farm news & calendar from California Vegetable Journal people

[EWerb at aol.com]

...for the overall wearing set, i s'pose
happy tempe turky evrybdy -
goin' to fla to get down with the count...
ew



>============Willard Thompsonís Field Talk===========

>For the week of November 20, 2000

>Field Talk is a weekly e-newsletter published by Rincon Publishing,

>Publishers of California Grower magazine and California Vegetable Journal.

>Field Talk is a Copyright publication of Rincon Publishing

>================================================================



<snip>



>BIOTECH COMMITTEE SETS MEETING

>A two-day meeting of USDAís advisory panel on biotech issues is scheduled

>for Nov. 29-30 to review that agencyís buy back of StarLink corn and discuss

>the proper role USDA should have in watchdogging genetically modified crops.

>The meeting follows on the heels of a one-day meeting, Nov. 28, set by US

>EPA to discuss whether StarLink should be authorized for human consumption.

>For more on the StarLink saga read on.

>

>GENETICALLY MODIFIED GRAPEVINES ON THE HORIZON

>Vintners and grape growers attending the annual Napa Valley Viticultural

>Fair hear researchers tell them the best solution to the Pierceís

>Disease/Glassy-winged sharpshooter plague is to create grapevines resistant

>to PD.  Pointing out that continued pesticide sprayings of GWSS may not be

>tenable in the eyes of the general public, and may be ineffective anyway, UC

>scientists say that breeding resistance into the vines is a better long-term

>approach.  They point out that some East Coast grape varieties have natural

>resistance to PD and they are being examined to determine the genes that

>contribute the resistance.

>One researcher said that bioengineering grapes would prove less

>controversial than other genetic modifications now taking place in food.

>What do you think about that?  Do you want Frankenwine with your

>Frankenfood?  And do you want you merlot to taste like the Concord grape

>wine served in the Catskills?  Drop us an email with your opinion.

>willard at rinconpublishing.com.

>

>CORN EXPORTS PLUNGE

>USDA begins testing railcars and barges loaded with corn for export to make

>sure they donít carry the dreaded StarLink.  This is the first time USDA has

>become involved in genetic testing of crops.  Already, corn exports have

>fallen 39% below their 4-week average in the most recent week, to 517,000

>tons, well below the expected 550,000 ñ 750,000 ton range.  Japan and South

>Korea have pretty much closed their doors to US corn, turning instead to

>China for supplies.

>French firm Aventis SA announces it wants to shed its Aventis CropScience

>unit, developer of StarLink, as soon as a buyer for the division can be

>found.

>

>SUSTAINABLE DATABASE ONLINE

>University of Calif. goes online with a database providing growers and

>others with answers about sustainable ag production.  The site is a

>collection of research projects done by the UC Sustainable Agriculture

>Research and Education Program since 1987.  Check it out at

>www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/grants/database/

>

>AGRAQUEST AND ROHM AND HAAS TEAM UP

>Davis-based AgraQuest announces a strategic partnership with Rohm and Haas

>to develop and bring to market new biopesticides.  AgraQuest, which recently

>got Calif. registration for the biofungicide Serenade, will continue to

>screen naturally occurring materials for their pesticidal qualities while

>R&H will commercially develop and market them.

>Separately, Exelixis, Inc., a South San Francisco biotech company, announces

>its joint venture with Bayerís crop protection business unit has produced

>several new insecticide possibilities which Bayer will screen for further

>market development.

>

>CHINA AND ARGENTINA DUMP THEIR HONEYS

>The International Trade Commission rules that honey from China and Argentina

>is being sold in the US for less than its production cost, giving the Dept.

>of Commerce the option of deciding how much duty can be placed on imported

>honey.  Americans consume 378 million pounds of honey annually and the

>dumping has forced US producers to sell their honey at 15 cents below

>production costs.

>In a national referendum, the honey industry votes down measures that would

>have assessed foreign producers one cent per pound, established mandatory

>purity standards, instituted an inspection program and earmarked 8% of the

>industryís funds for research.

