Talking Biotech Podcast

Tweet Those that live in the affluent countries of the West have little clue of the challenges of farming in the Developing World.  In this special episode, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam (@biobeef) of the University of California Davis interviews three experts that understand food security in their respective countries.  Dr. Emma Naluyima of Entebbe, Uganda is a veterinarian that feeds an extended family from one acre of land. She shares her innovative methods and experiences. Nassib Mugwanya of Kampala, Uganda works with the Uganda Bioscience Information Center as an outreach officer. Dr. Marlene Ortiz Berrocal is a researcher in the Centre for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. These three experts share their thoughts on biotech innovation and how it relates to food security in their respective nations and worldwide. Follow Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam  – @biobeef Dr. Marlene Ortiz Berrocal – @MOBerrocal Nassib Mugwanya – @nmugwanya Dr. Emma Naluyima – @DrNaluyima   Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The Extension arm of the Land Grant University system provides a link between university research and the farm.  Extension specialists are professional liaisons that understand pressing issues, and seek remedies in the brain trust of the university. At the same time they communicate university-derived solutions to statewide clientele, providing a critical link that ensures relevance in research and rapid application of new findings. Dr. Chad Lee is an extension agronomist at the University of Kentucky.  His central role is in agronomic crops, principally soybeans and corn.  His career has coincided with the development and application of GE crops.  In this week’s podcast he discusses the on-farm use of these technologies and associated products, and his objective evaluation of their strengths and limitations. Dr. Lee does an amazing job at debunking common myths from a boots-on-the-ground perspective. Follow Dr. Lee at @kentuckycrops Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The problem of farmer suicides in India is very real, and has been for some time. Suicides are driven by indebtedness, and there are many reasons that farmers find themselves in financially challenging times.  In the context of the biotech debates, some of seized on this tragedy and exploit it for political gain, blaming biotech crops for acrued debt. Vaishnavi Tripuraneni is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin. She is from India, and used the opportunity to study the question of farmer debt for her dissertation.  She discusses the central drivers of debt from her research. Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Dr. Monica Schmidt from the University of Arizona has an interest in using technology to make foods that are better for people.  Elimination of fungal toxins and enhanced production of key nutrients are two major areas of interest, and she has created lines that clearly are better for human health.  She also has an interest in using plants as factories for key proteins and enzymes.  Her laboratory’s extensive work is discussed on this week’s podcast.  Co-hosted with Cat Cropsey (@CatCropsey). Dr. Monica Schmidt’s website Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet   Many important enzymes, industrial and therapeutic proteins are manufactured using transgenic plants.  Plants offer many benefits to protein production over animal cells and microbes for many applications.   In this episode Dr. Beth Hood from Arkansas State University and Infinite Enzymes joins the podcast to talk about the history of making proteins in plants, the rationale, and the exciting future.  She also discusses why her company uses the corn kernel as the optimum production machine, and their efforts to manufacture the enzymes required for paper pulp processing and biofuel production. Dr. Beth Hood’s website Infitite Enzymes  website Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet    Rice is a world food staple with an incredible story.  Dr. Susan McCouch from Cornell University has been studying rice genetics for decades, and directs efforts in rice education in conjunction with the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.   This episode features interesting stories about rice origins, early selection, variation and domestication.  It is a fascinating look at the details behind an important food crop. Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet  Dr. Jennifer Kuzma received her training in biochemistry, and then later found herself working in social sciences.  She is now the Co-Director of the Genetic Engineering and Society program at North Carolina State University.  Dr. Kuzma speaks with Dr. Paul Vincelli (@Pvincell) about the social and political considerations of gene drives.  She discusses ethics, policy and regulation, as well surprising imperatives where gene drives may be necessary for conservation or human health.  This is part 2 of the series.  Part 1 discusses the technology and its ecological implications, and may be accessed here.  