NAFTA talks pass to next round - news for week of Aug 21 | Global Farmer Network

News items related to ag tech, biotech, trade ? and perhaps some other interesting topics out there related to agriculture ? will be posted on this page throughout the week (as the week progresses newest items will be in?green?at bottom of sections). ?Be sure to come back and check the page during the week. ____ As the first total solar in years passed across a large swatch of the United States, so did round one of talks between Canada, Mexico and the US for revising NAFTA. ?If someone wanted to tell a bad joke, they could say the eclipse overshadowed the NAFTA talks. ?But... it is probably likely that more people were tuned into watching the eclipse than are aware of the trade talks being revisted. ____

TRADE, TRADE RELATED, INFRASTRUCTURE:

Nafta Nations Say Quick Deal on Table as Inaugural Talks End - Bloomberg - By Andrew Mayeda (Aug 20)

"Next round of talks scheduled for Sept. 1-5 in Mexico"- Link

Special report: Bt corn opening potentials for corn export -?SunStar (Philippines) - by Ian Ocampo Flora (Aug 19)

"It is no secret that the genetically modified (GM) crop Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn has contributed a great deal to the country?s recent remarkable corn production." - Link

Argentina opens borders to US pork - GlobalMeatNews -?By Aaron McDonald (Aug 18)

"For the first time since 1992, Argentina will allow US pork to enter the market." - Link

South Korea lifts US poultry ban - GlobalMeatNews -?By Aidan Fortune (Aug 21)

"The government of South Korea has lifted its ban on imports of US poultry and poultry products." - Link?

The Destructive Path of Protectionism - Bloomberg View - By Ramesh Ponnuru (Aug 24)

"Tariffs subsidize narrow interests. For Americans as a whole, the record is one of almost unrelieved failure." - Link

Beijing questions US trade probe but hints at concessions - Nikkei Asian Review (Aug 25)

"China says majority of trade surplus involves end products for foreign companies" - Link

AG, AG TECH, RESEARCH, PRODUCTION, PROTECTION, RELATED ISSUES:

Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish? - NPR, The Salt - By Alastair Bland (Aug 15)

"... humans' appetite for seafood is outpacing what fishermen can sustainably catch. But new research suggests there is space on the open ocean for farming essentially all the seafood humans can eat." - Link

Genome editing CRISPR technique takes center stage - Feedstuffs - By Krissa Welshans (Aug 17)

"Sold-out event addresses role of emerging technology on human, animal and crop health." - Link

Most countries lose out with forest-to-farm conversions - SciDevNet - By Claudia Caruana (Aug 16)

"The team analysed deforestation and crop distribution and studied the trade-offs between agricultural benefits, carbon emissions?and losses of multiple ecosystem services..." - Link

Hyderabad: UoH scientists develop transgenic rice - Telagana Today (India) - By M. Sai Gopal (Aug 21)

"Research between UoH scientists, Canada and China yields new variety with ability to use water more efficiently." - Link

Mozambique Harvests Its First Genetically Modified Maize - allAfrica.com (Aug 14)

"[T]he aim is assist the productive sector with drought resistant and insect tolerant seeds..." - Link

IBM food companies collaborate on blockchain initiative - Meat+Poultry (Aug 22)

"...explore how blockchain technology can improve the safety and transparency of the food supply chain" - Link

University of Wisconsin virtual dairy farm uses AI to improve farm management - Dairy Reporter -?By?Mary Ellen Shoup (Aug 23)

"The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) has started a two-year??virtual dairy farm brain?project that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze data in real time helping dairy farmers improve their management decisions." - Link

POLICY, REGULATORY, ACTIVISM, OTHER:

APEC experts discuss agricultural technology - Xinhua (China) (Aug 21)

"...the group will continue strengthening the criteria on food safety, dealing with challenges in food security, promoting sustainable application of bio-fuels in cultivation and hi-tech agriculture to mitigate climate change impacts, and speeding up technology transfer to develop a food value chain in the region." - Link

?Smart label? could tackle fraud, bolster food safety - Food Navigator -?By Katy Askew (Aug 21)

"Scientists have developed what they describe as a ?low-cost, portable, paper-based sensor? that could be used produce ?smart labels? that detect food spoilage and contamination." - Link

10 amazing GMOs that you need to know about - AgDaily - By Dr. Carol Curchoe (Aug 16) - Link

European Commission to further review Bayer-Monsanto merger - Western Farm Press (Aug 22)

"Bayer still hopes to complete merger transaction by end of 2017." - Link

Italy introduces country of origin labels for pasta and rice - Food Navigator -?By Katy Askew (Aug 25)

"Rice and pasta products on sale in Italy will be required to carry country of origin labels from February." - Link

NAFTA talks pass to next round - news for week of Aug 21