamin A, by 2011.

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Lugar calls for Europe, Africa to embrace genetically modified crops
The Journal Gazette — Sylvia A. Smith
1/28/2009

Shrinking crop yields is "one of the most deadly and disruptive consequences of climate change," Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said Wednesday as he called for Europe and Africa to set aside their suspicions of genetically modified crops.

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The Green Monster
Slate — James E. McWilliams
1/28/2009

I'm sitting at my desk examining a $10.95 jar of South River Miso. The stuff is delicious, marked by a light, lemony tang. The packaging, by contrast, is a heavy-handed assurance of purity.

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Great Expectations
Truth About Trade & Technology — Maria Gabriela Cruz
1/23/2009

Barack Obama promised to bring change to the United States. Will this son of a Kenyan who is a former resident of Indonesia also bring change outside of America’s borders? Last summer, at his speech in Berlin, this self-proclaimed “citizen of the world” suggested that he would try. As a Portuguese farmer, I’m hoping that he will--specifically with respect to Europe and GM crops.

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Update 1 – EU executive advances on GM crop cultivation
Reuters — Jeremy Smith
1/21/2009

European Union biotech experts will get the chance next month to vote whether to allow two genetically modified (GM) maize types to be grown in Europe, in a bid to break the longstanding EU deadlock on growing GM crops. The full European Commission, the EU's executive arm, on Wednesday backed proposals drafted by its environment unit that would grant standard 10-year licences for the two maize types: the EU's first approvals for GM crop cultivation since 1998.

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New Science Shows Biofuels’ “Carbon Debt” Can Be Eliminated
Biotechnology Industry Organization —
1/14/2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Wednesday, January 14, 2009) - A newly published study shows that effective land management practices can reduce the so called carbon debt attributed to biofuels to near zero. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with growing agricultural feedstocks for biofuels can be greatly reduced using available crop management techniques, such as no-till agriculture, according to the new study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology by Bruce Dale and Seungdo Kim of Michigan State University and Hyungtae Kim of Phillips Academy Andover.

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Agriculture's next big challenge
Chicago Tribune — George McGovern and Marshall Matz
1/4/2009

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Iowa's former Gov. Tom Vilsack to be his secretary of agriculture. Vilsack was an excellent choice, but some have criticized the appointment because he supports agricultural biotechnology and commercial agriculture.

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Biotech Opponents Are Playing with Human Lives
Pajamas Media — Till Behrend
1/3/2009

There is a specter haunting Europe: the specter of genetically modified foods. Although regularly consumed in the U.S. and around the world, in Europe GM foods are the target of veritable scare campaigns by environmental pressure groups and in the media. As a consequence, even GM crops that have been formally approved by the European Commission are the subject of increasing restrictions in Germany, France, and other European countries.

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Book of the Year
Truth About Trade & Technology — Dean Kleckner
12/26/2008

Mark Twain once defined “a classic” as “a book which people praise but don’t read.”

I’m going to praise a book you may not have heard of, let alone taken the time to read. But I hope you’ll pick it up because Robert Paarlberg has written a modern-day classic. “Starved by Science: How Biotechnology Is Being Kept Out of Africa,” published by Harvard University Press, is my Book of the Year for 2008.

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Making the Team
Truth About Trade & Technology — Dean Kleckner
12/19/2008

Farmers have been looking for a friend in Barack Obama’s cabinet, and this week they appear to have found one or two. But we could use a third. On Wednesday, Obama introduced Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, as his pick to become the next Secretary of Agriculture.

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World goes for GM crops to tackle food crisis
Commodity Online —
12/15/2008

GM is the word the world is embracing tightly now. It is not General Motors but Genetically Modified. Countries across the world are now rushing to embrace genetically modified crops to tackle their food crisis. China is the best example for this now.

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Technology is Linchpin to Sustainable Biofuel Industry
Farm Futures —
12/5/2008

On Thursday the Biomass Research and Technology Board, an interagency group, issued a report on the economic feasibility of meeting national biofuel targets by deriving feedstocks from both farms and forests. "Our national security, our economy, and the future of the planet require that we explore the development of biofuels in a cost-effective, environmentally sound manner and that we move beyond food crops to include a diverse base of feedstocks," said Dr. Gale Buchanan, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, who co-chairs the Biomass Research and Development Board.

