Documents

Minnesota businesses plan for future in green chemistry

Andrew Ranallo — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:15:32 +0000

Subtitle:

“A triple win” for the environment, economy and consumers

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

File:

2012_01_25_GreenChemConf.pdf

MINNEAPOLIS – Over 200 business owners, entrepreneurs and green chemistry advocates will come together for the second annual Minnesota Green Chemistry Conference tomorrow, co-hosted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy (CSTPP).

Held at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Patrick Gruber, the Chief Executive Officer of Gevo and prominent leader in green chemistry. Gruber will speak about the new opportunities that are emerging for businesses to shift away from petroleum to greener, bio-based alternative materials and products.

“This message is especially relevant for Minnesota,” said Jim Kleinschmit of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. “We are blessed as a state with tremendous agricultural and forest resources. Developed sustainably, these renewable feedstocks can serve as a foundation for a green chemistry and bio-industrial processing sector that can produce the high-value alternatives to conventional chemicals, energy and materials demanded in the market today.”

The daylong conference will also include panels on product improvement through green chemistry, the green product value chain, bio-industrial feedstock production and processing, and growing green chemistry in Minnesota. All of the panels will feature representatives of key businesses that are spurring real growth in the sector, including several Minnesota-based companies, like Segetis, a green chemistry start-up.

Antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria widely present in retail pork, new study says

Colleen Borgendale — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:03:34 +0000

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

File:

2012_01_20_AntibioticResistantMRSA.pdf

MINNEAPOLIS – New peer-reviewed research published January 19 found methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pork samples collected from retail stores at a higher rate than previously identified. The study, by researchers from the University of Iowa College of Public Health and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, titled “MRSA in conventional and alternative retail pork products,” represents the largest sampling of raw meat products for MRSA contamination to date in the United States. It appears in the online science journal PLoS ONE from the Public Library of Science.

In total, 395 pork samples were collected from a total of 36 stores in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Jersey. Among these samples, S. aureus—a bacteria that can cause serious human infections of the bloodstream, skin, lungs (pneumonia) and other organs—was isolated from 256 samples (64.8 percent) and of those, 26 pork samples (6.6 percent of the total) were found to contain MRSA.

MRSA is one of the most serious bacteria, causing infections resistant to multiple antibiotics, which are therefore costly and very difficult to treat. According to 2005 estimates, MRSA accounts for about 280,000 infections and nearly 19,000 deaths a year in hospitals. However, MRSA infections acquired outside of hospitals, in communities and on farms, have been rapidly rising.

Images and video

Image:

Flickr/CC credit:

essgee51

Image caption:

In total, 395 pork samples were collected and of those, 6.6 percent were found to contain MRSA.

Feature

Headline:

MRSA in retail pork

Summary:

New peer-reviewed research finds deadly MRSA in retail pork samples at unprecedented rate

FDA finally acts to ban unapproved use in food animals of critical human antibiotics

Andrew Ranallo — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:07:11 +0000

Subtitle:

Keep Antibiotics Working calls on FDA to act further to protect antibiotics

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

Author(s) (external):

Keep Antibiotics Working

File:

KAW_press_cepha_ban_1.4.2011.pdf

Keep Antibiotics Working (KAW) today applauded the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prohibiting some off-label or “extralabel” use of cephalosporin antibiotics in food-producing animals, more than three years after that order was first issued but withdrawn. At the same time, KAW renewed its calls for the agency to take immediate and forceful action to further address the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture, which has led to the development and spread of resistant bacteria that cause difficult-to-treat infections. Today’s decision follows repeated inaction by the FDA to protect the public health. In December, the FDA withdrew longstanding proposals—dating back to 1977—to remove approvals for two antibiotics, penicillins and tetracyclines, used in livestock feeds.

Today’s prohibition will still allow cephalosporin antibiotics to be used in foodproducing animals, but puts new restrictions on how they can be used in cattle, swine, and poultry. The extralabel prohibition, which public health, patient advocacy, and food safety groups had urged for years, is a fairly easy step for FDA to take compared with the more difficult process of withdrawing a drug from the market altogether. The FDA announcement can be found here: http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2012-00035_PI.pdf.

