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! ________ Well, it appears Mark Bittman is back trying to agitate things as the former columnist, and now fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, has an op-ed in the New York Times, G.M.O. Labeling Law Could Stir a Revoution?dated?Sept 2. Some of you may recall Bittman decided to "put his money where his mouth is" by leaving journalism to run a vegan meal delivery startup, The Purple Carrot. ?It took him only about six months before he discovered it was pretty damn hard actually working before leaving?without any party being clear as to exactly why. ?Evidently he also found it's a heckuva lot easier to be sanctimonious and to criticize others with your own worldview, even if factually misleading, rather than do something more productive (See: Mark Bittman Eats His Words -- And Chokes) - like helping to feed people as farmers of all kinds do around the world. __________ *** See GFN Chairman Bill Horan's recent commentary at FoxNews.com:
Why I'm pround to be an American Farmer - FoxNews.com - By Bill Horan (Sept 4)
Link:?http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/09/04/why-im-proud-to-be-american-farmer.html

TRADE, TRADE RELATED ISSUES:

***See GFN Chairman Bill Horan's commentary in this last weekend's WSJ:

Falling Midwest Crop Prices Need a Free-Trade Response - The Wall Street Journal - By Bill Horan (Sept 2)

"The feds buy $20 million of cheese to prop up prices. Yet the Pacific trade deal would boost dairy sales to Canada by $1.2 billion."

Link:?http://www.wsj.com/articles/falling-midwest-crop-prices-need-a-free-trade-response-1472855492

African nations endorse trade partnerships to boost growth - Daily Nation (Kenya) - By Aggrey Mutambo (Sept 3)
"Africa?s biggest economies want one trade bloc for the continent which they say would shield it from global commodity shocks and improve living standards." Link:?http://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/African-nations-endorse-trade-partnerships-to-boost-growth/1066-3367802-nykm7bz/
TTIP is tough but governments shouldn?t give up, OECD and WTO officials say - CNBC - By?Spriha Srivastava,?Eunice Yoon, and?Sri Jegarajah (Sept 3)
Link:?http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/03/ttip-is-tough-but-governments-shouldnt-give-up-oecd-and-wto-officials-say.html
US Senators call for investigation into Canada?s dairy trade policies?- Dairy Reporter -By Mary Ellen Shoup?(Sept 2)
"Two US senators have alleged that Canada?s National Ingredients Strategy and Ontario?s Class VI pricing program violate trade commitments to the US by encouraging Canadian dairy farmers to purchase local milk products instead of US imports."

Link:?http://www.dairyreporter.com/Markets/US-Senators-call-for-investigation-of-Canada-dairy-trade-policies

Trade tensions overshadow global economic summit - St. Louis Post-Dispatch -?By Joe McDonald, AP (Sept 4)
Link:?http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/trade-tensions-overshadow-global-economic-summit/article_11b026ef-aa1d-51fa-8046-ff30f34d3f61.html
Theresa May joins G20 summit to face Brexit warnings from US and Japan - The Guardian - By Rowena Mason (Sept 4)
"Obama tells prime minister US won?t prioritise UK trade deal while Tokyo warns of consequences for Japanese businesses" Link:?https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/04/g20-theresa-may-warns-of-tough-times-for-uk-economy-after-brexit
U.S. Presidential Election Interferes With Ratification Of TPP - NPR, Morning Edition (Sept 2)
"Steve Inskeep talks to Miriam Sapiro, who helped negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, about why U.S. pacts with Europe and the Pacific Rim are faltering, and why that's a big deal for the U.S." Link:?http://www.npr.org/2016/09/02/492357738/ratification-of-trade-deals-are-in-question
Juncker: EU-US trade deal remains a priority - Europe Online Magazine (Sept 4)
Link:?http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/juncker-eu-us-trade-deal-remains-a-priority_482534.html
New trade war threatens global order as TTIP talks stall - The Telegraph (UK) - By Szu Ping Chan (Sept 3)
"So where did it all go wrong??On paper, everyone is a winner with TTIP...?The deal would boost the rest of the world by ?100bn a year, the study claims." Link:?http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/09/03/new-trade-war-threatens-global-order-as-ttip-talks-stall/
Obama makes trade deal top priority in remaining months - Washington Post - By Kevin Freking, AP (Sept 5)
Link:?https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obama-makes-trade-deal-top-priority-in-remaining-months/2016/09/05/57f44290-7326-11e6-9781-49e591781754_story.html

BIOTECH, CROPS, CROP PROTECTION, DISEASE:

Scientist Warn of Citrus Tree Disease - The Citizen (Tanzania) - (Sept 5)
"[T]he pest Asian Psyllid whose existence in the country was reported for the first time in 2015, is responsible for the disease that stunts trees." Link:?http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Scientist-warn-of-citrus-tree-disease-/1840340-3369868-fuxb0h/index.html
Why Africa needs adequate plant surveillance - SciDevNet -?Mustafa O. Jibrin (Sept 2)
"To tackle devastating crop diseases, Africa should boost regional plant surveillance, writes Mustafa O. Jibrin." Link:?http://www.scidev.net/global/disease/opinion/africa-plant-surveillance.html
Tanzania Minister Asks Ugandan Researchers to Help Farmers - Crop Biotech Update (ISAAA) - Aug 31
Link:?http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=14723
Vietnam GM Maize Field Trials - Crop Biotech Update (ISAAA) - Aug 31
Why Bangladesh?s GMO eggplant success angers anti-GMO activists - Genetic Literacy Project - By?Kevin Folta?(Aug 30)
Link:?https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/08/30/bangladeshs-gmo-eggplant-success-angers-anti-gmo-activists/
?Ghana needs to accept Genetically Modified foods to ward off hunger? - Graphic (Ghana) - By Mary Anane (Sept 3)
Link:?http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-needs-to-accept-genetically-modified-foods-to-ward-off-hunger.html
Indian, Australian academics collaborate for salt tolerant rice study?- Food Navigator Asia -?By RJ Whitehead (Sept 5)
"Scientists from India and Australia will collaborate towards the development of a strain of rice that is tolerant to salt water."

Link:?http://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Policy/Indian-Australian-academics-collaborate-for-salt-tolerant-rice-study

Africa needs to move faster to deliver life-saving soil science?solutions - The Conversation - By Esther Ndumi Ngumbi (Sept 4)
Link:?http://theconversation.com/africa-needs-to-move-faster-to-deliver-life-saving-soil-science-solutions-64757
CRISPR-Modified Corn May Soon Be Ready For Market - Popular Science - By Alexandra Ossola (Sept 6)
Link: http://www.popsci.com/crispr-modified-corn-may-soon-be-ready-for-market?
Genetically engineered barley yields 30% more in salty soil: Study?- Food Navigator -?By Will Chu (Sept 8)
"A genetic anomaly discovered in barley may allow the crop to thrive in high-salt conditions, a study has determined."

Link:?http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Genetically-engineered-barley-yields-30-more-in-salty-soil-Study

POLICY, REGULATORY, AG BUSINESS, RELATED:

African Coffee Roasters in New Bid to Save Farmers - Capital FM (Kenya) - By Kennedy Kangethe (Sept 2)
"Coffee farmers in Kenya can now earn more from their produce following the launch a new firm that has invested in value addition of the produce." Link:?http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2016/09/african-coffee-roasters-new-bid-save-farmers/
Canada?s Potash Corp., Agrium in Talks on Potential Merger - Bloomberg - By Ed Hammond, Matthew Monks, Dinesh Nair (Aug 30)
Link:?http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-30/canada-s-potash-agrium-said-in-advanced-talks-about-merger
Bayer sweetens offer for Monsanto - Reuters (Sept 5)
Link:?http://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-m-a-bayer-idUSKCN11B2G9
Government cap on GM tech royalty hurt the farmer; here?s?how - The Financial Express (India) -?By: Uttam Gupta (Sept 5)

"The ministry?s decisions reflect a mindset that views MMBL as an exploitative monopoly. This perception is flawed and out of sync with ground realities"

Link:?http://www.financialexpress.com/fe-columnist/government-cap-on-gm-tech-royalty-hurt-the-farmer-heres-how/367090/

India?s First GM Food Crop Inches Closer to State Approval - Bloomberg - By?Pratik Parija?(Sept 6)
Link:?http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-06/india-s-first-gm-food-crop-inches-closer-to-state-approval
Anti-GMO Activists Target Smucker's & Reveal Hypocrisy - The Farmer's Daughter (Sept 7)
Link:?http://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2016/09/anti-gmo-activists-target-smuckers-reveal-hypocrisy.html
Emails show anti-GMO organic activists driving food and farming policy at Consumer Reports -? Genetic Literacy Project - By?Stephan Neidenbach?(Sept 8)
Link:?https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/09/08/emails-show-organic-industry-anti-gmo-activists-driving-food-ag-policy-consumers-union/