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Food crisis has biotech crops' stars shine
Associated Press — Elaine Kurtenbach
12/4/2008

Zeng Yawen's outdoor laboratory in the terraced hills of southern China is a trove of genetic potential — rice that thrives in unusually cool temperatures, high altitudes or in dry soil; rice rich in calcium, vitamins or iron.

"See these plants? They can tolerate the cold," Zeng says as he walks through a checkerboard of test fields sown with different rice varieties on the outskirts of Kunming, capital of southwestern China's Yunnan province.

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Thankful For Biotech
Truth About Trade & Technology — John Reifsteck
11/21/2008

Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election for a simple reason: Americans thought their country was headed in the wrong direction, and he provided a vision of change that voters found more compelling than John McCain’s. These are tough times, with the financial crisis causing widespread anxiety. Everyone seems to think that things will get worse before they get better. And they might be right.

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Agricultural biotech a critical link to sustainability around the globe
Western Farm Press — Cary Blake
11/20/2008

Agricultural biotechnology is making substantial footholds in small and large countries worldwide and must remain a part of sustainable agriculture so farmers and consumers can reap the benefits. Sharon Bomer-Lauritsen, executive vice president, food and agriculture section, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Washington, D.C., says U.S. farmers grow biotech crops on about 300 million acres — about 48 percent of the harvested crop acreage.

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CBI Reporter's Notebook: What the Media is Saying about the Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology
CBI —
11/20/2008

In a recent article in the Omaha World Herald, Ambassador Clayton Yeutter, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative wrote, "[W]orld leaders must embrace the opportunities that agricultural biotechnology can and will provide."

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Four ethanol plants planned for Southeast
Southeast Farm Press — Roy Roberson
11/10/2008

East Coast Ethanol, LLC recently announced plans to build 110 million gallon per year ethanol plants in Chester, S.C., Seaboard, N.C., Jesup, Ga. and Campbellton, Fla, making the company the largest supplier of ethanol in the Southeast and the sixth largest in the U.S. In addition to producing over 400 million gallons of ethanol annually, the multiple plants will produce 1.4 million tons of distiller’s dry grains (DDG) and $3-5 million annually in carbon dioxide sales.

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USDA to release drought tolerant soybean lines
Dairy Herd —
11/7/2008

A team led by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticist Thomas Carter will soon release advanced soybean breeding lines that carry slow-wilting traits. These lines perform well under drought conditions, and also show good yield potential when rainfall is plentiful.

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Extra-Nutritious Bioengineered Foods Still Years Away
The Washington Post — Marc Kaufman
11/3/2008

For years, advocates of agricultural biotechnology have promised a future in which foods will be genetically engineered to give more nutrition and to prevent chronic diseases, in which crops will be modified to thrive in salty soil or hot or dry climates and in which consumers will benefit directly from science's ability to tweak other characteristics of plants.

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Genetically Modified Crops
Voice of America —
10/29/2008

Human beings have been genetically modifying crops for thousands of years. The result has been to transform what was once inedible grasses and toxic seeds into food that is a staple of many millions of people.

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Reporter's Notebook: Surveys Show Continued Strong Support for Agricultural Biotechnology
CBI —
10/28/2008

An International Food Information Council (IFIC) report released Thursday, October 23 concludes that 84% of Americans have favorable or neutral impressions of agricultural plant biotechnology, while less than 16% hold an unfavorable impression.

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Modern Ethanol Industry Has Superior Environmental and Economic Profile Versus Gasoline
The Illinois Corn Growers Association —
10/28/2008

The Illinois Corn Growers Association announced at a press conference Tuesday that the state has become a technological and commercial leader in corn-based ethanol while unveiling two landmark studies that concluded that production of the biofuel leaves a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline and has substantial room for growth without affecting corn supply to the food and feed sectors.

"The conclusions of these two scientific studies are historic," said Rob Elliott, vice president of the ICGA. "Amid the long and sometimes heated debate between ethanol proponents and detractors, these studies indicate that modern ethanol plants have a superior carbon footprint and net energy benefit when compared to gasoline refineries. And, the Korves study provides compelling data that ethanol production can grow substantially at no risk to food supplies."

The ICGA said that the state's total ethanol output has surpassed 1.5 billion gallons annually which is about one third of total gasoline use in Illinois thereby playing a significant role in helping the country wean itself from imported/non-renewable carbon-based fuels. The growing ethanol industry is creating new jobs in rural communities.