“While we welcome FDA’s belated action, the delay is shocking. Tens of thousands of people continued to become ill from cephalosporin-resistant Salmonella when there was clear evidence the extra-label use of these drugs contributes to the spread of these and other resistant superbugs,” said David Wallinga, MD, a physician at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and a member of the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition.

Civil society calls on African negotiators to reject carbon markets for agriculture

Andrew Ranallo — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:35:32 +0000

Subtitle:

Funds for agriculture adaptation more urgently needed

Author(s) (external):

IATP, et. al

File:

DurbanPR_11_28.pdf

Talking turkey: Stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes and…arsenic?

Andrew Ranallo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:07:52 +0000

Subtitle:

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Center for Food Safety petition FDA to eliminate toxic arsenic residues in meat

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

IATP

Author(s) (external):

Center for Food Safety

File:

ANADA PR_Final.pdf

Nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving, but most will be blissfully unaware of what their turkey may have eaten—arsenic. Arsenic-containing compounds have been added to animal feeds since the 1940s, including in turkey, chicken and swine production where they are FDA-approved for “increased weight gain, improved feed efficiency, and improved pigmentation.”

Talking turkey: Stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes and…arsenic?

Andrew Ranallo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:47:33 +0000

Subtitle:

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Center for Food Safety petition FDA to eliminate toxic arsenic residues in meat

Language:

English

File:

ANADA PR_Final.pdf

Washington, D.C., November 22 – Nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving, but most will be blissfully unaware of what their turkey may have eaten—arsenic. Arsenic-containing compounds have been added to animal feeds since the 1940s, including in turkey, chicken and swine production where they are FDA-approved for “increased weight gain, improved feed efficiency, and improved pigmentation.”

Today, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a petition calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to vastly reduce the legally permissible level of arsenic in meat. Pharmaceutical companies produce and sell three arsenic compounds which are added to animal feed, despite serious risks to public health.

Crop insurance expansion without climate adaptation poses risks for farmers and taxpayers, new report ﬁnds

Andrew Ranallo — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:19:42 +0000

Subtitle:

Farm Bill must link crop insurance with climate resilience

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

File:

2011_11_16_CropInsuranceFarmBill.pdf

MINNEAPOLIS – Recent Farm Bill proposals to expand crop insurance for U.S. farmers have failed to acknowledge threats to agriculture from climate change, finds a new report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

In their report, “A Risky Proposition: Crop Insurance in the Face of Climate Change,” authors Julia Olmstead and Jim Kleinschmit argue that crop insurance expansion without climate adaptation for agriculture would threaten food security and farmers’ livelihoods, while increasing costs for taxpayers.

“Agriculture is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change,” said Kleinschmit. “Farmers need support to make their land more resilient to floods, droughts and the other pressures climate change brings. Revenue insurance proposals help farmers financially cope with disasters, but do nothing to help them minimize risk in the field.”

Research indicates that diversified farms that incorporate livestock and perennials are more resilient than single-crop farming systems to the increases in flooding, drought and pest invasions associated with climate change. Current federal crop insurance programs, and the “shallow-loss” revenue insurance programs that have been proposed for the 2012 Farm Bill, discourage crop diversification and encourage farmers to take on unwieldy amounts of risk.

Images and video

Image:

Flickr/CC credit:

Craft*ology

Image caption:

Farmers need increased support to make their land more resilient to increasing floods and droughts due to climate change.

Weak CFTC position-limit rule ineffective, unsound says IATP

Andrew Ranallo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:43:19 +0000

Subtitle:

Wall Street flexes muscles, excessive speculation to continue on agriculture commodity markets

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

File:

2011_10_18_CFTPosLimitRule.pdf

Today’s Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) 3-2 vote to pass a weak position-limit rule will not suffice to prevent excessive speculation that has roiled commodity prices since at least 2006, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

A position-limit rule puts a ceiling on the percentage of contracts that any entity and its subsidiaries can control over a given trading period for a referenced commodity contract, e.g., Chicago Board of Trade corn. With high or non-enforced position limits, a few big players can drive commodity derivatives prices. Under the new rules, agricultural limits will be reviewed every two years, while energy and metals contract limits will be reviewed annually, on the basis of commodity exchange data verified by the CFTC. The limit formulas reflect historic needs to prevent manipulation of prices in physical markets, rather than what is needed now to prevent excessive speculation by banks, hedge funds and other important financial institutions.

