Terry Etherton’s Blog on Hormones, Biotechnology, and Food Safety

From The Economist print edition (December 6, 2007 issue)

Rising food prices are a threat to many; they also present the world with an enormous opportunity.

For as long as most people can remember, food has been getting cheaper and farming has been in decline. In 1974-2005 food prices on world markets fell by three-quarters in real terms. Food today is so cheap that the West is battling gluttony even as it scrapes piles of half-eaten leftovers into the bin. Read the rest of this entry »

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This interview took place on November 28, 2007. Rural Route is a one-hour radio show aimed at bridging rural and urban America. Each weekday the program looks at the key issues affecting our nation and explores what they mean for those involved in agriculture and those that derive the benefits of products produced by America’s farmers and ranchers. Rural Route is hosted by Trent Loos, a sixth generation U.S. rancher based in Central Nebraska. Other regular on-air personalities include Kyle Bauer (five days a week), Duane Toews (on Fridays) and Hank Vogler (on Mondays). This way for more information about Trent Loos and Rural Route Radio.

Terry D. Etherton

INTRODUCTION

Scientists have made impressive strides in developing new biotechnologies for agriculture since the onset of the modern era of biotechnology in 1973 (reviewed in Metabolic Modifiers, 1994; Etherton et al., 2003, American Dietetic Association, 2006). Biotechnologies that enhance productivity and productive efficiency (feed consumed/unit of output) have been developed and approved for commercial use. Development and adoption of novel biotechnologies will be crucial in meeting the challenge of producing enough food for a growing world population while minimizing and reducing impacts on the environment (reviewed in Metabolic Modifiers, 1994). Read the rest of this entry »

The following podcast is a roundtable discussion about rBST with Dr. Terry Etherton and dairy producers Dan Brandt and Tom Krall.

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SHERRY BUNTING
Published in Farmshine (October 19, 2007 issue)

“Killer cow emissions” was the title of a Los Angeles Times editorial this week (Oct. 15), painting a big red bulls-eye on dairy and beef production.

It began on the subject of methane coming from both ends of the cow and from manure storage. It concluded with a scolding of USDA for it’s role in facilitating the beef and dairy check-offs, stating: “the government should not only get out of the business of promoting unhealthful and environmentally destructive foods, it should be actively discouraging them.” Read the rest of this entry »

Mark Armfelt, DVM, DAVBP

By choosing technologies that increase productivity, the American Farmer has consistently provided an ever increasing number of American consumers with an abundant, economical, safe food supply. They have also been able to produce that food in a sustainable manner. Read the rest of this entry »

Food Biotechnology:
A Study of U.S. Consumer Trends - 2007 REPORT
International Food Information Council (IFIC)

Terry Etherton’s Comments on IFIC Survey

The annual survey of consumer attitudes about food biotechnology has been released by the International Food Information Council. This report provides further affirmation that the vast majority of consumers are not concerned about the use of biotechnology in plant and animal agriculture. Read the rest of this entry »

Terry Etherton

Educating the public about the benefits of biotechnology, and the need for investing in research to discover the next generation of science-based products is challenging. Many in the scientific research community have as a top priority to conduct research and publish their findings in a scientific journal. Doing a lot of this is important in order to get the next grant funded so that the scientist can do more research, leading to more publications. It is an interesting cycle: get the research grant funded (which is hard to do), conduct the research, and publish the findings in papers published in peer-reviewed science journals. This creates visibility for the scientist (enhances their brand name) with the goal being to get more grants funded - an important objective for many scientists is to have a LOT of research funding. And then onward to fame! Never mind that a lot of the research conducted is never explained to the taxpayers so they can understand and appreciate what is going on, and why it is important. By the way, taxpayers are footing the bill for all the research supported by federal agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, among others. Read the rest of this entry »

Harvey Glick
The Economic Times (India)
Published June 19, 2007

In the 1960s, India produced only about 10 million metric tonnes of wheat annually, and crop failures created massive food shortages that required emergency shipments of grain to prevent widespread famine. Today, India produces over 70 million metric tonnes of wheat. This is due in large part to the success of the Green Revolution, based on new genetic improvements of crops combined with efficient use of crop production inputs. Read the rest of this entry »

By SHERRY BUNTING
Special for Farmshine

BROWNSTOWN, Pa. – The vegetarian activist group – Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) – may have won a battle against the dairy industry, but they are not winning the war. Since 2005, this group has put persistent pressure on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to end dairy promotion relating to weight-loss, contending the advertisements are “false and misleading.” Even though the ads are based on sound, published, peer-reviewed research. Read the rest of this entry »