leaders. The foundation’s $1 million endowment contribution to the memorial Borlaug International Scholars fund will be used to build productive partnerships between students, scientists and farmers in developing countries and U.S. land-grant universities.
Scientists have revealed the genetic instructions inside corn, which has one of the most complex sequences of DNA ever analyzed, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison Ge-nomicist David Schwartz, who was one of more than 100 authors in the article in the journal Science. Publication of the genome is expected to advance knowledge of corn’s ancestry and also guide breeders trying to extract even more productivity from the crop. “The maize optical map is by far the most complex example of genome analysis via single molecules,” says Schwartz. “I believe this system is going to help deliver cost-effective personal genomics. This work points the way toward new tools for exploring personal genomics.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $46 million through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to solve critical specialty crop agriculture issues, address priorities and solve problems through multifunctional research and extension. “Specialty crops are an important part of American agriculture, valued at nearly $50 billion every year,” says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This significant investment into research, education and extension will enable specialty crop producers to improve their products and increase their profitability.” Although 20 institutions will manage the re-search/extension grant funds from this program, each award includes an average of eight principal investigators from three other states who will work together in a multi-disciplinary approach to solve problems.
The German Maize Committee held its annual meeting recently and requested to hear U.S. farmers’ perspectives and experiences using biotech crops. U.S. Grains Council Biotechnology Advisory Team members Gary Schmalshof and Gordon Wassenaar, along with USGC Director of Biotechnology Programs Rebecca Fecitt, traveled to Germany to present at the annual meeting of the German Maize Committee. “We should not give up on Europe with regard to biotechnology,” says Fecitt. A lot of them were surprised to learn of the variety of choices in the market. Fecitt said the timeliness of their presence in Germany, with consideration of the new administration, makes her more optimistic than several months ago.
January 2010
Editorial Board
Allan Gray, Purdue University
Harry Collins, Delta and Pine Land Company
Marc Cool, Seeds of Change
Greg Duerksen, Kincannon & Reed
Tim Gutormson, Mid-West Seed Services
R.B. Halaby, AgriCapital
Bruce Howison, Syngenta Seeds, Inc.
Wayne Gale, Stokes Seeds
Peter Marks, Germain’s Technology Group – N.A.
Barb McMullan, Illinois Foundation Seeds
Bill Romp, Becker Underwood
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