Food & Agriculture

When we look at the challenges affecting our world today, many come to mind - energy demand, food security and climate change, just to name a few.   Biotechnology provides tools to meet all of these challenges.  The sustainable farming practices afforded to today’s modern farmers allow us to produce more food, fuel and fiber on less land with less environmental impact.

What do pandas, bantengs, and panthers have in common?  Their populations have all been assisted by biotechnology.  Whether endangered, or unhealthy due to a lack of biodiversity, advances in biotechnology - including animal cloning and assisted reproductive technologies, have helped these animals, and many others, to increase their populations, become healthier, and enjoy a more genetically diverse environment.

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Join Dr. Yonathan Zohar as he takes us on a tour of the University of Maryland Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB) in Baltimore, MD.  Scientists at COMB are working on ways to create new, advanced, and more sustainable aquaculture systems in hopes of decreasing the burden overfishing has put on our fragile ocean systems.

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Dr. Targan explains how biotechnology is working to create drought resistant crops.  Learn how this agricultural biotech innovation could have a global lifesaving and economic effect for people living in drought plagued areas like sub-Saharan Africa.

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In August, 2009, I attended the 7th International Transgenic Animal Research Conference in Tahoe, California. I visited with Dr. Bruce Whitelaw, at the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Dr. Whitelaw is a premiere researcher in the field of transgenic animals.

In August, 2009, I attended the 7th International Transgenic Animal Research Conference in Tahoe, California. I visited with Jerry Pommer, Director of Animal Regulatory Compliance and Quality Assurance works for Hematech, Inc. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company is currently developing genetically engineered (GE) cattle that can efficiently produce large quantities of human polyclonal antibodies. These antibodies are expected to help in the treatments of viral or bacterial infections, autoimmune disorders and other medical conditions occurring in humans.

In August, 2009, I attended the 7th International Transgenic Animal Research Conference in Tahoe, California. I visited with Dr. James Murray, Professor, University of California in Davis. Dr. Murray is the organizer of the Conference. His research is producing genetically engineered (GE) goats. He and scientists in Brazil are teaming up to develop a herd of GE dairy goats, whose milk is expected to protect against the types of diarrheal diseases that each year claim the lives of more than 2 million children around the world.

Last week I made my first visit to our South Dakota affiliate.

The 7th Transgenic Animal Conference held this week in Tahoe, Calif. came to a close today. But not before the “buzz” was felt about the advances in the area of genetic engineering (GE) of pigs for advancing human health. Researchers from Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and the United States astounded the over 100 scientists in the audience with their findings on GE pigs.

GE pigs are successfully being studied that will serve as animal models for human disease, including alzheimers, atherosclerosis, breast cancer, diabetes, and psoriasis.