Dr. Jennifer Kuzma’s bio at https://facultyclusters.ncsu.edu/people/jkuzma/ See the papers associated with the following: A Roadmap to Gene Drives: A Deliberative Workshop to Develop Frameworks for Research and Governance online athttps://research.ncsu.edu/ges/research/projects/gene-drives-grant/ Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet  Gene drives are a powerful technology that may be used to control pests.  The concepts key off of exploiting genetic vulnerabilities that are rapidly inherited, and cause populations to crash over a short time. Such instances happen naturally, but now scientists are engineering the genetics of pests to induce steep population declines from gene drives. Dr. Fred Gould from North Carolina State University discusses the technology, its risks, regulation and some of the social aspects of application of the science.  Interviewed by Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell).  This episode is part 1 of two parts, and covers the technology and its ecological implications.  The social considerations are discussed by Dr. Jennifer Kuzma in this episode (released 4/7/2018).  Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Over the long history of biotech crops and microorganisms Dr. Alan McHughen has been part of the conversation.  His 2000 book Pandora’s Picnic Basket  examined the promise and risk of biotech crops. Since then he has been an important voice in helping others separate fact from fiction, and has been a leader in describing and shaping public policy in this arena.  In this episode from Denver, CO we discuss the modern manifestations of Pandora’s Picnic Basket.  We also sit down with a local woman to listen to her thoughts and concerns about food and farming, simply to understand what people are thinking and who are their central influencers. Follow Dr. McHughen   @mchughen   Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Dr. Angela Records joins Chris Barbey to discuss the mission of USAID.  USAID is committed to remedies in world food insecurity, with an emphasis on examining current opportunities and meshing new technology and crop biology with the most benficial impacts in global food security. Follow Dr. Recordss @AngelaRecords   Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet When we think about corn, we usually think about sweet corn.  It is a departure from its cousins that are grown on the vast majority of the acreage, the corn bred for use as animal feed and fuel.  Sweet corn was specifically discovered and selected because of its sweetness.  But how does a kernel of corn divert the resources used for starch production into simple sugars?  Dr. Curt Hannah has been studying starch production over his 45 year career at the University of Florida.  Along the way, he interacted with the University of Florida Sweet Corn Breeding Program down in Belle Glade, FL.  The discussion covers the genetic differences between sweet corn and corn-corn that lead to sweetness, but also some of the issues with production, breeding, and genetic engineering. Follow Dr. Hannah at @FloridaCornMan   Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Michelle Miller grew up in Wisconsin and always had an interest in agriculture.  When she reached college she traded in rural life for the big city, working in LA at designer stores and living a big city life.  But has Farm Babes go, she would find her way from Rodeo Drive to driving to the rodeo. Since, she has been critical of those that marginalize farmers and farming, and has been a powerful voice for agriculture and associated technologies. Follow Michelle at @TheFarmBabe  Michelle’s Facebook page    Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The Cavendish banana is the standard banana of commerce, yet it is under threat by a devastating disease that is spreading quickly around the world.  Dr. James Dale and his team have identified a banana resistance gene that confers resistance to the disease, and they have shown that it can fortify otherwise susceptible plants. These exciting findings aid food security issues as well as ensure the future of this important fruit crop. Hosted by Chris Barbey @crbarbey    Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The Fall Army Worm is  a moth larvae that is incredibly destructive.  It causes widespread crop losses in the Americas and now has been found in Africa.  This pest consumes everything in its path, and can travel many miles on the wind.  It is believed that this organism could cause widespread famine in Africa.  Oxitec has proposed a solution, keying off of its current suite of insect control strategies. Today we speak with Dr. Simon Warner, CSO of Oxitec.  He describes the problem and proposed solutions. Follow Oxitec on Twitter:  @oxitec Oxitec website    Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam is arguably the most effective voice in communication about biotechnology, especially in animals.  In today’s podcast she makes her third visit to Talking Biotech. In 2017, she and co-author Amy Young published a review of the literature that examined the presence of transgenic DNA or proteins in milk, meat and eggs. The data show that DNA and proteins from plants are digested to their component parts and pose no unusual risk. Milk meat and eggs from animals consuming GE products are no different from the same products from animals on alternative diets. Follow Dr. Van Eenennaam on Twitter:  @biobeef And Dr. Van Eenenaam’s blog    Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn