Terry Etherton Blog on Biotechnology

Terry Etherton

I am shocked by the factors that drive agriculture policymaking at every level today. Decision makers in the public and private sectors are increasingly influenced by a cohort of activist anti-animal ag advocacy groups whose credibility should at best be questioned and at worst be dismissed absolutely. The example I discussed previously of “Starbucks” being pushed by Food & Water Watch and Organic Consumers Association to stop buying milk containing rbST is a good case study of this. Read the rest of this entry »

Dennis Halladay
Hoard’s West
Published - March 2007

This is an informative article about the ongoing rbST public debate. As you will see, Mr. Halladay is outraged about a decision made by a dairy cooperative in California (CDI) to NOT accept milk from cloned cows or rbST-supplemented cows. I, too, am appalled at the decision that was made by CDI.
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By Cahal Milmo
The Independent
Published: 19 February 2007

Organic food may be no better for the environment than conventional produce and in some cases is contributing more to global warming than intensive agriculture, according to a government report. Read the full article at The Independent.

This way to view this vodcast.

Dr. Bauman is Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor at Cornell University. This presentation was given recently at the New York Farm Show in Syracuse, NY.

This way to view this vodcast.

Terry Etherton

Another week, another full page ad in the Sunday New York Times from Starbucks. How much do these go for now, $80k, $100k? (Maybe they are getting a discount because of this agreement.) This week’s version touts their relationship with the small farms from whom they purchase their beans—at a premium price, they point out. I wonder if they are aware that American dairy farmers are not getting those same premiums from the processors who supply Starbucks the milk that they are now demanding be from cows not treated with supplemental recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST). Read the rest of this entry »

Terry Etherton

Misinformation abounds in the public discussion about the need for and the importance of agricultural biotechnologies. Much of this has been propagated by anti-biotech activist groups in an attempt to sway public opinion in order to create an anti-biotechnology viewpoint. Read the rest of this entry »

Cory Meyers, DVM
Marion, PA

Rome was not built in a day. Neither was the dairy industry. Like Rome, the dairy industry has gone through an impressive Golden Age of scientific and technological discovery and development that has significantly enhanced productivity and efficiency. Unfortunately, the parallels continue. Read the rest of this entry »