"A single 50 MGY ethanol plant produces 32 new fulltime jobs, spends $47 million annually on local goods and services and produces $1.2 million in new taxes," said Mr. Elliott. "Equally significant are the findings of the two studies we are releasing today which indicate clearly the promise of modern ethanol technology. They should put to rest the myth that ethanol is less environmentally friendly than the manufacture of gasoline.

They also provide a compelling argument that corn growers will be able to produce sufficient supply to meet food, feed and renewable fuel requirements over the next two decades."

ICGA was joined at the press conference by the studies' authors, Ross Korves, economic policy analyst at ProExporter Network, and Dr. Steffen Mueller, principal research economist at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Energy Resources Center.

Mueller's study centered on a single ethanol plant, the Illinois River Energy facility near Rochelle, Illinois which produces 55 million gallons of ethanol annually.

"We looked at the global warming and land use impact of corn ethanol produced at the Illinois River Energy ethanol plant - which is a modern, natural gas fueled facility -- on a full life-cycle basis," said Mueller. "We found conclusively that the global warming impact of the modern ethanol plant is 40 percent lower than gasoline. This is a sizable reduction from numbers currently being used by public agencies and in the public debate. The study also documents the significant net energy benefits of ethanol when compared to gasoline. And, additional opportunities exist to expand that margin even more through technological improvements and on farm changes in corn production that reduce green house gas emissions. Furthermore, corn supply for the ethanol plant was primarily met through yield increases in the surrounding area and, as documented with satellite imagery, without conversion of non agricultural land to corn."

The Korves study, broader in scope, analyzed the consequences of a technology-driven revolution that is occurring throughout America agriculture which would see average corn production increase from 155 bushels an acre today to 289 bushels over the next two decades. The study suggests that sufficient amounts of corn will be available to increase ethanol production from the current level of 7.1 billion gallons last year to 33 billion gallons by 2030 with current technology. The study also factors in increased future demand for corn from both export and livestock (feed) sectors. Korves also looked at the environmental impact of ethanol production, predicting that the global warming impact (GWI) of the average ethanol plant would decline dramatically through increased efficiencies in coming years.

"The GWI of the average ethanol plant is expected to decline 27 percent by 2030," said Korves. "By that year, the GWI of corn ethanol processed in a plant using a biomass combined heat and power system will be less than one-third of the GWI of gasoline."

The ICGA reported that at this level of reduction, corn to ethanol could be categorized as an advanced biofuel based on the performance requirements in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Also present was University of Illinois at Chicago Chancellor Eric Gislason who commented, "Renewable fuels is a young industry when compared to the fossil fuel and nuclear energy industries. Academia and science have a critical role to play in assessing the economics and science of alternative fuels. UIC is a national leader dedicated to an even-handed, thorough and scientific assessment of the critical issues that will help to determine public and private advocacy of our renewable fuel options. Our Energy Resources Center will continue to evaluate the ethanol industry and its environmental and economic impact."

About The Studies

The two studies (The Global Warming Impact of Corn Ethanol Assessed at the Plant Level of a Modern Facility and Ethanol's Potential Role In Meeting U.S. Energy Needs 2016 - 2030) were prepared for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and can be accessed in full at:

http://www.ilcorn.org/internal.php?subj=research&menu=resources&banner=resources

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Biofuel Jets: No Longer a Flight of Fancy
The New York Times — Kate Galbraith
10/28/2008

Will aircraft one day run on fuel made from algae or grass? It seems like a flight of fancy, but with Europe planning to cap greenhouse gas emissions from planes, air carriers will have extra motivation.

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World Food Prices Collapsing: Were Biofuel Critics Wrong?
Bioimpact —
10/27/2008

A whole army of biofuel critics may have been wrong: contrary to what they said, it is now becoming clear that green fuels like ethanol and biodiesel have played virtually no role in the recent global surge in food prices. The spectacular trends in agricultural commodity markets prove it.

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Ethanol no longer seen as big driver of food price
Reuters — Sam Nelson
10/23/2008

Heavy demand for corn from ethanol makers was seen as a key driver of corn futures to record highs in June, but since then the sharp decline of corn along with other commodities shows that belief was mistaken. Corn is down about 50 percent from its record high in June, even as the amount of the grain used to produce the renewable fuel in the United States remained the same.

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Drought Resistance Is the Goal, but Methods Differ
The New York Times — Andrew Pollack
10/22/2008

To satisfy the world’s growing demand for food, scientists are trying to pull off a genetic trick that nature itself has had trouble accomplishing in millions of years of evolution. They want to create varieties of corn, wheat and other crops that can thrive with little water.

