Most Recent Headlines
As officials confirm that a cow in Alabama had the disease, public-interest groups urge more systematic monitoring.
This week a cow in Alabama became the third confirmed case of mad cow disease in the US since December 2003. But what appears to be a relatively isolated incident points out the difficulty of preventing - or even detecting - such cases under the current voluntary testing regimen. The news also makes it more difficult for US officials to convince overseas consumers that American beef is safe.
Despite the confirmation of a third case of mad cow disease, the government intends to scale back testing for the brain-wasting disorder blamed for the deaths of more than 150 people in Europe.
The Agriculture Department boosted its surveillance after finding the first case of mad cow disease in the United States in 2003. About 1,000 tests are run daily, up from about 55 daily in 2003.
The testing program detected an infected cow in Alabama last week, and further analysis confirmed Monday that the animal had mad cow disease.
Greenpeace announced in Beijing today that non-approved genetically-engineered (GE) rice has been detected in Heinz's Baby Rice Cereal and the environmental group called for an immediate recall of all the contaminated products.
It also asked on the government to control the spread of GE rice in the food chain.
The test results were provided by GeneScan, a Germany-based independent laboratory, which tested 19 food samples that Greenpeace had collected in the supermarkets in Beijing.
Another Senator making news today is Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin .
As a general proposition, Senator Harkin is probably considered to be an advocate for U.S. farmers, particularly Midwestern producers.
However, in an interesting twist, Sen. Harkin has taken on the important issue of obesity, a subject that has often been leveraged by groups and organizations who are seeking major reforms to U.S. farm policy.
THE WEEKLY SPIN, March 15, 2006
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The Weekly Spin features selected news summaries with links to further information about media, political spin and propaganda. It is emailed free each Wednesday to subscribers.
BANK OF WAL-MART: STILL A BAD IDEA
March 14, 2006
Dear Travis County Judge Biscoe and County Commissioners Davis, Daughterty, Sonleitner and Gomez:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - An ordinance from a sparsely populated northern California county has some Missouri lawmakers worried that local regulation of genetically modified crops could hamper agriculture's future in the state.
Mendocino County, Calif., banned all genetically modified crops and animals in March 2004, prompting activists to attempt to do the same in four other counties. They were successful in one.
Since then, 14 states have banned local regulation of the types of seeds farmers can use and another five - including Missouri - are considering bans.
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's call for Americans to use less oil and more agricultural waste to meet the nation's fuel demands is about to get a lift from the farm lobby.
In an unlikely alliance with the environmental movement, farm groups are seeking federal incentives for forms of renewable energy such as cellulosic ethanol -- a gasoline additive made from farm byproducts -- and electricity from farm wind turbines.
WE'RE IN FOR A WILD RIDE, say Oceanus' 13-person crew, salts old and young, most of them Cape Codders with lifelong careers on the water. Consequently, many of the 12 members of the scientific team-oceanographers, science technicians, and graduate students, along with this observer-scatter across the ship's three decks in the moments before we sail, seeking privacy for our last cell phone calls home, backs turned to the rain, shouting against the wind.
