Agnet Dec. 9/03 -- II
GM trees to
be allowed into Kyoto forest package
Farmers,
citizens and NGOs protest genetically-modified wheat at Agriculture Minister's
office present Vanclief with GM-free loaf of bread
Science
policy forum on GE wheat -- December 16, 2003 in Washington, DC
Brazil
delays GMO vote until 2004
Monsanto
invests to improve GMOs' image in Brazil
Latest
research suggests Medicago's approach may be ideal for the development of safer
and more efficient biopharmaceuticals
Feeding the
world while preserving ecosystems
National
Agricultural Library upgrades online public catalog
Selecting a
new canola variety
Consumers
prefer locally grown food over organic in Leopold Center study
On the
front lines against scaley invaders
how to subscribe
GM
trees to be allowed into Kyoto forest package
December 9, 2003
Agence France Presse English
MILAN - Diplomats were cited as reaching an agreement in principle Tuesday to
include genetically-modified trees in forests planted for the specific purpose
of soaking up greenhouse gases.
The story says this would allow scientists to develop fast-growing trees with a
maximized capability of storing carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the gases thought
likely to be responsible for the heating of the earth's atmosphere.
Under the terms of the UN Kyoto Protocol on global warming, rich countries will
be able to plant forests in the developing world and offset the amount of gas
absorbed against their own greenhouse emissions.
The agreement in principle was scheduled to be sent to environment ministers at
a meeting of the 180-nation UN Framework Convention on Climate Change here this
week.
Farmers,
citizens and NGOs protest genetically-modified wheat at Agriculture Minister's
office present Vanclief with GM-free loaf of bread
December 9, 2003
From a press release
BELLEVILLE, ON - The National Farmers Union, local farmers, other constituents
and several non-governmental organizations staged a protest today at Agriculture
Minister Lyle Vanclief's Constituency Office in Belleville, Ontario. The
protesters brought a loaf of homemade GM-wheat-free bread to Vanclief's office
as well as a large greeting card asking him to reject Monsanto's GM wheat and
grant all Canadians "a GM-Free Holiday and New Year."
"GM wheat will damage family farms across Canada," said local farmer,
constituent, and National Farmers Union member Ken Marisett. "It will drive
down prices, and over 80% of our markets won't buy it - GM Wheat is a raw deal
for Canadian farmers."
The Canadian Wheat Board estimates that over 80% of Canada's wheat export market
will not buy GM wheat. That market is valued at over $3 billion annually. The
Canadian government is currently considering whether to approve or reject the
genetically modified wheat.
Farmers were also reacting to recent reports that Agriculture and Agri-
Food Canada (AAFC), after spending $2.5 million helping Monsanto develop GM
wheat, would collect millions in royalties from the corporation if the
government approves the crop. "This is a clear corporate-government
partnership that runs counter to the interests of Canadian farmers and
citizens." said Lucy Sharratt of the Polaris Institute. Protesters also
presented a stocking full of coal for Monsanto. "Monsanto deserves a
stocking full of coal from the Agriculture Minister, not $2.5 million in public
funds and not the gift of approval for its GM wheat," said Sharratt.
There are serious environmental concerns with GM wheat. "GM wheat will
increase pesticide dependence, threaten food security, and increase problems
associated with Roundup-resistant superweeds. It's an environmental
time-bomb", said Andrea Peart of the Sierra Club of Canada.
This week AAFC will present more evidence that glyphosate - a chemical sprayed
heavily on Monsanto's Roundup Ready crops and would be sprayed on GM wheat - may
contribute to the spread of the costly plant disease fusarium. In a statement
read at the protest, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario President Ann
Slater said: "The demand for organic food is increasing around the world.
Organic farming is one of the few expanding segments of agriculture in Ontario
and across Canada. If GM wheat is approved, organic farmers will not only lose
the option of growing wheat, many will be forced out of organic farming
altogether."
