Dr. Nina Fedoroff [1 | 2] Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State and to the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development
The Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI) is pleased to announce the new “Ag Biotech Across the Nation” blog series! We’ll be highlighting ag biotech events and activities from around the United States, as well as discussing how individual states are utilizing agricultural biotechnology to address their economic and environmental challenges. Various states will be featured each month so, please be sure to come back and visit our state blog series regularly by clicking on the map to the right.
The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association (HCIA) has opened its 4th annual Dr. James L. Brewbaker Scholarship contest. Dr. Brewbaker helped establish the Corn Research Program at the University Of Hawaii College Of Agriculture in the 1960s and founded HCIA.
Three scholarships will be awarded to Hawaii high school students graduating in 2010 in the amount of $1,500, $1,000 and $500 for essays that best address how innovations in agricultural biotechnology benefit Hawaii now and in the future. The essay submission deadline is April 30, 2010.
Visit www.hciaonline.com for more information and an essay submission application.
Roger Beachy, long-time head of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, has agreed to join the Obama Administration as director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the new research funding arm of the US Department of Agriculture. As the head of this organization, Beachy aims to fund studies that answer agriculture’s most pressing challenges, including “sustainable food production and nutrition, readiness for climate aberrations that will impact productivity and developing renewable options like biofuels.”
Under Roger Beachy’s leadership NIFA will prioritize education in its grant-making in order to “ensure that the knowledge we gain from research reaches farmers and consumers; from the lab to the field to the fork.” He also hopes to fund innovative and exploratory projects, including looking into additional areas of ag biotech development.
Roger Beachy will be speaking at the 2010 Biotechnology Industry Organization Annual Convention at a summit organized by the Food & Ag and Industrial & Environmental sections of BIO.
You can read a full interview with Mr. Beachy in Nature and Biotechnology here.
Members of the Iowa ag community will gather in Des Moines February 9-10 for the Iowa Agribusiness Association’s annual Agribusiness Showcase and Conference. The event will include an “Ag Industry & Crop Management Conference” with seminars and workshops focusing the latest industry innovation and technology for crop production professionals, as well as the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Annual Meeting, an All Industry Reception and an awards banquet.
Additionally, the Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) 2009 Farm Broadcaster of the Year Ken Root will speak at the Appreciation Breakfast on February 10 at 8:00 a.m.
The Agribusiness Association of Iowa represents all facets of the agribusiness industry including feed, grain, plant food, crop protection products, equipment, seed and an array of allied industries. The Agribusiness Association of Iowa was formed in 1994, as the result of a merger between the Iowa Grain & Feed Association and the Iowa Fertilizer and Chemical Association.
For more information on the Agribusiness Showcase and Conference, click here or contact AAI at 1-800-383-1682. The event is free and open to the public.
In early January, we wrote about the co-existence event at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, which brought together both organic and conventional farmers to discuss how the two practices can work together to feed the world.
The Maine Biotechnology Information Bureau was on hand for the standing-room only event that addressed issues including pesticide use, food production and the environment. “We have to increase production with lower environmental costs,” said keynote speaker Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. Click here to read MBIB’s recap of the event and to hear from farmers on both sides of the issue.
Jon Olson, Executive Secretary of the Maine Farm Bureau, also provided an interesting perspective in an op-ed published in the Kennebec Journal last week. He writes, “Farmers in Maine are fed up with the controversy and are quietly talking among themselves, looking for ways to move beyond the divide. Collaboration is replacing confrontation, for the benefit of all Maine farmers.”
World leaders and CEOs at the Davos 2010 World Economic Forum participated in a panel called “Rethinking how to feed the world.” The panel discussed the challenges facing global food production and possible solutions that will increase yield and support agricultural producers worldwide.
The panel was moderated by Prannoy Roy, Chairman, New Delhi Television (NDTV), India, and panelists included:
William H. Gates III, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA Jakaya M. Kikwete, President of Tanzania Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, DuPont, USA Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam; Chair, 2010 ASEAN Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank, Washington DC; Global Agenda Council on Corruption Patricia A. Woertz, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), USA;
According to Tanzania President Kilwete, “…a combination of mechanization, irrigation, high-yielding seeds, getting the fertilizers and imparting skills to farmers” is needed for Tanzanian farmers to improve agricultural practices and food production.
The panelists agreed that science based solutions and better education for farmers will need to play a role in increasing food production. Please comment with your thoughts on this fascinating discussion.
Dr. Nina Fedoroff
The Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI) is pleased to announce the new “Ag Biotech Across the Nation” blog series! We’ll be highlighting ag biotech events and activities from around the United States, as well as discussing how individual states are utilizing agricultural biotechnology to address their economic and environmental challenges. Various states will be featured each month so, please be sure to come back and visit our state blog series regularly by clicking on the map to the right.