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We need science if we are to feed the world
The Kansas City Star — Clayton Yeutter
10/20/2008

The work of Bob Dole and George McGovern, administered by the World Food Program with strong financial support from the United States, has been helping to feed millions of the world’s poor.

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Italy should lift GM ban - health minister
Forbes — Antonella Ciancio
10/20/2008

Italy should lift a ban on growing genetically modified crops, Welfare and Health Minister Maurizio Sacconi said on Monday. 'I think it's time to lift this de facto moratorium which has been in place for many years,' Sacconi told reporters on the sidelines of an international food forum.

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Biotechnology credited with helping corn crop survive rough weather
The Grand Island Independent — Robert Pore
10/19/2008

This year, much of the nation's Corn Belt suffered from above-normal wet weather that either caused planting delays or flooded fields, forcing farmers to replant. The same was true in Nebraska. More than 20 inches of rain fell in the Grand Island area during April, May and June -- more than 8 inches above normal for the three-month period.

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Golden Rice, Red Tape
The Guardian — Henry Miller
10/17/2008

Biotechnology applied to crafting nutritional improvements in rice is on the verge of offering the kinds of public health benefits to Asia we haven't seen since the 20th-century's green revolution improved the nutrition and longevity of billions of people. Last month, the Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry bestowed the prestigious Bertebos prize on Swiss plant biologist Ingo Potrykus.

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Seeds of a Perfect Storm: Genetically Modified Crops and the Global Food Security Crisis
Jefferson Fellows Distinguished Lecture Series — Nina Fedoroff
10/17/2008

I welcome all of you to the first in what will be a regular series of monthly lectures by the State Department’s Jefferson Fellows. Before I get to the substance of my talk, I’d like to tell you a bit about the Jefferson Fellows. The Jefferson fellows are well-established academic scientists who come to the State Department for a year, bringing their scientific expertise to bear on our formal interactions with other countries. They find homes throughout the State Department and USAID – and they offer assistance and advice in their areas of expertise. Since we have them as captives for a year, we decided that it would be good to ask them to share their knowledge even more widely through lectures to the entire community on scientific topics of interest in our foreign relations.

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U.S. Farmers Producing Second Largest Corn Crop Thanks to Biotechnology
Farm Futures — Rod Swoboda
10/17/2008

A dozen farmers from across the state gathered on a farm in central Iowa October 15 to discuss the worldwide benefits of biotechnology. They met with a group of about 30 foreign visitors.

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Foreign visitors hear Iowans tout biotech crop advantages
The Des Moines Register — Dan Piller
10/16/2008

About three dozen international delegates to the World Food Prize symposium came to Gordon Wassenaar's farm Wednesday to see proof of biotechnology's effectiveness. "You've heard all about the bad floods and other troubles we had with Mother Nature this year in Iowa," Wassenaar told the gathering that retreated to his work shed to escape the rain.

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Dole, McGovern win for fighting hunger
Omaha World Herald —
10/16/2008

The work of former U.S. Sens. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and George McGovern, D-S.D., administered by the World Food Program with strong financial support from the United States, has been helping to feed millions of the world’s poor. This week, the two will receive well-deserved recognition for their dedication to strengthen food and nutrition programs globally when they are awarded the World Food Prize.

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Study: Do European Consumers Buy GM Foods?
King's College London —
10/14/2008

Following a decade of argument in Europe, the 2004 introduction by the EU of mandatory labelling for GM foods, the widespread importation into European countries of GM-animal feed, and the rapid development of GM agriculture and products in many parts of the world, it was pertinent to inquire how European consumers respond when offered the opportunity of buying GM-products in the familiar environment of their normal food shops.

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Meeting the Challenge to Feed the World
Truth About Trade & Technology — Dean Kleckner
10/10/2008

The U.S. presidential election is less than a month away--which makes this as good a time as any to remember that politics isn’t everything. No matter who is in or out of power in Washington, India, Brazil or the UK, we’ll always need farmers.

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Agricultural Biotechnology Gaining Support in Europe
CBI —
10/8/2008

EuropaBio, the biotechnology industry association, has released a report on agricultural biotechnology crop cultivation in Europe. The data demonstrates that more European Union (EU) farmers are choosing to adopt agricultural biotechnology to boost their competitiveness, despite a 10-year moratorium on new product approvals.