"Current GM crops and foods are not adequately tested and they are not
labeled in the stores," said Jo Dufay of Greenpeace, "The vast
majority of Canadians do not want GM wheat in their bread. We are here today to
ask the government of Canada to act in the best interests of Canadians and
reject Monsanto's application for GM wheat."
Science
policy forum on GE wheat -- December 16, 2003 in Washington, DC
December 16, 2003
Center for Science in the Public Interest
You are invited to attend the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s
Second Annual Science Policy Forum on Emerging Technologies. This years
moderated panel discussion will focus on genetically engineered (GE) wheat. The
discussion will explore the perspectives of different stakeholders who may be
affected by GE wheat and cover topics such as:
-- GE wheat products and their potential benefits;
-- environmental issues surrounding GE wheat;
-- marketing issues associated with GE wheat;
-- whether GE wheat should be treated differently than GE corn or GE soybeans;
-- global acceptance of GE wheat; and
-- conditions being imposed by different stakeholders on GE wheat.
Place and Time: National Press Club
529 14th Street, N.W.
December 16, 2003
1:00 3:00 PM
Moderator: Michael Rodemeyer, Executive Director, Pew Initiative on Food and
Biotechnology.
Panelists: Gary Blumenthal
President and Chief Executive Officer, World Perspectives, Inc.
Daren Coppock
Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Wheat Growers
Gregory Jaffe
Biotechnology Project Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest
Carol Mallory-Smith
Professor of Weed Science, Oregon State University
Jerry Steiner
Executive Vice President, Commercial Acceptance, Monsanto Company
Ron Triani
Senior Director, Science and Regulatory Affairs, Kraft Foods
Attendance is free. Please RSVP to Gregory Jaffe (202-332-9110, Ext. 369; gjaffe@cspinet.org)
or Adam Pearson (202-332-9110, Ext. 316).
Brazil
delays GMO vote until 2004
December 9, 2003
AgWeb.com
Julianne Johnston
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?file=AgNewsArticle_2003129129_812&articleid=103833&newscat=GN
The media is reporting today that Brazil's government has delayed a
congressional vote on a bill allowing genetically modified (GM) crops to be
grown in the country until next year. Apparently, there is disagreement over the
text and a other "more pressing" issues on year-end agenda.
The author of the bill said he would present his draft in February, after the
highly controversial issue is tabled. One of the main points of contention is
over the role of a proposed National Council on Biosafety, which would be made
up of representatives from 12 government ministries.
Monsanto
invests to improve GMOs' image in Brazil
December 8, 2003
Reuters
SAO PAULO - U.S. biotech giant Monsanto Co. was cited as saying on Monday it was
launching a 6 million real ($2 million) campaign to improve the image of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Brazil, targeting housewives, mothers,
students for the next month through local news papers, radio and television.
Felipe Osorio, the marketing director of Monsanto in Brazil was quoted as saying
in a statement that, "We hope the doubts over the safety of food and the
environment will be removed and that the myths that have been invented will be
exposed."
Latest
research suggests Medicago's approach may be ideal for the development of safer
and more efficient biopharmaceuticals
December 9, 2003
From a press release
QUEBEC - Dr. Louis P. Vézina (Medicago Inc., Quebec) and Dr. Loic Faye (CNRS
University of Rouen, France) with their respective groups have discovered that a
monoclonal antibody (IgG1) expressed in alfalfa plants shows a remarquable
homogeneity in its N-glycan structures, a "molecular decoration"
(sugar chain) attached to the antibody which is key in determining time efficacy
in the boold stream. The details of their research were published last month in
the Plant Biotechnology Journal where they present the many advantages of such
findings.
This discovery is of major importance in the field of biopharmaceuticals as it
may save an important problem on which regulating authorities are vigilant.
There is indeed a real need to improve the homogeneity of N-glycan structures of
proteins since they are known to influence safety and efficiency of
biopharmaceuticals.
In fact, the heterogeneity of monoclonal antibody N-glycans has been reported
from several expression systems and constitutes a cause of variations from one
production batch to another one. These are variations that can affect quality
and efficiency of medicine. Alfalfa appears to have a unique ability to
glycosylate proteins with an exceptional efficiency (75% homogeneity).
