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Agnet April 28/04
Biotech industry turns to plant-bred drugs
Agriculture officials begin spraying for gypsy moth near Eugene, Ore.
Wheat board fights back against Alberta challenge
Pollution rules confuse Calif. farmers
Fresno, Tulare officials seek solution to Korea's ban on California oranges
Safe handling of pulse crops during seeding
Tree plan needed, experts say
Credits toward pesticide applicator license
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Biotech industry turns to plant-bred drugs
April 25, 2004
The Oakland Tribune
Nicholas Yulico http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~10834~2108004,00.html
According to this story, rows of genetically altered tobacco plants in a Hayward greenhouse could lead to faster and less costly production of antibodies and proteins to treat anything from tooth decay to cancer, and give what many consider a deadly weed a new role in helping save lives. The plants, developed by Planet Biotechnology of Hayward, carry human antibodies.
Nobody has gotten a plant-produced drug on the market yet, but several are making their way through clinical trials, which means a plant-made drug could be on the market in the next two to three years, experts say.
A major benefit of using plants is that they radically reduce the cost of production of drugs. They also eliminate the need to use transgenic animals, a process that animal rights groups have protested.
In a plant-based process, the DNA of plants cells is altered to enable them to produce therapeutic proteins, and the plants themselves become the factories for creating drugs.
To get the drugs extracted from the plants and eventually purified is an additional, costly step.
Val Giddings, vice president of food and agriculture at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is cited as saying that if companies turned to a plant-based system, a doubling in demand for a drug could simply mean doubling a crop, which costs substantially less than building a new manufacturing facility. Giddings didn't name names, but did say that "it is true that a number of companies are very interested in plant-based production."
Major pharmaceutical companies still need to see more proof that a plant-based system works on a large scale before they take the risk of investing in such a process, said Roger Wyse, a managing director at Burrill Co., a San Francisco-based merchant bank and venture capital firm that invests broadly in life science companies. Planet Biotechnology's two lead products are antibodies that fight tooth decay and the common cold—two of the most widespread infections in humans.
Both drugs have yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but "CaroRX"—the tooth-decay fighter—has received European approval and could launch in 2005, said Elliott Fineman, chief executive officer of Planet Biotechnology. The private company uses plants because the antibodies that fight the common cold and tooth decay cannot be produced in the cells of mammals, Fineman said.
Planet Biotechnology and other companies say they chose tobacco—rather than corn, rice or other plants used in the process—because a lot is known about its genetics. Plus, it is not a food product. "We felt that could be a plus in that there is some concern about the integrity of food production and the impact of genetic modification of crops," Fineman said.
Agriculture officials begin spraying for gypsy moth near Eugene, Ore.
April 27, 2004
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Diane Dietz, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.
At sunrise today a helicopter hired by the state of Oregon was scheduled to mist the Crest Drive neighborhood with 92 gallons of Btk, a bacterial insecticide used in urban areas for three decades with little ill effect on humans.
State officials have been watching a couple of egg sacs in the neighborhood since last fall and timed the application to reach the most bugs as they squirm from eggs in their caterpillar form.
"Btk is really tricky to use," said Andrew Liebhold, a federal research etymologist and nationally recognized expert on the gypsy moth. "The timing of the application is really critical. If the caterpillars are too young or too old, it doesn't work."
To be effective, it must be applied when the moths are ready to chow down.
Shouldn't be a problem. Eating is the gypsy moth's forté. The bug has been spectacularly successful since its introduction to the United States from Europe in the late 1860s.
"Most insects are picky about what they eat, but the gypsy moth is not picky," said Liebhold, who is based in West Virginia. He's one of 50 scientists in the country who research the moth and publish in the Gypsy Moth Review.
From Massachusetts to Illinois, where its current westward front has reached, the moth has found 300 kinds of trees and shrubs to its liking.
Oak is the favorite, but aspen and poplar are high on the list. Scientists used to think the moths wouldn't like conifers, but an outbreak in central Lane County 20 years ago disabused them of that.
The just-hatched caterpillars that year supped on Oregon's deciduous understory and then the older caterpillars stripped some Douglas fir of tender needles. "That was quite impressive. We learned a lot from gypsy moth in the West from that," Liebhold said.
The gypsy moths in the Crest Drive neighborhood began hatching on April 12.
They'd wintered over in egg sacs of 500 to 1,000, mostly hidden in tree bark.
The caterpillars' instinct upon emerging from the sac is to climb toward the light. They inch up trees and out on the limbs in search of bud bursts, the tiny unfurling of tender leaves.
