lotech Use In Conference Spotlight
ain went ballistic,” he said. The
British Royal Society trashed
the results and the British ta
bloids “had a field day,” Berber
said.
There has been no evidence
that using biotechnology in
crops has caused any plant,
animal, or human any harm.
But no evidence on potential
dangers, Berber cautioned, is not
the same as clear evidence that a
genetically modified crop is safe.
Tests are taken up mostly by
the companies that produce the
products themselves and data is
simply “OK’d” by federal agen
cies. But the work companies do
to test products uses the most re
liable scientific methods. “No
one has any idea on how to do it
any better,” Berber said.
The rftk is there. And, Ferber
said, who bears the burden of
proof?
It’s important to put that risk
in perspective.
But some important potential
environmental and other risks
over biotechnology in crops in
clude the following:
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• Crop kills on nonpest in
sects. What effect in the long
term will biotech crops have on
possible insect “bystanders”?
• Superweeds. Because of
using biotech, the technology
could result in outbreaks of
highly aggressive, hard-to
control giant weeds that could
literally take over fields, noted
Berber.
• Bt and other technological
resistance. It is important to
manage that resistance.
The jury is still out on most of
these risks, he noted.
But one positive development
is the use of Bt to fight corn
rootworm it would signifi
cantly reduce traditional chemi
cal insecticide use, at least for a
short time.
Another bright development
is the genetically modified
papaya tree, the second biggest
crop in Hawaii after sugar cane.
In the early ’9os, the crop was
literally wiped out by a virus.
But a new genetically modified
type has literally turned the
tables on the disease.
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An important genetically
modified crop development is
the new golden rice. About 400
million people in the world lack
enough Vitamin A. Ferber noted
that half a million children in
the world go blind each year be
cause of the lack of Vitamin A.
The genetically engineered rice
has enough Vitamin A to stop
the deficiency.
But the “antibiotech” people
remain active. Ferber pointed
out that the 4th annual “Biode
vastation 2000” Conference is
scheduled for Boston, Ma.,
March 24-30. The promoters are
looking at the issues of what
they consider dangerous devel
opments in technology.
For those who want to adopt
genetically modified crops, it’s
important to remember that “no
technology is a panacea,” Ferber
said. “And no technology is a
‘mad force of genetic darkness.’
I hope we will use this wisely.”
At the conference, Helen
Bishop MacDonald, director of
nutrition at Dairy Farmers of
Canada, noted that an ideal diet
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Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 18, 2000-823
would consist of meat/fish/poul
try combined with regular dairy
products and fruits and vegeta
bles. She urged those who want
to eat healthily to avoid fried
foods and “foods with hydro
genated vegetable oil,” foods
containing potentially cancer
causing substances. The hydro
genated oils are - “insidious
killers in the American diet,”
she said.
MacDonald refuted the find
ings of years past to dispel dairy
diet “misinformation.” Milk is
an essential, crucial supplier of
lots of other essential nutrients,
besides calcium. Milk itself pre
vents osteoporosis, reduces hy
pertension, works to help
prevent colon cancer, cuts
kidney stones, and butterfat
contains a fatty acid shown to
reduce the possibilities of devel
oping many types of cancer.
Today’s children get barely
half of the required calcium in
their diets, she noted.
Julie Funk, extension food
safety specialist with North Ca
rolina Extension Service, noted
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.>-When
Frank Perdue introduced his chickens into
the New York metropolitan market in the
early 19705, he spent about six months there
in an intensive market survey study inter
viewing butchers.
He Jotted notes from interviews on yellow
legal pads and filled over twenty of them.
This equaled at least 800 pages of marketing
data. It wasnt until he got home that he dis
covered that he left one note pad in a tele
phone booth at La Guardia Airport.
Unwilling to accept the fact that he would
never again see the missing pad and informed
that it was probably in the trash, Frank lo
cated the landfill where it had been taken and
retrieved it.
the challenges and difficulties in
coming up with accurate meth
ods to test for salmonella in
hogs.
According to several univer
sity studies, all-in, all-out, sin
gle-source, dedicated-flow
systems alone are insufficient to
place a check on salmonella in a
swine herd. With some types of
operations, it has become hard
to design a competent, reliable
risk factor study, though work
proceeds.
David Pyburn, director of vet
erinary science for the National
Pork Producers Council
(NPPC), commented on the
pork checkoff referendum to
take place.
He said that he “hoped it
doesn’t take time away from
real issues” facing the industry.
Pyburn reviewed the NPPC
Pork Quality Assurance Level
111 initiatives and how programs
have been implemented to
assure pork food safety from the
farm to the packer. He reviewed
the good production practices in
place to ensure quality pork,
which is “by far the most con
sumed meat worldwide.”
An NPPC Pork Quality and Safety Summit
is scheduled July 11-12 in Des Moines, lowa.
Breeding Complete
(Continued from Page 822)
Mathie, ranks third at +3.0. Keeping it all in
the family, 7H04457 Saber, whose grandam
is also Mathie’s dam, ranks second for Pro
ductive Life at +3.2. Saber added nearly 300
to his proof and climbed +136 pounds of milk
and +4l TPI points. Needless to say, this fam
ily’s results speak for themselves.
One of Select’s nine new Holstein sires is
7H05375 Marshall, a Program for Genetic
Advancement (PGA) graduate that is nearly
+3,000 for milk at +2,733M. This Bellwood
from an Elton is over +1.50 for all HA com
posite scores and is +2.20 for type. “Marshall
sires tremendous frames, outstanding feet
and legs and well attached udders,” said
Long. “He ranks third at Select for TPI at
+1604 and will be used as a sire for sons for
the PGA.” An added bonus is his 8% calving
ease.
“7H05315 Sam sires what every dairy pro
ducer wants, high volumes of milk from great
udders,” said Long. “Sam sires similar type
to his father, Elton, and many records
throughout Sam’s maternal pedigree are over
33,000 M up to 43.130 M. Sam is outstanding
for udder cleft (+3.08) and teat placement
(+3.38) which puts him in the top 10 at Select
for both traits.”
Tenacity Defined
From Pa. Farm Market Place
MILK
Where's your mustache? "