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" I heard it
through the
AgLine"
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March 9, 2010
·
Seed’s
failure raises red flag at Monsanto
·
Mexico farm
subsidy system running amok
·
Dow
AgroSciences plans $340M expansion
·
Eco-friendly
carrot wash a big cash saver
·
Can corn be taught to fix its own
nitrogen?
Seed’s failure raises red flag at
Monsanto
(stltoday.com)
– A genetically modified cotton produced by Monsanto
is failing to control pests in four Indian states, the company said last week.
The survival of the pink bollworm in Monsanto's Bollgard brand cotton was detected in four of the nine
Indian states where the cotton is grown.
A spokesman for the Creve Coeur-based company said it is
taking the matter "very seriously" and will continue to monitor the
situation with the help of a team of Indian-based experts. The detection has
been reported to the Indian Genetic Engineering Committee, the company said.
The cotton is engineered to resist the pink bollworm, a pest
that can ruin crops. However, testing was conducted to assess resistance to
Cry1Ac, the Bt protein in the crop, and insects were
found to be surviving it.
The company said Friday that the resistance could be
occurring because the required refuge areas were not planted by farmers and
some may have used unapproved Bt cotton seed.
Recently, India's
environment minister, Jairam Ramesh,
said the country should be more cautious in adopting genetically modified
crops. Ramesh imposed a freeze on commercial
cultivation of Monsanto's Bt brinjal, or eggplant,
until further health and environmental safety tests can be conducted. The Bt brinjal is the first genetically modified food crop grown
in the country.
Both the Bollgard cotton and
brinjal were developed in conjunction with Mahyco, an
India-based seed company that helped Monsanto introduced Bollgard
cotton to the country in 2002.
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Mexico farm subsidy system running
amok
(Los
Angeles Times) – When Mexico
and the United States were
entering a landmark free trade agreement 16 years ago, one thing was clear:
Mexican farmers would initially find it difficult to compete with heavily
subsidized U.S.
agricultural products.
The solution: Mexico created a special fund to
dole out cash to the poorest and smallest farmers.
Somewhere along the way, something went wrong. Today, the
fund -- far from helping the neediest -- is providing large financial subsidies
to the families of notorious drug traffickers and several senior government
officials, including the agriculture minister.
Revelations of how and to whom the money is being
distributed have led to a spasm of demands from legislators to change the
system. But, as with most examples of colossal corruption in Mexico, it is unlikely that the
program will be overhauled.
Its failure has driven tens of thousands of subsistence
farmers to ruin and encouraged the planting of illegal crops, such as marijuana
and opium poppy, on vast tracts of farmland, experts and officials say.
"It would be a mistake to eliminate the program
altogether, but the lists [of beneficiaries] have to be purged," said
Mauricio Merino, an investigator with an economics think tank in Mexico City
and an expert on the subject. "Once you stop giving money to the poor, it
opens the window for everyone to start collecting."
Under the program, known as Procampo,
an estimated $1.3 billion was given last year to 2.7 million farmers. The
allotment is about $74 to $100 per 2.5 acres. But, according to several
academic studies, as much as 80% of the money went to just 20% of the
registered farmers.
Among the most eyebrow-raising recipients were three
siblings of billionaire drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo"
Guzman, head of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, and the brother of Guzman's
onetime partner, Arturo Beltran Leyva.
Guzman has been a fugitive since escaping from a prison in
2001, more or less the year his family began receiving thousands of dollars in
farm subsidies to grow, ostensibly, corn, sorghum and sesame.
Beltran Leyva was also a fugitive
for many years until he was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines late last
year. Younger brother Carlos, despite his own brushes with the law, has been
receiving regular subsidies for a decade or more.
Many of the details on the recipients were first published
in the newspaper El Universal, which obtained some of the information through
the Mexican equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act.
The Times has learned that another top associate of Guzman,
Victor Emilio Cazares, received more than $100,000
from Procampo to subsidize his raising of cattle.
Like many suspected big-time traffickers, he maintains legitimate crops and
livestock alongside his alleged illegal business.
Much of the corruption crept into the Procampo program early on, Merino said. In a
misguided, easily abused effort to promote transparency, the money was assigned
by property, instead of to individuals. The aim was to prevent people with
political connections from moving to the front of the line. In fact, the
process meant that big property-holders could apply for each ranch, farm and
plot of land they owned. Only last year was a cap placed on how much an
individual could receive.
In the meantime, others who reaped bountiful benefits were
Agriculture Minister Francisco Javier Mayorga
Castaneda, along with his father and four siblings, as well as a number of
politicians and large transnational food-production companies. Mayorga says he started receiving the subsidies before he
was named a Cabinet minister, so he has no reason to return or refuse them.
