08/30/06 Safe Vaccine & Ethanol Increase

Safe vaccine & ethanol increase. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. After the first round of tests - according to a Chinese government news agency - the vaccine against the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in humans - developed in China - has been found safe. Researchers started work on the vaccine last year - but the vaccine must undergo rounds of testing before it`s approved for human use. Drug authorities say the vaccine has initially proved safe and effective. No further details were released. The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is also testing the vaccine for humans. U.S. ethanol production will surpass a national requirement to use 7.5-billion gallons of the mostly corn-based fuel about four years early. That's according to Renewable Fuels Association spokesperson Matt Hartwig. According to Hartwig - the 7.5-billion gallon Renewable Fuels Standard passed as part of last year's energy bill was always seen as a floor - not a ceiling - for ethanol use. And now - he says that floor's about to be eclipsed. HARTWIG: By the end of 2007 going into 2008 we'll most likely have met or exceeded that 7.5 billion gallon mark in terms of production about 4 years earlier than the demand number. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Despite the reports about GMO rice and turf grass jumping ship and intermingling where they shouldn't the outlook for Biotech crops is actually quite rosy. 1.3 million acres worldwide and 21 countries now grow biotech crops. This equates to a 30 percent increase in just one year. It is predicted that over the next four years 30 countries will be aboard the GMO band wagon and raise the total number of acres to 371 million. In the US alone we have experienced nearly a ten percent increase this year with many agronomists' attributing the surge to the fact that biotech corn, soybean and canola is simpler for farmers to farm because the crops require less pesticide. Round-up ready crops coupled with freedom from ecological concerns like pesticide in water systems make biotech crops extremely appealing. While the US is the leading producer of GMO crops when combined with pro-biotech countries like Argentina, Canada and Brazil we make up 90 percent of the worlds acreage. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.