Agriculture News and Research

RSS

Eliminating sugary beverages and junk foods from schools may help slow childhood obesity

New policies that eliminate sugary beverages and junk foods from schools may help slow childhood obesity, according to a San Francisco State University study released today and published in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs.

2 Mar 2010

Joint Chiefs Chair visits Haiti to examine aid response

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mike Mullen, who is President Barack Obama's top military adviser, visited Haiti over the weekend to examine relief and rebuilding efforts and meet with local leaders, Agence France-Presse reports. It was his first visit to the country after the earthquake, according to AFP.

2 Mar 2010

Consumption of animal products contaminated with mycotoxins affects human health

EUREKA project E! 3025 MONALISA has developed a new, completely natural alternative to using antibiotics in animal feed. Formerly used as growth promoters and to prevent the damaging effects of the fungal toxins which are often present in feed, antibiotics have been prohibited for use in animal feed in the EU since 2006 - creating a need for a new, effective antimycotoxic agent.

1 Mar 2010

Overturning EPA's endangerment finding: American Public Health Association, leading health organizations oppose

The American Public Health Association yesterday joined a dozen leading health organizations in urging the U.S. Senate to oppose a resolution introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski to overturn or block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's finding for six greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

27 Feb 2010

FDA may set patient safety regulations for health IT

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund: "In the past two years, the agency has received reports of six patient deaths and several dozen injuries linked to malfunctions in the systems, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in testimony prepared for a government hearing on Thursday. ... The FDA has been studying the issue for several years. Its latest concerns are surfacing as the government ramps up an ambitious plan to spend as much as $27 billion in stimulus money helping doctors and hospitals across the country purchase electronic medical records systems that rely on digital software rather than paper medical charts."

25 Feb 2010

Nominations accepted for 2010 George Washington Carver Award

The third annual George Washington Carver Award will recognize significant contributions by an individual to the field of industrial biotechnology, including applications in biological engineering, environmental science, biorefining and biobased products. The Biotechnology Industry Organization today announced that it is accepting nominations for the 2010 George Washington Carver Award, which will be presented at the 2010 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing, June 27-30, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

24 Feb 2010

Impact of global warming on food prices would likely to drive many into poverty

The impact of global warming on food prices and hunger could be large over the next 20 years, according to a new Stanford University study. Researchers say that higher temperatures could significantly reduce yields of wheat, rice and maize - dietary staples for tens of millions of poor people who subsist on less than $1 a day.

21 Feb 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

The Infectious Diseases Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog examines U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby's recent address to the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) where he reemphasized the Obama administration's commitment to "'maintaining, extending and increasing' the U.S. response to global AIDS." Goosby reflected on the lessons drawn from PEPFAR to date and presented components of the 5-year PEPFAR strategy, the blog notes.

20 Feb 2010

Obama Administration releases details of over $400M Healthy Food Financing Initiative

The Obama Administration today released details of an over $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which will bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities across America. The initiative was announced today in Philadelphia by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

20 Feb 2010

BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund invests $400,000 in Bioscience Vaccines

BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund has invested in Bioscience Vaccines, Inc. to accelerate the development of biologic materials, which may boost the effectiveness of a wide range of life-saving vaccines.

19 Feb 2010

Guiding Stars storewide nutrition navigation system influences healthier food purchasing decisions

Guiding Stars, the world’s first storewide nutrition navigation system, today announced that new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows Guiding Stars had a positive influence on food purchasing decisions after the implementation of the zero-to-three star rating system and that these changes continue to be significant in achieving healthier food choices in the supermarket.

19 Feb 2010

WHO urges medical aid agencies to remain in Haiti as health care system is rebuilt

On Wednesday, the WHO "urged medical aid agencies to stay in Haiti as long as possible while health care is rebuilt following last month's devastating earthquake," Agence France-Presse reports.

19 Feb 2010

USDA and FDA join forces to enhance safety and quality of fresh produce

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration are working together to achieve the goals of enhancing the safety and quality of fresh produce in ways that take into account the wide diversity of farming operations.