He also says the families of narco-traffickers
cannot be denied subsidies unless the registered plot of land is shown to be
sown with illicit crops.
Mexico
in the last 20 years has morphed from a country that fed itself to an importer
of food, as thousands of farmers have abandoned the land and sought jobs in
cities. The failure of the Procampo
program also has helped drive many smaller farmers into the network of drug
traffickers.
Ricardo Garcia Villalobos, head of a federal court that
handles agrarian issues, said 30% of Mexican farmland is planted with such
illegal crops as marijuana and poppies instead of, or sometimes alongside,
traditional corn and beans.
"It is necessary," Garcia said, "that the
government now see and treat this problem as a matter of national
security."
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Dow AgroSciences plans $340M expansion
(ourMidland.com)
– Dow AgroSciences is planning a multi-year expansion of its global
headquarters in northwest Indianapolis, with investment of more than $340
million and the addition of more than 550 scientific and commercial jobs over
the next five years.
Company executives
were joined by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
to announce the expansion plans at a news conference late last week.
The first phase in
the multi-year expansion plan includes the construction of a 175,000 square
foot research and development building, as well as a 14,000 square foot
greenhouse on the company's corporate campus.
The company said
these facilities are part of a global growth plan for Dow AgroSciences'
research efforts as it develops and commercializes new product solutions for
customers in agricultural and related market segments.
"Indiana's excitement and
dedication for the life sciences is impressive and matches our own enthusiasm
to deliver innovation for our customers as we make a difference in
agriculture," said Antonio Galindez, president
and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. "When you combine our infrastructure and
capabilities with this positive business environment, it was a winning
proposition to expand and grow our global headquarters here in order to
accelerate our growth strategy. We especially thank the leaders of the city and
state for their support."
Daniels said
research and development leadership in the life sciences is a dream of every
state.
"Here in Indiana, it's not a
dream, but a vibrant reality, and Dow AgroSciences' steady growth is a major
reason why," the governor said. "This expansion makes Indiana a true world
capital of agricultural science."
Ballard said Dow
AgroSciences has once proven its commitment to Indianapolis.
"This
important new expansion will further enhance our growing life sciences
community and provide quality jobs to our residents," he said.
In 2009, the
company announced numerous plans for expanding its research capacity, including
the signing of a 15-year lease on an 80,000 square foot research facility
adjacent to its corporate headquarters in Indianapolis
and the establishment of a significant research program at the Purdue Research
Park in West Lafayette, Ind.
Numerous collaborations and research milestones have also been announced.
The Indiana
Economic Development Corporation offered Dow AgroSciences up to $12.5 million in
performance-based tax credits and $205,000 in training grants based on the
company's job creation plans. In addition, pending IEDC board approvals, the
IEDC will provide the city of Indianapolis
with up to $500,000 from its Industrial Development Grant Fund to assist in
road, sewer and water improvements needed for the project. The city of Indianapolis and
Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc. will assist the company's expansion by
supporting a request for tax increment financing.
The City of Indianapolis has
committed, pending final approvals being granted, to provide Dow AgroSciences
with $20 million of property tax increment financing assistance to help defer
project costs. The property tax increment financing dollars to be provided by
the City of Indianapolis will come directly from
the new property taxes to be paid by Dow AgroSciences as it invests in
facilities and equipment on its Indianapolis
campus. The company's capital investment and job creation plans are contingent
upon the approval of the local and state incentives.
People interested
in career opportunities with Dow AgroSciences should visit
www.dowagro.com/careers for job postings in the coming months.
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Eco-friendly carrot wash a big cash
saver
(Wire Services) – At a time when many businesses earmark
unnecessary expenditures for cutbacks, market leader and innovator Bolthouse
Farms identified a way to curtail spending, enhance environmental
sustainability, and save more than 317,000 gallons of fuel.
Recently, Bolthouse Farms installed eco-friendly carrot wash
stations at their Westmoreland, California
farm which sheds unnecessary weight from soil on carrots prior to being
transported to the main Bolthouse Farms facility in Bakersfield, Calif.
and keeps more than 55,000 tons of soil in its native geography of existing
carrot fields.
“We continue to build state-of-the-art carrot wash stations
at the carrots’ point of origin because we want to further our company’s vision
in sustainability and cost-effectiveness,” explained Chuck Seitz, director of
grower relations, Bolthouse Farms.
“Certainly there was a cost associated with such an endeavor, but it was
a logical change to streamline procedure – one that Bolthouse Farms will reap
the benefits of and will sustain its carrot farming operations well into the
future.”
