Consider joining us for an exciting, interactive global dialogue on
"Meeting Food Needs for the Next Generation"
CAST's newest publication, Agricultural Productivity Strategies for the Future: Addressing U.S. and Global Challenges, will be featured in a "Town Hall 2.0" discussion at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on February 12. CropLife International--in partnership with CAST and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)--is hosting a live panel discussion with some of the world's leading thinkers on agriculture and science to address questions such as "How can we ensure food security for a growing world population?" and "How can we improve the livelihood of our world's 2.5 billion farmers?"
Make your voice heard on how agricultural policies can make a difference for the future by registering and participating in person or online via Webcast, Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail. Click HERE to submit your questions before or during the event. Click HERE for more information.
Preparing for Agriculture's "Perfect Storm"
As it did in 1973 when Dr. Norman E. Borlaug wrote CAST Paper No. 1, agricultural policy continues to play a key role in issues that influence daily life. This current Issue Paper, Agricultural Productivity Strategies for the Future: Addressing U.S. and Global Challenges, is an update of Dr. Borlaug's paper and includes a preface from him. It is a forthright appraisal of contemporary and future challenges facing U.S. and world agriculture. The authors address several key issues and indicate that the convergence of so many challenges at one time is unprecedented. (January 2010)
News Release
CAST is Accepting Nominations for the 2010 Borlaug CAST Communication Award
Do you know of an individual who has contributed to the advancement of agricultural, environmental, or food science in the public policy arena? Let us hear about someone who you think deserves recognition for his or her outstanding achievement. Click HERE to learn more about the 2010 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. You also can click on the "CAST Communication Award" tab at the left.
You Can Be a Part of CAST!
You can donate the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) at any time. Your donations to CAST--a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization--support the search for and communication of objective science-based agricultural information. Your contribution to CAST benefits plants, animals, people, and the environment and is an investment in the future of agriculture. To learn more about the many opportunities for supporting CAST, contact Melissa Sly, CAST Membership and Marketing Coordinator (515-292-2125, ext. 32; msly@cast-science.org).
MEDIA USE in 2009
Making the Most of Media: CAST's Impact on Agricultural Science
In the past, "getting the words out" about new CAST publications was limited to hardcopy or electronic mailings, CAST presentations at government offices or society meetings, and postings on the CAST website. But with the advent of electronic social networking--including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Helium, among many others--varying times, remote places, and divergent viewpoints can instantaneously be brought together, "in your own hands." As an example, one of CAST's recent Commentaries--Food Safety and Fresh Produce: An Update--is highlighted on YouTube through three progressive mediacasts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). (To read the full article from CAST's Friday Notes, click HERE.)
THIRSTING FOR SOLUTIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL WATER USE This new CAST Issue Paper discusses the diverse demands for water resources--past, current, and future--using the impacts, regulations, challenges, and policies of specific U.S. states as examples. The authors of Water, People, and the Future: Water Availability for Agriculture in the United States indicate that it is important to the economic vitality of the United States, including agriculture, that policymakers, water managers, and water users work collaboratively to achieve sustainable water resource management. (November 2009)
News Release
H1N1 UPDATE
Time for a Shot in the Arm
Granted, since word of a potential new influenza pandemic first broke last April, some progress has been made in educating individuals and groups to use the term “H1N1” rather than “swine flu.”The national Newspaper Association recently urged community newspaper publishers and editors to use “precise language” in coverage of the flu pandemic. But a great number of people—including those who should know better—continue with the old label. Even more troubling is the persistent notion that eating a pork chop can somehow doom you to disease. Such fallacious, sensationalized, and often agenda-driven “news” is extremely infectious, which is why so much of the world remains in need of a healthy dose of reality. (To read the entire article and to view a sample of CAST’s Friday Notes, click HERE.)
FINDING COMMON GROUND
Environmental Stewardship, Feeding the Hungry,
and Sustainability
Last week, the world came to Iowa to honor "The Man Who Fed the World" and present the award he created to an Ethiopian who began life in a thatched hut and went on to develop sorghum hybrids that have enhanced the food supply of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Food Prize (WFP), first awarded in 1986, was established by Norman E. Borlaug to honor agricultural achievements that counter poverty and hunger. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and Cochair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, gave the keynote presentation, in which he noted there is a greater focus on world hunger today, but the global effort to help small farmers is "endangered by an ideological wedge that threatens to split the movement in two." (To read the entire article from CAST’s Friday Notes, click HERE.)
FOOD SAFETY IS A PRIORITY As consumption of fresh produce has increased in the U.S., so have the numbers of food-related illnesses associated with those foods. In an effort to provide the science behind the food safety issue, CAST has released Food Safety and Fresh Produce: An Update, a follow-up to its 2003 publication. The authors provide information on biological hazards associated with fresh produce, illness outbreaks, industry responses, the consumer's role, and research and policy trends. (July 2009)
News Release
WHO'S WATCHING OUT FOR WILDLIFE? AGRICULTURE AND THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973 to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems on which they depend. Progress toward achieving the ESA's goals has been slowed, however, by litigation from all sides, consuming agency resources in response to legal actions rather than meaningful protection of species. To address these issues and how they affect agriculture, CAST has released a new Commentary, The Endangered Species Act: Interfacing with Agricultural and Natural Ecosystems. (October 2009)
News Release
.jpg)
.jpg)
As it did in 1973 when Dr. Norman E. Borlaug wrote 
You can donate the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) at any time. Your donations to CAST--a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization--support the search for and communication of objective science-based agricultural information. Your contribution to CAST benefits plants, animals, people, and the environment and is an investment in the future of agriculture. To learn more about the many opportunities for supporting CAST, contact Melissa Sly, CAST Membership and Marketing Coordinator (515-292-2125, ext. 32; 
This new CAST Issue Paper discusses the diverse demands for water resources--past, current, and future--using the impacts, regulations, challenges, and policies of specific U.S. states as examples. The authors of 
As consumption of fresh produce has increased in the U.S., so have the numbers of food-related illnesses associated with those foods. In an effort to provide the science behind the food safety issue, CAST has released 
Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973 to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems on which they depend. Progress toward achieving the ESA's goals has been slowed, however, by litigation from all sides, consuming agency resources in response to legal actions rather than meaningful protection of species. To address these issues and how they affect agriculture, CAST has released a new Commentary, 