In 1 1/2 months after hatching, the caterpillars grow from barely visible to 2 or 3 inches long. They're orange, red and blue and covered with a thick coat of hair that makes them unpalatable to birds. The only predator that has kept their numbers down in some forests is the deer mouse. Otherwise, it's Btk.
Helicopters spray a fog of the bacteria over a gypsy moth extermination area—this time 183 acres in south Eugene.
The moisture settles and dries onto foliage. The caterpillars do what they do best, consuming the bacteria-coated leaves, said Alan Mudge, etymologist with the Oregon Agriculture Department.
The poison is slow-acting. It will take several days for the caterpillars to die.
In August or September, after a rest in pupal form, any surviving moths become winged. In that stage, they're dedicated to reproduction, Liebhold said.
This is when the Agriculture Department can test to see whether their Crest Drive treatment succeeded. They'll hang 300 to 400 green or orange moth traps in deciduous trees within five miles of the neighborhood.
They'll lure male moths into the traps with pheromone, a powerful chemical sex attractant. If none heed the call, the gypsy moth outbreak may be over.
Wheat board fights back against Alberta challenge
April 28, 2004
The Calgary Herald
D3
Gina Teel
Ken Ritter, chairman of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), announced at a news conference in Calgary on Tuesday that the Board is launching a campaign to counter the province's contention that Western Canada's wheat and barley farmers are better off without the board. According to CWB, the Alberta government is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an advertising campaign against the Board that's built on falsehoods instead of facts, board officials said Tuesday.
"We are begrudgingly taking up this fight because our fundamental rights as farmers is at stake," Ritter said.
"The Alberta government campaign is not respecting the democratic way in which the board's directors are elected."
Brenda Brindle, general manager of the Alberta Grain Commission, said it's the board that needs to get its facts straight. "It's $400,000 that we're spending, not $1 million," she said.
The province is expected to pass legislation this spring that will lead to a challenge of the board's monopoly over wheat and barley sales in western Canada. Bill 206 would create a 10-year test market in which farmers could market their grain to buyers other than the board.
Adrian Measner, the board's chief executive officer, said a dual marketing system would erode the brand loyalty the board has achieved.
"If customers have a choice to buy from several different competitors, then this power disappears," he said.
He also waved off suggestions the board is afraid of competition.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. We compete every day in a global marketplace dominated by a handful of multinational grain companies," he said.
The board's campaign will include information in its bi-monthly Grain Matters mailout. The material will also be posted on the board's website.
Ritter declined to assign a dollar figure for the board's campaign, other than to describe it as modest.
Louise Waldman, the board's communications manager, said the tab was $1,400 so far.
The money was spent on an advertisement that ran in the March issue of Alberta Beef magazine—long before the launch of the province's campaign. The ad, which shows a bull, intimates that an open market system would effectively castrate the board.
Brian Kriz, chair of the Alberta Barley Commission, said the board's "latest PR campaign" will not break the resolve of Alberta grain farmers in favour of a dual-market system.
Representatives of Alberta's barley industry sent a letter Monday to MLAs asking them to support Bill 206.
"The Alberta government has every right to defend marketing choices for Alberta farmers because the wheat board certainly doesn't, and it never will as long as it supports single-desk marketing," he said.
Alberta Agriculture Minister Shirley McClellan said she was offended by Ritter's comments that the government should leave the board alone because they are elected.
"I am elected as well, and have been elected five times to represent the people in my constituency," she said. "What we're doing is what the majority of Alberta producers want us to do, and that's to support them in getting market choice for our producers."
McClellan's ministry spent $60,000 on two Ipsos-Reid polls last year that found nearly two-thirds support for grain marketing options among the 600 Alberta producers surveyed.
The polls found about one-quarter of those surveyed favoured the continuation of single-desk grain sales.
Everett Tanis belongs to the latter group. Tanis, a member of the Alberta Soft Wheat Producers Commission, said the province's attack on the board is shameful.
"Without the Canadian Wheat Board, farmers would become like the cattlemen are with BSE, because there's nobody defending you and nobody protecting you."
Pollution rules confuse Calif. farmers
April 28, 2004
Associated Press
Juliana Barbassa
FRESNO, Calif. -- Thousands of confused California growers have failed to comply with new state regulations monitoring water pollution from farms.
Regulators, however, are unsure of how to enforce the rules, which environmentalists consider too lax and are challenging them in court.
