The 130th ASTA annual meeting gave attendees an opportunity to receive an update on the progress of the Accord initiative that is a joint effort of ASTA with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). “The Accord is an industry-led framework that is meant to address situations when biotech events go off patent and how we maintain the regulatory approvals worldwide for …
World Food Prize Honors Pioneers in Biotechnology
The 2013 World Food Prize will honor three distinguished scientists – Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, and Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert T. Fraley of the United States. Building upon the scientific discovery of the Double Helix structure of DNA in the 1950s, Van Montagu, Chilton, and Fraley each conducted groundbreaking molecular research on how a plant bacterium could be adapted …
North and South American Corn Growers Unite
As most agricultural eyes were on progress of the farm bill last week in Congress, some very prominent farmers were in another nation’s capitol below the equator signing a new agreement to create an alliance between North and South American corn growers. Leaders of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), joined with maize producers …
CropLife Foundation Previews Study at ASTA Expo
CropLife Foundation (CLF) is publishing a comprehensive report next year on “The Role of Precision Seed Protection in Modern Crop Production” and preliminary findings of the report were presented today at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Corn & Sorghum Seed Research Conference 2012 & Seed Expo. CLF chairman of the board Jay Vroom says the report outlines the benefits …
ASTA Update on The Accord at Seed Expo
Patents for the very first ag biotech “events,” as they are called, will be expiring and becoming “generic” in 2015. This creates opportunities for growers and the seed industry, but also creates challenges that must be addressed – and that is the purpose of “The Accord”. American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Vice President for Science and International Affairs Bernice Slutsky …
Seed Shindig in Chicago
It’s all about the seed next week in Chicago at the CSS 2012 & Seed Expo. That’s short for the 67th annual Corn & Sorghum Conference, 42nd annual Soybean Seed Research Conference and 36th Seed Expo which will be held December 4-7 at the Hyatt Regency. American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Chairman Blake Curtis of New Mexico says this is …
OMG GMO!
One of the positive outcomes of the 2012 election was that Californians actually voted against Proposition 37, which would have required the labeling of foods containing genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). However, those opposed to GMOs continue to attack the technology that increases safe, affordable and abundant food by stepping up their scare tactics. GMOinside, for example, is urging people to “Celebrate …
Final Panel Thoughts from USFRA Food Dialogues
Here are the panelists from the last session of today’s New York Food Dialogues. Wow. It was a long day of very interesting discussion. This panel’s topic was Biotechnology (GMO’s) and Your Food. There were some very real contrasts in what some of the panelists as well as the audience thought of various specifics. In my opinion we got a …
GMO Labeling Proposal Defeated
The good news from election results is the defeat of the GMO food labeling proposition in California. Unlike our poll here on AgWired, the vote on Proposition 37 in California was much less close and went the right way for those in agriculture who were opposed to the plan to require labeling of all foods containing genetically modified crops. The …
2012 Global Farmer Roundtable at WFP
This year’s Global Farmer Roundtable at the World Food Prize hosted another great group of producers from around the world. Participants at this event included 17 producers from Canada, Honduras, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Swaziland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, US, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This annual roundtable is organized by Truth About Trade & Technology (TATT), a nonprofit advocacy …