Several government departments, consultations, and decisions are converging to clear a path for gene-editing technology to be approved as a breeding technique for conventional crops. That's right, if the last hurdle can be cleared — approval of gene-edited plants for livestock feed — a variety or cultivar produced with gene-editing techniques would be considered non-novel... Read More
Category: Biotechnology
The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau today announced how Canada will handle crop cultivars that contain gene-editing as part of the breeding process. Bibeau says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has officially published updated guidance for Part V(5) of the Seed Regulations to make it clear which plants — whether developed via... Read More
Put aside for a moment your opinion on the current federal government's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. (Though, if you're curious, you can read about what is proposed, here) There are two timeframes to think about in regards to carbon emissions — there's the 2030 line in the sand, by which... Read More
Health Canada has opened consultations on how Canada regulates plants with novel traits, including those produced through gene editing technology, such as CRISPR-Cas9. The 60-day consultation kicked off March 25th, and grain industry leaders are pushing for all those in the value chain to weigh in on the importance of the modernization of the regulations.... Read More
On Thursday, Ryan Jespersen featured an hour dedicated to agricultural issues. The panel consisted of Alberta based beef and dairy farmer Jeff Nonay, Brittany Hennig, a MSc Student at the University of Alberta & Research Administration at Alberta Canola, and me. With a primarily urban audience, addressing agricultural issues on a show like this is…Read More
Argentina's ministry of agriculture has granted approval of a genetically modified trait for wheat. Bioceres announced on Thursday that its HB4 wheat "event" has been approved for growth and consumption, making Argentina the first country to approve HB4 drought tolerance technology for wheat. The regulatory clearance follows the approval of HB4 soybean, which has been... Read More
How will a short stature corn benefit not only farmers in the highest corn-yielding state in Mexico, but also across the world? A recent session of the Future of Farming Dialogue series, hosted by Bayer, focused on the VITALA short stature corn (SSC) system, bred with shorter stalks and a lower ear height, and is... Read More
Grain corn acres in Western Canada this year might be down, but there's potential for some big yields, assuming the crop can avoid late season pitfalls. "For growers who held onto those acres, they're going to be rewarded, no doubt. Grain corn crops here in southern Manitoba look especially strong," says Alana Serhan, market development…Read More
When most people hear the term biotechnology they think GMOs. It's important to know that biotechnology is much more than just GMOs because understanding this helps us to understand how scientists are helping to provide food for the seven billion people on the planet. In this episode of the Wheat School, Dr. Harpinder Randawa, research…Read More
We all like to believe we are independent thinkers, but the beliefs of most people often align with one team or another. Tamar Haspel does not have a team. She is a columnist for the Washington Post and, along with her husband, has an oyster farm on Cape Cod. If you follow her on Twitter... Read More