"Such efficiency has never been observed with other systems and other
plants. This discovery positions Medicago's alfalfa platform as a system of
choice for the production of safer and more efficient biopharmaceutical
products", declared Louis P. Vézina, Chief Scientific Officer of Medicago
Inc.
In the next months, Medicago will work to confirm these data with other
proteins. The next step will be to derive remodelling techniques in order to
customize N-glycan structures for each targeted biopharmaceutical. This work
will be greatly facilitated by the homogeneity of the starting material.
"We are very pleased as these results address a highly important aspect of
drug development. The result validates Medicago's alfalfa-based platform into a
lead position in the exciting growth area of Plant Made Pharmaceuticals",
concluded Andy Sheldon, Chief Executive Officer of Medicago Inc.
Feeding
the world while preserving ecosystems
December 9, 2003
Cornell University
An international group of agricultural scientists is studying how to feed the
world while conserving natural ecosystems. In a first step, the Sustainable
Agriculture and Natural Resources Management program of the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) has chosen Cornell University's College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences to study how to unite agricultural and
environmental land management worldwide.
Louise Buck, Cornell senior extension associate in natural resources, will lead
the "ecoagriculture" assessment team. "Around the world there has
been too much competition between agriculture and natural resources," says
Buck. "This is bringing together the state of the art in natural science
and social science research, all for managing agricultural land systems and
conserving biodiversity. We are looking for synergies."
The Cornell assessment group includes: Norman Uphoff, director of the Cornell
International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD); Thomas
Gavin, Cornell associate professor of natural resources; David R. Lee, Cornell
professor of applied economics and management; Diji Chandrasekharan Behr,
postdoctoral fellow in natural resources; and Fred Werner, a researcher in
natural resources.
The final report, when prepared, will be presented at the International
Conference of Ecoagriculture Innovators, scheduled to convene at the World
Agroforestry Center in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2004. Ecoagriculture is
defined as sustainable agriculture and associated management of natural
resources that enhance farm productivity, encourage sustainable production,
improve rural livelihood and maintain biodiversity conservation.
Buck says that the effects of agriculture on biodiversity are well-known in many
regions of the world, but the impact of biodiversity on agriculture is not
well-understood. "By taking such a comprehensive approach and casting a
wide net, the assessment can demonstrate what information exists and whether it
is available for different audiences," she says.
National
Agricultural Library upgrades online public catalog
December 8, 2003
The National Agricultural Library Press Release
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/
BELTSVILLE, Md. - The National Agricultural Library (NAL) has released a
significant upgrade to its Web-based AGRICOLA catalog of records for the
materials in its collection. The new version of AGRICOLA provides improved
access--many new search and retrieval capabilities, with daily updates--to over
4 million bibliographic records, the world's largest compilation of agricultural
information.
The new AGRICOLA catalog, which replaces AGRICOLA98, is one of several modules
implemented in NAL's migration to Endeavor's Voyager library system. In addition
to a search and retrieval engine for AGRICOLA, the new Voyager system supports
NAL's acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, indexing, and circulation
operations.
Other features of NAL's new AGRICOLA catalog include:
* Users may search the catalog of books, journals and non-print items; search
the catalog of article records for the journals indexed; or search the two
catalog databases combined.
* Users may choose either to display results of searches, or to e-mail the
search-results to themselves.
* Hotlinks enable users to obtain the full text of resources, where available
electronically.
Future enhancements to the new AGRICOLA will include user-initiated requests for
patrons who have document delivery and borrowing privileges. The National
Agricultural Library and Endeavor are working with Relais International to
develop a fully electronic request and delivery management system linked to the
AGRICOLA bibliographic and holdings records. NAL plans to implement the document
delivery system in late spring 2004 (www.nal.usda.gov/spevents/relais.html).
Access to the new AGRICOLA online public catalog is through
agricola.nal.usda.gov. Users visiting the former AGRICOLA98 address will be
automatically redirected to the new location.
