News items related to ag biotech, trade ? and perhaps some other interesting items out there related to agriculture ? will be posted on this page throughout the week (as the week progresses newly added items will be in?green at bottom of sections). ?Be sure to check in regularly!  

TRADE, TRADE RELATED ISSUES:

Poll: Most Americans say that globalization is a positive and that free trade improves their lives - Washington Post - By Adam Taylor (Sept 7)
Link:?https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/09/07/poll-most-americans-say-globalization-is-a-positive-and-free-trade-improves-their-lives/
East Africa: EAC Heads Put Off EPA Signing for Three Months - allAfrica.com / Tanzania Daily News - By Katare Mbashiru (Sept 9)
Link:?http://allafrica.com/stories/201609090063.html
Merkel speaks out in favor of keeping TTIP negotiations going - Deutsch Welle (Sept 9)
"Chancellor Merkel said the EU should continue negotiations with the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). But doubts about the trade deal and resisitance against it are growing." Link:?http://www.dw.com/en/merkel-speaks-out-in-favor-of-keeping-ttip-negotiations-going/a-19538183
Failure of TPP would damage US credibility - Global Times (China) -?By Robert A. Manning (Sept 11)
Link:?http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1005898.shtml
China?s BRICS trade pact idea finds no takers - The Hindu (India) - By Arun S. (Sept 10)
Link:?http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/chinas-brics-trade-pact-idea-finds-no-takers/article9094805.ece
Foreign Minister Alan Duncan meets Argentine President for trade deal talks - The Telegraph (UK) - By Laura Hughes (Sept 11)
Link:?http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/11/foreign-minister-alan-duncan-meets-argentine-president-for-trade-deal-talks/
TPP free trade signatories agree not to renegotiate - Bangkok Post (Thailand) / Kyodo (Japan) - (Sept 12)
Link:?http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/world/1084233/tpp-free-trade-signatories-agree-not-to-renegotiate
Trans-Pacific Partnership would give $4.3B boost to economy, federal study says - Winnipeg Free Press / The Canadian Press (Sept 9)
Link:?http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/trans-pacific-partnership-would-give-43b-boost-to-economy-federal-study-says-392929231.html
?If beef is not included?, there won't be no Mercosur-EU trade agreement, warns Uruguay - MercoPress (Sept 13)
"?If beef is not included, there won't be any agreement?, said Uruguay's foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa in anticipation of next week's meeting of European Union and Mercosur coordinators to adjust the list of goods and services the two blocks will formally exchange in mid October, the first formal meeting of its kind in fourteen years." Link:?http://en.mercopress.com/2016/09/13/if-beef-is-not-included-there-won-t-be-no-mercosur-eu-trade-agreement-warns-uruguay
Obama Makes Last-Ditch Push for Vote on Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal - Wall Street Journal - By William Mauldin (Sept 13)

"Administration enlists business leaders in effort to win Republican support for a vote in ?lame duck? session"

Link:?http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-makes-last-ditch-push-for-vote-on-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-deal-1473804821
U.S. Announces Trade Case Against China Over Agriculture Products - Wall Street Journal - By William Mauldin (Sept 13)

"Officials say China?s support for wheat, rice and corn growers has?hurt U.S. farmers"

Link:?http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-announces-trade-case-against-china-over-agriculture-products-1473783354
US dairy groups gain international support to call out Canada?s dairy trade restrictions?- Dairy Reporter -?By Mary Ellen Shoup?(Sept 13)
"Dairy organizations in the US, Australia, the EU, Mexico, and New Zealand issued a joint letter to their respective trade and agriculture officials, expressing "indignation" about Canada's recent actions to deepen its restrictions on dairy trade."

Link:?http://www.dairyreporter.com/Regulation-Safety/US-international-dairy-groups-call-out-Canada-dairy-trade

A plea for science-based standards in TTIP - EurActiv.com - By Barry Carpenter (Sept 13)
"The EU?s preference for the ?precautionary principle? over science-based decision-making is a barrier to transatlantic trade in the meat industry. TTIP and regulatory convergence would benefit both EU and US farmers..." Link:?http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/opinion/a-plea-for-science-based-standards-in-ttip/
A Vote Against Trade Is a Vote Against Growth - Wall Street Journal - By John R. Kasich (Sept 15)

"China and Russia want the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Why? It will make us stronger."