19 Feb 2010

BUSACC hosts breakfast panel over reconstruction opportunities in Iraq, covering healthcare and pharma

The reconstruction of Iraq is under way and opportunities for Texas businesses abound. The Bilateral U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC) is hosting a business breakfast and panel discussion featuring Iraq’s Ambassador to the United States, the Senior Commercial Counsel and a high level Ministry of Energy official and delegation, along with American risk and security mitigation experts.

16 Feb 2010

Veterinary antibiotics in manure fertilizers: Buffer strips of grasses may help limit spread

Research by scientists at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry suggests that buffer strips of grasses and other plants can trap and break down veterinary antibiotics in manure fertilizers.

15 Feb 2010

International discussion held to find solutions for agricultural challenges of all time

An eminent panel of science and policy experts braved a historic blizzard today to identify solutions for the greatest agricultural challenges of all time. The global dialogue comes in response to a final call for action from the late Nobel Laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug, to feed the world and improve the lives of farmers, all while preserving natural resources.

15 Feb 2010

GM crops can help bolster global food security, scientists say in special journal issue

Acceptance of genetically modified (GM) crops in agriculture will help bolster global food security as the world faces population growth and the potential effects of climate change, Nina Fedoroff, science and technology advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and colleagues write in an article published in a special issue of the journal Science, the Times of London reports.

15 Feb 2010

World leaders need to alter their notions on sustainable agriculture to prevent starvation catastrophe

Yields from some of the most important crops begin to decline sharply when average temperatures exceed about 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 Fahrenheit. Projections are that by the end of this century much of the tropics and subtropics will regularly see growing season temperatures above that level, hotter than the hottest summers now on record.

12 Feb 2010

Treating bacteria with insufficient levels of antibiotics leads to multidrug resistance in 'superbugs'

For years, doctors have warned patients to finish their antibiotic prescriptions or risk a renewed infection by a "superbug" that can mount a more powerful defense against the same drug. But a new study by Boston University biomedical engineers indicates that treating bacteria with levels of antibiotics insufficient to kill them produces germs that are cross-resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.

12 Feb 2010

Kaiser Permanente approves 500 grants and donations totaling $90M in fourth-quarter of 2009

Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today it approved 500 grants and donations nationwide totaling $90 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. In total, Kaiser Permanente approved $170 million in grants and donations to support efforts to keep people healthy during these tough economic times.

12 Feb 2010

Agriculture News and Research

Eliminating sugary beverages and junk foods from schools may help slow childhood obesity

Joint Chiefs Chair visits Haiti to examine aid response

Consumption of animal products contaminated with mycotoxins affects human health

Overturning EPA's endangerment finding: American Public Health Association, leading health organizations oppose

FDA may set patient safety regulations for health IT

Nominations accepted for 2010 George Washington Carver Award

Impact of global warming on food prices would likely to drive many into poverty

Recent releases in Global Health

Obama Administration releases details of over $400M Healthy Food Financing Initiative

BioCrossroads' Indiana Seed Fund invests $400,000 in Bioscience Vaccines

Guiding Stars storewide nutrition navigation system influences healthier food purchasing decisions

WHO urges medical aid agencies to remain in Haiti as health care system is rebuilt

USDA and FDA join forces to enhance safety and quality of fresh produce

BUSACC hosts breakfast panel over reconstruction opportunities in Iraq, covering healthcare and pharma

Veterinary antibiotics in manure fertilizers: Buffer strips of grasses may help limit spread

International discussion held to find solutions for agricultural challenges of all time

GM crops can help bolster global food security, scientists say in special journal issue

World leaders need to alter their notions on sustainable agriculture to prevent starvation catastrophe

Treating bacteria with insufficient levels of antibiotics leads to multidrug resistance in 'superbugs'

Kaiser Permanente approves 500 grants and donations totaling $90M in fourth-quarter of 2009

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News