>

>MAD-COW DISEASE PANIC SETS IN

>The French government bans T-bone steaks in an effort to stop mad-cow

>disease from infecting Frenchmen.  The disease, which caused 85 human deaths

>in England and the destruction of 4.7 million head of cattle, has now spread

>to France, Ireland and Portugal, with other European nations taking steps to

>protect their populations.  So far, beef sales in France have fallen by 60%.

>McDonaldís Restaurant sales in France are down 30%-40%.

>In France the issue has become political, with president Jacques Chirac

>calling for a total ban on animal feeds suspected of being a cause of

>mad-cow disease.  That was prompted by his Socialist opponent, prime

>minister Lionel Jospin, ordering a temporary ban on the animal-based feeds

>and banning the T-bones.  The French Farmers Union calls for the destruction

>of all cattle older than 20 months, about 5 million head. Lawsuits are

>beginning.

>

>NAMES IN THE NEWS

>FRANCK BERGER, VP of sales & marketing at Harris Moran Seed Co. leaves to be

>exec. VP of Kyowa Seed in Tokyo, a sister company.

>

>MEETING PLANNER

>Nov. 22 Dormant Pest Management In Almonds, Bakersfield, 661-868-6200

>Nov. 28 Lygus Bug Summit, Visalia, 559-646-6525, joann at uckac.edu

>Nov. 28 Evaluate & Improve Irrigation Uniformity, Encinitas, 858-495-5190,

>cesandiego at ucdavis.edu

>Nov. 29 UFFVA Grower Grassroots Education Program, Santa Maria, 703-836-3410

>Nov. 29 Salinas Valley Weed School, Spreckles, 831-759-7350,

>cemonterey at ucdavis.edu

>Dec. 3-6 Calif. Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, Sparks, NV 800-698-3276

>Dec. 4 Agriculture in an E-Commerce World, Sacramento, 530-752-2320,

> agissues at ucdavis.edu

>Dec. 7-9 26th Annual Acres USA Conference, Minneapolis, 800-355-5313,

>www.acresusa.com

>Dec. 7 Valley Water: A Balancing Act, Clovis, 559-241-6235

>Dec. 6-7 Annual Almond Conference, Modesto, 209-343-3225,

>skollmeyer at almondboard.com

>Dec. 12 CPDA Legal Workshop, Alexandria, VA., 703-548-7700

>Dec. 13-14CPDA Registration Workshop, Alexandria VA., 703-548-7700

>Dec. 19 Cling Peach Symposium, Modesto, 209-525-6800

>Jan. 8-10, 2001 53rd Annual Weed Science Society Conference, Monterey,

>510-790-1252, wgraves431 at aol.com

>Jan. 10-13 Ninth Annual No-Tillage Conference, Cincinnati, 800-645-8455,

>info at lesspub.com

>Jan. 11-14 Calif. Women For Agriculture State Convention, Chico,

>530-894-1625, msmith7002 at aol.com

>Jan. 18-20 Fruit Logistica, Berlin, Germany, 540-373-9935,

>b-for at exhibitpro.com

>Jan. 23-25 Stockton Ag Expo, Stockton, 209-547-2930,

>schamber at stocktonchamber.org

>Jan. 23-25 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, Sacramento, 916-340-1902

>Jan. 24-27 Ecological Farming Conference, Pacific Grove, 831-763-2111,

>www.eco-farm.org

>Jan. 31 Stanislaus-Merced Bi-County Winegrape Seminar, Turlock, 209-525-6800

>Feb. 4-6 4th Annual FarmTech Conference, Santa Barbara, 800-678-GROW,

>willard at rinconpublishing.com

>Feb. 6-8 Varietal Winegrape Production, Davis, 800-752-0881,

>aginfo at unexmail.ucdavis.edu

>Feb. 7-8 Plant & Soil Conference, Fresno, 209-525-6800,

>mcmathews at ucdavis.edu

>Feb 13-15 World Ag Expo, Tulare, 800-999-9186, info at farmshow.org

>Feb. 14 Stanislaus-Merced Bi-County Almond Day, Merced, 209-525-6800

>March17-19 UFF&VA, Tampa, 703-836-3410, info at uffva.org

>=====================================================

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>