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Study: Food Biotechnology: Consumer perceptions of food biotechnology in Asia
Asian Food Information Centre —
10/1/2008

Genetically modified foods will most likely become an increasing feature of the Asian diet in light of the region's growing demand for high volumes of quality food. The Asian Food Information Centre (AFIC) conducted this consumer research to provide insights on how consumers in Asia perceive the use of biotechnology to produce foods and how likely consumers are to accept the various benefits biotechnology derived foods may bring.

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More GM crops being grown across Europe
Farmers Guardian — By Alistair Driver
9/29/2008

THE amount of genetically modified (GM) crops cultivated across the EU increased by 21 per cent in 2008.

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Kenya set to adopt biotechnology
Daily Nation — By Sammy Cheboi
9/28/2008

Kenya is set to adopt the controversial biotechnology as a means of boosting food production, Agriculture minister William Ruto has said.

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After Rain, Biotech Might Be a Farmer’s Best Friend
New Jersey Business Journal — By Thomas Gaudio
9/15/2008

For farmer Steve Jany, biotechnology means more green in the field and on the balance sheet.

Since Rustin Farms, which he co-owns with his brother, Frank Jany, began using genetically modified seeds about 10 years ago, Steve Jany says the grain grower has seen an average gain of about $50 per acre, or almost $1.2 million over 10 years, in the form of higher crop yields and lower production costs.

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Biotech Food is Safe: Is Anyone Going to Tell the Consumer?
Europa Bio —
9/11/2008

Brussels, 11th September 2008 - EuropaBio welcomes the report issued by the Joint Research Centre today that reconfirms the results of a 2001 Commission study concluding that no demonstration of any health effect of GM food products has ever been reported and the use of more precise technology and the greater regulatory scrutiny very likely makes them even safer than conventional plants and foods.

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China to Grow Modified Corn, Soybeans, Analyst Says (Update3)
Bloomberg — By William Bi and Feiwen Rong
9/5/2008

Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- China, the world's biggest grain consumer, plans to grow genetically modified corn and soybeans for the first time starting next year, the country's largest independent agricultural researcher said.

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An Advocate for Science Diplomacy
The New York Times — By Claudia Dreifus
8/18/2008

When she was a single mother in the early 1960s, Nina V. Fedoroff, 66, defied odds and conventionality by working her way through college, graduate school and postdoctoral studies. Dr. Fedoroff, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, did fundamental research on plant transposons, or jumping genes, and was among the first to clone plant DNA.

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Honduras Embraces Genetically Modified Crops
NPR — By Dan Charles
8/6/2008

As governments search for solutions to the global food crisis, some are taking a second look at a controversial technology: genetic engineering.

Many Third World countries have banned genetically modified crops. But Honduras now is encouraging farmers to plant them.

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CBI Reporter's Notebook: What the Media is Saying about the Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology
CBI —
8/5/2008

A number of recent media stories have focused on the benefits of agricultural biotechnology in addressing many of the challenges facing the world, including the increase global demand for food and a growing scarcity of water for farmers.

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Use of GM foods inevitable in EU- expert
The Irish Times — By Dick Ahlstrom
7/18/2008

IT IS inevitable that EU states will accept genetically modified foods, despite the fact that 70 per cent of people are opposed to them, the Government's chief scientific adviser has stated.

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A time to sow?
Financial Times — By Clive Cookson
7/11/2008

So widely are genetically modified crops now grown around the world, for use in animal feed and as processed food ingredients, that feed importers in Europe and Asia are finding it difficult to supply customers who want non-GM soya or maize.

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CBI Reporter's Notebook: G8 Leaders Call for Increased Global Access to Agricultural Biotechnology
CBI —
7/9/2008

The G8 leaders, meeting in Hokkaido, Japan at their annual summit, agreed to work to increase global agricultural yields by providing farmers with greater access to seed varieties developed through biotechnology.

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G8 Supports Biotech’s Role In Addressing Global Food Security
BIO —
7/8/2008

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations agree that biotechnology could help farmers to increase crop productivity and provide more healthful food around the globe. Addressing the critical issue of global food security, the leaders agreed today to “promote science-based risk analysis including on the contribution of seed varieties developed through biotechnology.”

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Gene modified crops the key to food crisis, says scientist
Financial Times — By Fiona Harvey and George Parker
7/7/2008

Genetically modified crops hold the key to solving the food price crisis, the UK government's former chief scientific adviser has said.

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