Paul Jepson
integrated pest management & GE
Carol Mallory-Smith
grasses: gene flow and herbicide resistance
Jim Peterson
wheat: breeding and genetics
Steve Strauss
trees: forest biotechnology
The Food for Thought Lecture Series brings internationally recognized experts to OSU to speak about biotechnological issues. On the evening of 22 January, Felicia Wu will give the second lecture in this year's series, titled Improving Food and Environmental Safety: The Surprising Role of Genetically Modified Corn.
In her lecture, Wu (University of Pittsburgh) will look closely at the issues of pesticide and mycotoxin reduction, reviewing the environmental record of a type of genetically engineered corn that is now widely grown throughout the USA and around the globe. Farmers plant this corn because it's insect resistant, but there's another, unexpected boon: GE corn kernels are less liable to mold, and therefore to become contaminated with dangerous mycotoxins.
Producers of genetically engineered sugar beet barred from initial phase of federal lawsuit
Nearly all of America's sugar beet seeds are grown in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Most have been genetically engineered to withstand the weed killer, glyphosate.
Farmers choose to plant glyphosate-resistant sugar beet because it allows them to use no-till agricultural practices - which have economic and environmental benefits. But there is fear that the GE pollen will contaminate nearby fields.
A coalition of groups including some organic farmers are saying that the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service did not do its job when reviewing the potential ecological and economic effects of growing GE sugar beet. The federal judge hearing their lawsuit has barred seed producers from giving evidence or calling expert witnesses, limiting their involvement to a letter summarizing their support for the USDA decision.
Rethink GMOs as sustainable agriculture
"Bacterial genes in your banana nut bread may sound like a big yuckorama, but the underlying biological principle that makes that possible is actually quite beautiful: Unity."
In October 2008, a rulemaking hearing took place to establish a review system for federal permit applications to grow biopharmaceutical crops in Oregon
Follow this link for more biotech news.
