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Biotech/Pesticide Industry Celebrates Biodiversity... With Tom Vilsack

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 00:56:47 AM PDT

This one is so truly insane that I just had to post it. CropLife America and CropLife International - pesticide and biotech lobby groups - are "exploring the present and future of a sustainable planet" and celebrating biodiversity. WTF???? And Tom Vilsack will be their special guest.

The invite reads, in part:

The United Nations (UN) has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity - a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. Today, more than ever, sustainable agricultural practices are essential to maintaining our world's natural resources and biodiversity as well as supporting an increasing population.
In this spirit, Iowa State University, CropLife International, CropLife America, and Truth about Trade and Technology have partnered together to bring together farmers around the world to discuss what they are doing on a daily basis to preserve our planet and how they see these practices improving in the future. Interacting with the panel and taking questions from both the in-person and online audience will also be United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Wow. Adding to the irony, they are having a corn and soy farmer on their panel, discussing biodiversity. If that sounds enticing, then I have good news for you: You can participate online! The full invite, complete with misspellings, is below.

Jill Richardson :: Biotech/Pesticide Industry Celebrates Biodiversity... With Tom Vilsack

Biodiversity World Tour:
Exploring the present and future of a sustainable planet
Stop #1: Iowa State University Global Farmer Town Hall
Featuring Guest Participant, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
"Humans are part of nature's rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it."
~ United Nations' Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The United Nations (UN) has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity - a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. Today, more than ever, sustainable agricultural practices are essential to maintaining our world's natural resources and biodiversity as well as supporting an increasing population.
In this spirit, Iowa State University, CropLife International, CropLife America, and Truth about Trade and Technology have partnered together to bring together farmers around the world to discuss what they are doing on a daily basis to preserve our planet and how they see these practices improving in the future. Interacting with the panel and taking questions from both the in-person and online audience will also be United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
You are invited to take part in the discussion and make your voice heard. Submit your questions and comments live about how farmers can feed a growing world while protecting our environment around us.
You can participate in-person or online via webcast, Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail.
What: Global Farmer Town Hall on Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Practices
When: Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 CST
Where: Howe Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50012
For World Food Prize Attendees, a bus will leave at 9 AM from the Des Moines Marriot for the event
Live-streamed via Webcast at http://www.BiodiversityWorldTo...
Please register online for free at: http://www.BiodiversityWorldTo...
Panelists Will Include:
Rajesh Kumar, Vegetable Farmer from Tami Nadu, India.
Louis Rodriguez, Corn and Cattle Farmer from Jamastran Valley, Honduras.
Pam Johnson, Corn and Soybean Farmer from Central Iowa, United States.
Gary Munkvold, Seed Science Endowed Chair, Chair of the Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business, Iowa State University.
Judy Chambers, Director of the Program for Biosafety Systems in the Environment and Production Technology Division at IFPRI, Senior Advisor to USAID.
Moderated by:
Orion Samuelson, Host of National Farm Report, Samuelson Sez, and This Week in Agribusiness
To learn how to submit a question for the panel, please visit http://www.biodiversityworldto... . For general questions, contact isutownhall at gmail dot com
Follow the event at http://www.biodiversityworldto... on Twitter @CropLifeIntl and @CropLifeFdn, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CropNews .

Tags: CropLife International, CropLife America, Tom Vilsack, Truth about Trade and Technology, (All Tags)

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Biotech/Pesticide Industry Celebrates Biodiversity... With Tom Vilsack | 6 comments

Interesting, I'll have to attend this (4.00 / 2)

I'm glad conferences like these are being made available via webcasting. Otherwise there's absolutely no way I could participate or attend.

I'm familiar with Orien. I've been watching him on The Farm Report, This Week in Agribusiness, etc. for years.

For those of you who have access to the chanel I strongly recomend watching almost any of the programing on RFD TV. That chanel is all about farming, ranching, livestock handling, etc.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 13:27:35 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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RFD TV (0.00 / 0)

RFD TV offers inet streaming and video on demand.

by: count @ Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 13:49:31 PM UTC

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by: you @ soon

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Didn't know that! (4.00 / 1)

Now no one had an excuse if they want to watch RFD TV. I'd heard for years about the chanel, but on a dialup (way back when) it's impossible to watch stuff like that on the net. Now that high speed connections are so much more common it makes it easier for people who don't have access to cable or sattelite providers that carry chanels like RFD.

I'll have to go check the website out.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 14:19:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Smart strategy (4.00 / 1)

$14.99/month for live streaming and video on demand. If I wasn't already paying for sattelite and getting RFD with that, I'd probably subscribe.

Normal people scare me.... But not as much as I scare them.

by: JoanneRigutto @ Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 14:32:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Truth (4.00 / 1)

Never heard of these folks:

Truth about Trade and Technology
Would you eat genetically modified Salmon? Vote Yes!

A farmer is a farmer is a farmer?

2010 World Food Prize Laureates
DAVID BECKMANN AND JO LUCK are receiving the 2010 World Food Prize for their landmark achievements in building Bread for the World and Heifer International into two of the world's foremost grassroots organizations leading the charge to end hunger and poverty for millions of people around the globe.

From Beckmann's bio,

Beckmann has also helped to build and strengthen the political influence of many other humanitarian organizations, including: the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, the ONE Campaign, InterAction, World Vision, Feeding America, the Global Foodbanking Network, Universities Fighting World Hunger, Elanco, MAZON: The Jewish Response to Hunger, and the UN Millennium Hunger Task Force.

The truth at last, Elanco is a humanitarian organization. (So is WalMart?)

2010 World Food Prize Laureate Announcement Ceremony featuring U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and USAID Admin[i]strator Rajiv Shah.

Three of my favorite people.

by: count @ Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 13:42:20 PM UTC

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Hahaha (4.00 / 1)

here's my question:

If THEY are for biodiversity and sustainability, then what the hell are we for????

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 21:38:23 PM UTC

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by: you @ soon

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Biotech/Pesticide Industry Celebrates Biodiversity... With Tom Vilsack | 6 comments