Between 25,000 and 80,000 growers who have irrigation water or stormwater running off their lands had until April 1 to report what they grow, what pesticides or fertilizers they use and how they will test canals and creeks that eventually empty into the Central Valley's rivers.
Until this year, farms enjoyed a blanket exemption from California's water quality law, which requires businesses and cities to apply for permits to discharge runoff and submit plans to reduce pollution. The State Water Resources Control Board made the exemption conditional under pressure from environmental groups.
Now, to continue getting the waiver, growers have to test water runoff at key periods -- during irrigation and after storms -- and report findings to their regional water board.
"This is an overwhelming task," regional water official Bill Croyle said of the state's first attempt at monitoring the impact of agriculture -- a $27.5 billion dollar industry statewide -- on rivers. "But we're committed to getting things up and running."
Local agricultural commissioners, commodity groups and industry leaders have tried to help spread the word to farmers.
Many farmers still don't know about the new regulations. Those who do are either hesitant to sign up for a plan with uncertain costs or think the rules don't apply to them.
Farmers can either come up with the monitoring plan themselves, at an estimated cost of at least $2,000 per year after startup costs of up to $10,000, or join a coalition of farmers to share the burden.
Parry Klassen, a Selma farmer on the board of the East San Joaquin Valley Water Quality Coalition, has been answering growers' questions for months. Still, his group has signed up only 1,300 of the estimated 6,000 growers in Merced, Stanislaus, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties.
Environmentalists hail the idea of monitoring farms but say the regulations fall short.
Fresno, Tulare officials seek solution to Korea's ban on California oranges
April 28, 2004
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Robert Rodriguez, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
This story says that Fresno and Tulare County agricultural officials are hoping for a quick resolution to the South Korean ban of its oranges.
South Korean officials announced late Monday that it would no longer accept oranges from the counties over concerns that the fruit contains a contagious plant fungus known as septoria citri. The government wants to prevent the disease from spreading in its citrus-growing region.
The ban caught the two-county region's multimillion-dollar citrus industry by surprise. South Korea is a major export market for California citrus, buying $54.5 million in 2001.
While septoria citri has been found in the central San Joaquin Valley, it has not turned up in any export shipments recently, Fresno County agriculture officials said.
"We are at loss as to what they are finding," said Carol Hafner, Fresno County deputy agricultural commissioner. "We are inspecting the fruit that is leaving and we are not finding anything."
Hafner said the county will inspect rejected shipments from South Korea when the containers arrive this week or next. "We want to see what they are seeing," she said.
The contagious fungus can cause brown spots on leaves and the skin of citrus fruits.
County officials have been in contact with state and federal officials over how best to resolve the ban. Fruit that is already in the pipeline will be accepted as long as it does not show any evidence of the fungus.
But starting today, South Korea will ban shipments of oranges from Fresno and Tulare counties. How long the ban will be in place is uncertain as the two governments try to devise a solution.
Safe handling of pulse crops during seeding
April 28, 2004
Lloydminster Meridian Booster
B22
The quality of seed you have today has been determined by many factors during last fall's harvest, storage, cleaning and moving operations. Factors such as delayed harvest (sprouting, wetting/drying of the seed), frost, handling (auger use times), temperature during handling, and the seed moisture content have all affected seed quality.
"Seed quality for planting includes high germination, high seed vigor, and low levels of seed borne diseases such as ascochyta, anthracnose, and botrytis," said Mark Olson, provincial pulse extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture. "The lower the seed moisture content, the greater the probability of damage to the seed at planting regardless of the pulse species. And, the larger the seed, combined with low seed moisture content, the greater the chance of seed damage during handling."
During seed germination and vigor tests, results include the amount of mechanical damage, including cracks in the seed coat, loose cotyledons and damage to the future primary roots, hypocotyls or epicotyls. Research has shown that belt conveyors are superior compared to augers, and belt conveyors will minimize reduction in germination of seed due to handling damage. Augers have been shown to reduce germination from three to 12 per cent, although some producers have seen damage exceeding 20 per cent due to a lower seed moisture content.
"Although augers can be modified with bristle flighting and can run at a medium to slow speed and fairly full - augers will still cause more damage than belt conveyors," said Olson. "Belts are a 'must have' for Kabuli chickpea, all dry beans, and low moisture pea seed. Low moisture pea seed is seed less than 12 per cent moisture content."
"The Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) has conducted tests on moisturizing pulse seed to reduce seed damage during handling," said Ken Lopetinsky, pulse research agronomist with Alberta Agriculture. "Their results suggest use of a direct contact approach of adding water to the pulse seed to coat the seed and help reduce further damage.