“The financial industry–proposed limits complied with the Congressional mandate that the CFTC set position limits, but as set will not enable effective price hedging by commodity users nor protect the public against financially induced price volatility,” said IATP’s policy analyst Steve Suppan.

The rule-making process designed and executed by the CFTC commissioners and staff was laudably transparent, but did open the commission to an avalanche of demands by Wall Street lobbyists that the CFTC show, prior to rule implementation, that a position-limit rule would not affect profits. In all, the CFTC received more than 15,000 comments on the draft rule. Intense negotiations on the rule continued up to and during today’s CFTC meeting. The final version of the rule has not yet been published, although a few members of the press received a penultimate, embargoed version.

Students to get a big taste of Minnesota during Farm to School Month

Andrew Ranallo — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:01:44 +0000

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

JoAnne Berkenkamp

File:

2011_09_01_StudentsFarmToSchoolMonth.pdf

MINNEAPOLIS – Students across Minnesota will enjoy a wide variety of Minnesota-grown produce during the month of September as part of the expanding effort to connect K-12 students with fresh, locally grown foods and the farmers who grow them.

Farm to School Month is designed to raise awareness of the Farm to School initiative and the benefits of using fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables and other minimally processed local foods in school meals. Participating schools will serve a wide range of local foods including apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, winter squash, peppers, watermelon and carrots, among others. Many will also provide hands-on educational opportunities for students.

The celebration has expanded from one week last year to the full month of September due to Farm to School’s growing popularity across the state. Last week, Governor Mark Dayton signed a proclamation declaring September as Farm to School Month.

“Farm to School benefits our students, communities, farmers and local economies throughout the state,” said Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA) President Allison Bradford.

“Parents, students and schools know that good nutrition is essential if our kids are to be healthy and ready to learn. Small- and mid-sized farmers, whose products have largely been absent from America’s lunch trays, can offer our children high quality, fresh choices and the opportunity to learn how and where their food is grown,” said IATP’s JoAnne Berkenkamp.

Images and video

Image:

Flickr/CC credit:

garden beth

Image caption:

Students across Minnesota will enjoy a wide variety of Minnesota-grown produce during the month of September as part of the expanding effort to connect K-12 students with fresh, locally grown foods and the farmers who grow them.

Feature

Headline:

Farm to School Month begins

Summary:

Students across Minnesota will enjoy a wide variety of local produce during the month of September as part of expanding Farm to School efforts.

IATP applauds ethanol producer POET’s move to antibiotic-free ethanol production

Colleen Borgendale — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:30:09 +0000

Language:

English

IATP author(s):

Andrew Ranallo

File:

2011_08_30_POETMoveToAntibioticFree.pdf

POET, the world’s largest ethanol producer, announced Monday the launch of an antibiotic-free ethanol production process in select plants. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) applauded the initiative, and called for the rest of the ethanol industry to remove antibiotics from their production. “We applaud POET’s decision to eliminate antibiotics in some of their plants as a first step toward becoming antibiotic free” said IATP’s Julia Olmstead, co-author of the 2009 report Fueling Resistance? Antibiotics in Ethanol Production. “This is a clear indication that antibiotics in ethanol production are unnecessary, and a growing marketing liability.”

Since 2009, IATP has pushed for a ban on antibiotic use in ethanol production, citing concerns over the rising overuse of medically unnecessary antibiotics in agriculture and increases in antibiotic resistance. Use of antibiotics in ethanol production continues today, despite the availability of several effective, economical alternatives. According to IATP’s 2009 Fueling Resistance? report, more than 40 percent of U.S. ethanol plants are using some form of antibiotic-free antimicrobial.

Ethanol producers have traditionally relied on antibiotics to control bacterial outbreaks in fermentation tanks that can reduce ethanol yields. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing in recent years, however, has indicated the presence of antibiotic residues in dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), leading to safety concerns.

Images and video

Image:

Flickr/CC credit:

freddthompson

Image caption:

According to IATP’s 2009 Fueling Resistance? report, more than 40 percent of U.S. ethanol plants are already using some form of antibiotic-free antimicrobial.

Feature

Headline:

Ethanol going antibiotic free

Summary:

IATP applauds ethanol producer POET’s move to antibiotic-free ethanol production.