Link:?http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-vote-against-trade-is-a-vote-against-growth-1473981566

BIOTECH, AG TECH, CROP PROTECTION, FOOD SECURITY, etc:

Africa: Finding the Sweet Spot of Africa's Agriculture - allAfrica - Guest Column by Maria Andrade (Sep 8)
Link:?http://allafrica.com/stories/201609080130.html
Could Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Save Hawaii's Endangered Birds? - The New Yorker - By Michael Specter (Sept 9)
Link:?http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/could-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-save-hawaiis-endangered-birds
Africa Urged to Invest to Ensure Food Security - The East African - By Allan Olingo (Sept 10)
"Africa will require more than $400 billion in the next decade to be food secure, a feat it will have to work hard to achieve." Link:?http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Africa-urged-to-invest-to-ensure-food-security-/2558-3376622-61gio3z/index.html
Nod on GM cotton field trials shifts focus to release of biotech maize - Daily Nation (Kenya) - By Gerald Andae (Sept 12)
Link:?http://www.nation.co.ke/business/996-3377528-format-xhtml-nvw0wc/index.html
One Year After, the Beating Continues -?Illumination blog - By Kevin Folta (Sept 10)
"If you can't argue the evidence, smear the scientist." Link:?http://kfolta.blogspot.com/2016/09/one-year-after-beating-continues.html
Puzzle: What's Gene Edited To Be Drought Resistant But Not A GMO? Corn - Science 2.0 -?By Hank Campbell?(Sept 9)
"Will environmental groups give up their war on science when the science is CRISPR and not a GMO? If you like to to "follow the money", look at the $1,000,000,000 in annual revenue and you will know the answer." Link:?http://www.science20.com/science_20/blog/puzzle_whats_gene_edited_to_be_drought_resistant_but_not_a_gmo_corn-180126
Rex Animal Health is using genomics to keep livestock healthy - TechCrunch - By Lora Kolodny (Sept 13)
Link:?https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/12/rex-animal-health-is-using-genomics-to-keep-livestock-healthy/
Big Food's biggest trend? Crusading against Big Food - The Denver Post - By Candice Choi, Associated Press (Sept 12)
"But some are positioning themselves as advocates for change before accomplishing some health goals, and skeptics say even well-intentioned marketing can be a disingenuous way to help people rationalize overeating." Link:?http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/12/big-foods-biggest-trend-crusading-against-big-food/
The Organic Gatorade Illusion - The Atlantic - By James Hamblin (Sept 12)
"A new ?sports drink? stands to further confuse health-conscious consumers into buying sugar water." Link:?http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/09/organic-gatorade-srsly/499154/
Making Africa?s women and youth drive agriculture - SciDevNet - By Sam Otieno (Sept 9)
"That Science, technology and innovation (STI) could help transform Africa?s agriculture is well appreciated by many people who have an interest in the continent?s sustainable development." Link:?http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/agriculture/scidev-net-at-large/africa-women-youth-drive-agriculture.html?mc_cid=045d207135&mc_eid=5139430f0d
Smarter Farming Could Cut Hunger in Drought-Hit Southern Africa - Researchers - Reuters - By Busani Bafana (Sept 15)
Link:?http://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-farming-drought-idUSKCN11L1U8

POLICY, REGULATORY, INDUSTRY NEWS, etc:

Make America "Plate" Again - National Review - By Julie Kelly (Sept 7)
"Despite the foodies? lament about a broken food system, the U.S. has the most affordable, accessible, and abundant food system in the world." Link:?http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439851/foodies-farming-plate-of-the-union-wants-government-intervention-how-we-eat?
Sanderson Farms: judicious antibiotic use improves sustainability, animal welfare - Feed Navigator -?By Aerin Einstein-Curtis (Sept 8)
"Feeding antibiotics selectively allows producers to be more sustainable and responsive to animal welfare, says Sanderson Farms."