"Use of liquid and peat based inoculants applied with a sticker can also cushion the seed by adding a coating around the seed. However, care must be taken to ensure the inoculation process does not increase seed damage due to high auger speeds, less than a full auger, and high auger angle."
PAMI has conducted tests on air seeder damage to pulse seed and with a well-maintained air seeder operated at correct air speeds, the amount of seed damage can be as low as three per cent. This, however, still means calculating seeding rates to include this three per cent reduction. High airflow, missing rubber parts in the manifolds and sharp corners in the delivery system can increase seed damage to over 20 per cent.
"Handle all pulse seed as gently as possible and try to reduce the number of handlings if at all possible, advises Lopetinsky. "The use of belt conveyors are a must for dry beans, kabuli chickpea, and overly dry seed of other pulses. Recalibrate seeding rates to take into account losses of seed emergence due to damaged seed caused by low seed moisture contents."
Tree plan needed, experts say
April 28, 2004
The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo)
B4
Bob Burtt
A symposium in Waterloo on invasive pests was told recently that nearly 100,000 trees have been felled in the war on two forest pests.
In Toronto, 15,000 of those trees have been lost to the Asian long-horned beetle. In southwestern Ontario, the most urgent problem is the emerald ash borer.
Left unchecked, they have the potential to wipe out most of southern Ontario's hardwood tree species.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before the borer reaches Waterloo Region, but Toronto forester Richard Ubbens expressed cautious optimism about any continuing threats posed by the Asian long-horned beetle.
Ubbens, one of several speakers at the workshop, said it is too soon to claim the pest has been eradicated, but that every tree thought to have been affected by the beetle has been removed.
Because each beetle can lay 20 to 200 eggs, the population could easily reach hundreds of thousands, then millions and get out control, he noted. "We think we got it in the nick of time."
While Ubbens hopes the most urgent threat has passed, his crews will continue to survey and monitor for any sign of the pest for several years.
"It could have a huge economic impact if it isn't eradicated," he said.
Tony Hopkins, with Natural Resources Canada, said Canada is on the hit list for countries that want to close the border for fear of forest pests that could hitch a ride in forest or horticultural products.
Stephen Murphy, an expert on invasive forest pests with the University of Waterloo, said the emerald ash borer and the Asian long-horned beetle are probably the worst of the forest pests, but estimates hundreds, if not thousands, of invasive species play havoc with the forest ecosystems by crowding out native plants and trees, and interfering with water and nutrient cycles in the soil.
Credits toward pesticide applicator license
April 28, 2004
Lloydminster Meridian Booster
B23
According to this story, a resource for farmers and a tool for training employees in the area of weed management and herbicide control is now approved for five continuing education recertification credits for pesticide applicators.
The Weed Management home study course includes 17 modules, a planning book and an optional final exam leading to a certificate for those who obtain 65 per cent or greater. Obtaining the certificate will give pesticide applicators the five continuing education recertification credits.
The course begins with an introduction to weed problems in general and the situation on the Canadian prairies in particular. Students are given a brief overview of weed biology and weed identification, particularly that of weed seedlings. This information can be used to estimate crop losses and to make better spraying decisions. Another module is devoted to soil and its impact on weeds and herbicide effectiveness.
Five modules are devoted to examining in detail the characteristics of herbicides, herbicide formulations and selection, herbicide classification and all the factors affecting herbicide performance. These modules allow farmers to make optimal herbicide choices that suit their conditions yet at the same time minimize or prevent herbicide resistance.
Other modules are designed to help farmers select the right type of application equipment and to make appropriate decisions regarding the use of herbicide-resistant crops. Personal safety around pesticides, legislation in Canada and Alberta surrounding their use, and special weed problems are also addressed.
Agnet is produced by the Food Safety Network at the University of Guelph and is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Plants Program at the University of Guelph, Agricultural Adaptation Council (CanAdapt Program), AGCare, Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, ConAgra Foods Inc., Meat Livestock Australia, Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited (Canada), Monsanto Canada, National Pork Board, Syngenta Seeds, Inc. USA, JIFSAN, CropLife Canada, Canadian Animal Health Institute, National Cattlemen's Beef Association/Cattlemen's Beef Board, Burger King Corporation, Southern Crop Protection Association, Ag-West Biotech Inc., Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, Syngenta Crop Protection, Feedlot Health Management Services, Institute of Environmental Science Research Limited , National Food Processors Association, Tactix Government Consulting, Inc., CanAmera Foods, Global Public Affairs, and Agri Business Group, Inc.
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