The National Agricultural Library, located in Beltsville, Md., is part of the
Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief
scientific research agency. NAL is one of four U.S. national libraries, and is
known for an expert staff, extensive AGRICOLA bibliographic database, leadership
in information services and technology applications, and strong collections in
agriculture and related sciences.
-
The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
Collecting, Organizing and Distributing Critical Information for our Future
AFSIC is a dynamic collection and distribution center focusing on sustainable,
organic and alternative agricultural information.
AFSIC is staffed by a professional team of librarians and subject specialists
who facilitate rapid access to critical information resources on alternatives to
conventional agriculture.
AFSIC has been an integral part of the National Agricultural Library since 1985,
and is a critical element of the overall USDA effort to insure a sustainable
future for American farmers and global agriculture.
Selecting
a new canola variety
December 9, 2003
Canola Council Press Release—
www.canola-council.org
Do your homework before selecting a new variety!
Growers face a tough decision when trying to select which newly released variety
will work on their farms, says Doug Moisey, Canola Council of Canada Agronomist
for Central Alberta. Before making buying decisions growers need to first obtain
all the pertinent data, he stresses.
Look at selecting a variety as piecing together a puzzle, and that no one piece
of information will complete the puzzle. To complete the puzzle, growers must
look for key bits of information. This information includes seed company test
data, the WCC/RRC (Western Canada Canola and Rapeseed Recommending Committee)
co-op trial data, the Prairie Canola Variety Testing System (PCVTS) trial data,
and experiences of neighbours and seed growers, he says.
Seed company trials look at overall yield and are typically head-to-head
comparisons. "Examine the conditions under which a new variety was grown
including climatic conditions, the chemical and fertility programs used, and the
relative maturity. Compare that information to farm growing conditions.
Although the information may be limited due to a lack of years of history,
it can give growers a good idea of how a new variety will react under a
range of conditions on their farms," says Moisey
The co-op and PCVTS trials are conducted at sites across western Canada each
year. The variety trials are replicated three to four times at each test site,
providing an independent source of information on a specific variety. Each
variety before being registered must have a minimum of two years in the co-op
trials. The co-op trials collect data that also look at yield, oil and protein
quality, maturity, and disease resistance.
He adds that neighbors or other growers may have had one season of growing a
particular variety of interest. "Ask as many questions as possible
including days to maturity, standability (how it lodges), and any other facts
observed. In the case of open pollinated varieties, seed growers in the region
may have replicated the seed for the company and it is important to ask them how
it did under their management," he says.
"The bottom line is the grower must ask as many questions as possible until
satisfied a particular variety is the one to grow," says Moisey
After piecing together the information puzzle and the variety selection decision
is made, the next question is how many acres should be grown?
The old saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" still applies,
he points out.
Introducing a new variety to an operation with good management should still be a
slow process.
Although all new varieties registered have been put through rigorous testing,
the exact way each variety will react on a grower's farm is an unknown. Avoid
switching all designated canola acres over to a new variety. Convert 25% of your
canola acres to new varieties to minimize the risk. If the results are favorable
then introduce more acres the following season.
"Before you commit your acres to a new variety do your homework!" says
Moisey.
Consumers
prefer locally grown food over organic in Leopold Center study
December 8, 2003
From a press release
AMES, Iowa-- Consumers who participated in a recent marketing survey were
enthusiastic about locally grown food and supportive of the farmers who grow it.
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University
conducted the study.
"The term locally grown, when combined with family farms, appears to be a
powerful marketing message," said Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems
coordinator Rich Pirog. "Consumers said that if price and appearance
wereequal, they would choose products with these features over organic
options."
Pirog's observations stem from an Internet study that tested prototypes for food
ecolabels - seals or logos indicating that a product has met a certain set of
environmental and/or social criteria. The study included survey responses from
more than 1,600 consumers in Iowa and seven other Midwestern states and the
Boston and Seattle metropolitan areas.