Prior to the change in procedure, unwashed carrots were
pulled from the ground covered with dirt, thus weighing more as a result, and
shipped 700 miles from the field to the Bolthouse Farms facility to be washed
and processed. This old operational
practice removed nutrient-rich topsoil from the carrots’ native farmland,
resulting in an unnecessary heavier load of carrots and requiring extra fuel to
ship. Additionally, the process produced
excess soil from washing the carrots, which was collected and hauled to an
offsite location. A washout station
offers a positive, cost-effective business solution that can be quickly
implemented due to the nimble nature of the company.
Carrot washout stations are one example of the broad
corporate sustainability efforts underway at Bolthouse Farms. Other ongoing
initiatives include using recycled packaging for all product lines and
constructing and operating the largest solar panel farming operation in the United States,
which reduces emissions and fossil fuel use while maximizing farmland use.
To learn more about the sustainability and corporate social
responsibility efforts of Bolthouse Farms, visit www.bolthouse.com.
About Bolthouse Farms
Established in 1915, Bolthouse Farms is a fourth-generation
farm located in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley.
Known for quality and innovation, Bolthouse Farms is a market share
leader in carrot growing and processing.
In addition to growing and harvesting premium fresh fruits and
vegetables, Bolthouse Farms produces a popular brand of super-premium
refrigerated juices and smoothies.
Bolthouse diversified its offerings in recent years by launching a line
of all natural, premium refrigerated yogurt dressings and extra virgin olive
oil vinaigrettes. To learn about the
entire line of current Bolthouse Farms products, visit www.bolthouse.com.
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Can corn be taught to fix its own nitrogen?
(PHYSORG.com
via University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) – Nitrogen fertilization is
essential for profitable corn production. It also is a major cost of production
and can contribute to degradation of the environment. Is it possible to
"teach" corn to fix its own nitrogen, thus eliminating the need for
nitrogen fertilizer applications? University
of Illinois agricultural
engineer Kaustubh Bhalerao
believes it may be, through research in an emerging area of engineering called
synthetic biology.
"We now understand enough about how genes work and how
proteins are produced that we can actually think about reprogramming how living
cells work," said Bhalerao, an assistant
professor in U of I's Department of Agricultural and
Biological Engineering. "On one hand, it sounds intimidating. But on the
other hand, there are tremendous benefits that may be possible by doing
this."
Synthetic biology is a new area of research that combines
science and engineering in order to design and build or "synthesize"
novel biological functions and systems. Through this new technology, many
scientists believe it may be possible to control biological systems to increase
food supplies, produce energy, enhance human health, protect the environment,
and more.
Bhalerao is leading a
multidisciplinary research initiative with collaborators from the University of California,
San Francisco; Stanford
University; University
of Cambridge; and New Castle University
aimed at building systems that enable bacteria to spatially organize and
communicate with and control plant cells. The research is funded through a
grant of about $2 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation and United Kingdom's
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Bhalerao's research focuses on
building systems in which bacteria behave like amplifiers. "We've
developed the equivalence of an amplifier inside bacteria. The bacteria sense
the presence of an amino acid in their environment and produce a protein in
response. A positive feedback mechanism in the gene circuit amplifies the
production of that protein," Bhalerao said.
By using bacterial amplifiers, the systems become more
sensitive. "Because of the amplifier, bacterial biosensors can detect
concentrations much lower than would have been possible otherwise. In a system
designed to produce a particular molecule or chemical, much larger output
levels can be generated," he said.
A specific application being investigated is the design of a
system that enables nitrogen fixing bacteria to communicate with the root
systems of corn plants.
According to Bhalerao, soybean
fixes its own nitrogen by sending a message to a bacterium that encourages it
to colonize in the plant's roots. Once the right environment has developed, the
bacteria start fixing nitrogen for that plant. This results in soybeans being
naturally high in nitrogen and a protein-rich food source.
"Why don't we teach corn how to do this?" Bhalerao said. "This would reduce the need for the
application of petroleum-based fertilizers, which has huge implications for
sustainable agriculture."
Synthetic biology is a fast-growing research area with a
wide range of potential applications. Scientists are using this new technology
to make biosensors sensitive to light, sensitive to uranium, sensitive to rust,
etc. Proven concepts in various stages of development include using bacterial
sensors to build bacterial photographic plates, assist with the nuclear mining
of uranium, or detect unexploded landmines in the soil.
"These are just a few potential uses that capture the
mind," Bhalerao said. "This type of
technology allows us to think about interesting, novel solutions to major
concerns, such as how we can feed more people, or how we can produce more
drinking water.
"Synthetic biology is an entirely new discipline. To
compare it with electronics, where it's drawing a lot of its ideas and
terminology from, we are at the stage of developing the transistor. We cannot
foresee what the Internet of this technology is going to look like."
Provided by University
of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
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End Transmission