Link:?http://www.feednavigator.com/Markets/Sanderson-Farms-judicious-antibiotic-use-improves-sustainability-animal-welfare

USDA seeks public comments on GMO labeling regulations - Feedstuffs (Sept 8)
Link:?http://feedstuffs.com/story-usda-seeks-public-comments-gmo-labeling-regulations-45-146375
More than half of pesticides used by California farmers are active ingredients approved for organic -? Genetic Literacy Project - ?By?Steve Savage?(Sept 9)
"Would it surprise you to know that many of the same pesticides are used by both conventional and organic farmers?" Link:?https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/09/09/more-than-half-of-pesticides-used-by-california-farmers-are-active-ingredients-approved-for-organic/
Court Rules EPA Violated Farmer Privacy - AgWired - By Cindy Zimmerman (Sept 12)
?EPA?s release of sensitive, private and personal materials on more than 100,000 farmers and ranchers was an outrageous abuse of its power and trust" Link:?http://agwired.com/2016/09/12/court-rules-epa-violated-farmer-privacy/
Hostility Towards Agri-Biotech MNCs, But What About Our Faults? - The Quint - By Vivan Fernandes (Sept 10)
Link:?https://www.thequint.com/opinion/2016/09/10/nastiness-towards-agri-biotech-mncs-what-about-our-shortcomings-monsanto-bt-cotton-gm-mustard-dupont
Bayer Said Close to Monsanto Tie-Up With Deal Seen Next Week - Bloomberg - By Aaron Kirchfeld, Naomi Kresge (Sept 9)
"Negotiations over $56 billion seed, pesticide deal progressing" Link:?http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-09/bayer-said-closer-to-winning-monsanto-with-deal-seen-next-week
Potash Corp, Agrium to merge to create $36 billion company - Yahoo! Finance / Reuters (Sept 12)
Link:?http://finance.yahoo.com/news/agrium-potash-corp-merge-102026838.html
As the Pool of Agribusiness Giants Shrinks, Will Innovation Follow? - Stratfor, Analysis (Sept 8)
"[I]nnovation in traditional sectors will continue...the long-term effects of the industry's big mergers may not all be bad" Link:?https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/pool-agribusiness-giants-shrinks-will-innovation-follow
EU Antitrust Regulator Suspends Dow-DuPont Merger Review - Wall Street Journal - By Natalia Drozdia (Sept 9)
"The suspension will probably delay the EU?s investigation, throwing a wrench into the companies? previous plans to close the transaction before the end of the year." Link:?http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-antitrust-regulator-suspends-dow-dupont-merger-review-1473419724
Bayer signs deal worth close to $66 billion to buy Monsanto - MSN / Reuters - By Greg Roumeliotis and Ludwig Burger (Sept 14)
"Bayer's move to combine its crop chemicals business, the world's second largest after Syngenta AG, with Monsanto's industry leading seeds business, is the latest in a series of major tie-ups in the agrochemicals sector." Link:?http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/bayer-signs-deal-worth-close-to-dollar66-billion-to-buy-monsanto/ar-BBw8vxK?ocid=iehp
Opinion: Removing regulatory obstacles in agriculture - Agri-Pulse - By Daren Bakst (Sept 15)
"Through what seems like an endless number of regulatory obstacles, the federal government is making agricultural production extremely difficult for farmers." Link:?http://www.agri-pulse.com/Opinion-Removing-regulatory-obstacles-in-agriculture-09152016.asp
Canadian canola set to continue flow to China as regulatory change halted?- FeedNavigator -?By Aerin Einstein-Curtis (Sept 13)
"Canadian canola can continue to be exported to China after a move to more stringent import regulations was delayed, says a Canola Council of Canada member."

Link:?http://www.feednavigator.com/Markets/Canadian-canola-set-to-continue-flow-to-China-as-regulatory-change-halted

Bayer Buys In to Monsanto?s Vision of High-Tech Agriculture - MIT Technology Review -?By?Antonio Regalado?(Sept 15)

"Will the proposed deal help feed the world, or will it just cut investment in farm R&D?"

Link:?https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602371/bayer-buys-in-to-monsantos-vision-of-high-tech-agriculture/