You can’t be in Chicago and miss the blues and thanks to the IL pavilion we had some awesome blues.
This band performed at the trade show reception. I wish I knew who they are.
If you’d like to know what they sound like I shot a short video clip of the which you can watch here: 
IL Blues (2 min wmv)
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My home state is well represented here at BIO.
In the Missouri pavilion at the big trade show reception you could find Pony Express. I think they put a dent in the world supply of Pony Express last night!
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Besides our own domestic ag journalists there has been a large (larger) contingent of foreign ag journalists.
Here’s the Russian tv crew interviewing at the U. S. Grains Council/IL Corn Growers media event.
You heard me interview them in a previous post.
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It’s always fun trying to keep posts at a conference in some sort of chronological order. But it just never works out that way. Here’s Orion Samuelson, doing an interview with one of the visiting ag journalists at the U. S. Grains Council/IL Corn Growers event. I was glad to see Orion here since there really hasn’t been many U. S. ag reporters.
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The plenary breakfast speaker today, R. James Woolsey, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, just finished speaking. He really focused on how biotechnology can play a role in our national security. Besides what most people probably think of first in terms of cures or innoculants for bio-terror induced disease he spent a while talking about energy and independence from terrorist controlled foreign oil.
You can hear his comments on the role biotechnology can play in the renewable fuels area here: 
James Woolsey (6 min MP3)
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BASF Plant Science held an end-of-day press conference to talk about their intent to dedicate more than $320 million over the next three years to develop biotechnological optimized crop plants.
On hand was company president, Dr. Hans Kast. He gave an overview of what the company is planning and how they will manage this effort. Here’s a sound bite from his speech where he specifically mentions using biotech crop innovations to further develop renewable fuels: Dr. Hans Kast 1 (2 min MP3)
Kast said that it will take a doubling of agricultural production in the coming years to achieve the goal of making renewable energy and world hunger relief a reality. I asked him if this is possible and how BASF is going to help make it happen. You can hear his answer here: Dr. Hans Kast 2 (2 min MP3)
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I’m just can’t get over how many companies are giving away iPods here.
This is at the Novo Nordisk booth.
Do you remember AM radio, 78’s, 33’s, 8-tracks, FM radio, cassettes, CD’s? Okay, I guess some people still listen to CD’s. Mine are burned to iTunes and loaded on my iPod. How about you?
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Last night Illinois farmer, banker, ethanol plant CEO and RFA board member Ray Defenbaugh was one of several people who spoke to a group of visiting agricultural journalists during a media reception sponsored by the US Grains Council and Illinois Corn Growers here at the BIO 2006 conference.
I interviewed Ray after his presentation and you can hear that conversation here: Defenbaugh Interview (3 min MP3)
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It’s just about reception time here at BIO. I’m going to have to sign off for a while and make the rounds. These people are in the British Columbia pavilion with some flavored shooters for the upcoming trade show reception.
The Australia/New Zealand reception just ended. There was a very nice Shiraz being served along with some excellent cheese. The tastes sensations are a very big part of the social atmosphere here at BIO. Of course they are all “agricultural” products!
Stay tuned because I have a lot more to come.
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Ernst & Young publishes an annual report on the biotechnology industry. The latest edition was just announced, titled, “Beyond Borders: The Global Biotechnology Report 2006.”
At their press conference this afternoon they reviewed some of the key findings on a regional basis. I asked the panel moderator, Donn Szaro, if the report contained information on 
agriculture, which they call the “second wave” of biotech. It does and he says they’ve brought back industry breakout charts which are even done by country so you can compare how different countries have been focusing on different segments of the biotech business. You can hear the answer here: Enrnst & Young Statement (2 min MP3)
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