In the survey, consumers were asked to respond to one of three sets of ecolabel
prototypes for fresh produce (grapes) that conveyed information on product
origin, distance from farm to point of sale, transport method and the
environmental impact of its transport measured by the amount of fuel emissions.
They also were asked a series of questions about their perceptions of locally
grown/raised products and meats. Another group of consumers in the survey did
not view any ecolabels.
More than 75 percent of the consumers in both groups chose the products labeled
"grown locally by family farmers" as their first choice for produce or
meat products. In both groups, consumers were most responsive to labels that
connected product freshness with the time (in days) that it took for the product
to travel from farm to store.
About 25 percent of the consumers in both groups said they would pay a premium
of 6 to 15 percent for products with these additional qualities.
Pirog said a similar response came from a second, smaller population sample in
the study-managers of food-related businesses, such as supermarkets, meat
lockers and distributors.
"Food business respondents perceived that more than 50 percent of their
customers would be interested in ecolabels," he said. "Although their
idea of local was much broader geographically than the one held by consumers,
they said that their customers would most often request 'grown locally' over
other options, with price and appearance being equal."
Pirog said the results show that ecolabels can be an effective way to educate
consumers about locally grown, sustainably raised foods. Although not rated as
highly in the survey, a product's secondary benefits--low environmental costs
and support for the local economy and farmers--can be linked to freshness and
quality, issues of critical importance to consumers.
Pirog noted that conclusions drawn from this Internet study, although commonly
used in product marketing research, cannot be applied to a general population.
Consumer respondents did not represent a statistically random sample of the
three geographical areas but were selected randomly from e-mail address lists
owned by a survey administrator.
Pirog is working with the Business Analysis Laboratory at Iowa State to refine
the ecolabel concept. The work is part of the Leopold Center's marketing and
food systems initiative, which includes projects directed by center staff and
researchers from ISU and other Iowa organizations. The market research also has
looked at food miles-the distance produce travels from the farm to point of
purchase in both local and conventional marketing systems.
The report, "Ecological Value Assessment: Consumer and food Business
Perceptions of Local Foods," is available on the Leopold Center's web site,
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu (look under Papers and Information), or contact
the center at (515) 294-3711.
Through its research and education programs, the Leopold Center supports the
development of profitable farming systems that conserve natural resources.
Center funding comes from state appropriations and from fees on nitrogen
fertilizer and pesticides, as established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater
Protection Act.
On
the front lines against scaley invaders
December 9, 2003
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
They're small. They're messy. They're--well, scaley!
They are scale insects, and many gardeners know how hard it is to keep them at
bay. Imagine trying to keep them out of the country.
Yet that is the mission in which Agricultural Research Service entomologist
Douglass Miller plays a large role. Based at the ARS Systematic Entomology
Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., Miller is the lab's scale insect expert. He's
routinely called on to identify scales suspected of being invaders from other
parts of the world. Miller is often the first to tell whether a scale species is
new to the United States, or perhaps new to the list of known insects.
Scale insects are among the nation's most destructive pests, mostly because they
often go undetected until they've become established and caused damage. They
devastate nut and fruit trees, greenhouse plants, forest vegetation, woody
ornamentals and houseplants. Their best-known calling card is a sticky, sweet
substance called honeydew that many secrete while feeding. The most common scale
insects are identifiable by the hard, scaley cover that is their natural
protection. Others are covered by mealy waxes that come in a variety of colors.
According to Miller, the national cost of control efforts and damage repair
related to scale insects reaches up to $500 million annually. At least 1,000
species can already be found in the United States, 253 of which are
invasive.Miller has monitored scales for ARS for 34 years. He and fellow ARS
entomologist Gary Miller developed another tool for combating scales: the first
known full inventory of them. This inventory is part of ScaleNet, an ARS-run
Internet database that allows users to gather information about scales. ScaleNet
is accessible at: http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/scalenet/scalenet.htm You can
read more about the research on scale insects in the December issue of
Agricultural Research magazine, available on the web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec03/scaley1203.htm
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
Agnet is produced by the Food Safety Network at
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