Australian organic farmer loses GM test case
Sydney (AFP) May 28, 2014 -
An Australian farmer who lost his organic produce licence after his fields were contaminated by a neighbour's genetically modified canola crop failed Wednesday to win his test case for losses.
In a judgment which could influence how GM crops are grown in Australia, Justice Kenneth Martin also denied an injunction to protect Steve Marsh's crops against future contamination.
Marsh sued ne ...
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Weather Impacts on Food: A QandA with NASA's Molly Brown
Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 29, 2014 -
When floods, droughts, and other natural disasters hit isolated and poor regions of the world, it can have devastating impacts on the local price of food. Research scientist Molly Brown from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is using satellite data to investigate and model the relationship between weather shocks and food prices - an ambitious endeavor in light of a chang ...
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US city drops threat to close 'smelly' hot sauce factory
Los Angeles (AFP) May 29, 2014 -
A California city has dropped its threat to close a factory that makes famed Sriracha hot sauce, after months of haggling over residents' complaints about pungent smells.
The city of Irwindale outside Los Angeles took legal action in October to close Huy Fong Food's facility, saying the company should be forced to improve odor-filtering measures.
In November, a judge ordered the hot sauc ...
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France's unloved tipples hope to match cognac's Asia boom
Hong Kong (AFP) May 30, 2014 -
After cognac's transformation into a Chinese status symbol, its lesser-known French cousins armagnac and calvados are hoping to establish themselves in lucrative Asian markets as demand wanes at home.
Cognac currently accounts for 67 percent of French spirit exports, but rival digestifs and eaux-de-vie are seeking to seize more of that market and offset slumping domestic sales as France's po ...
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Drop in global malnutrition depends on ag productivity, climate change
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Jun 01, 2014 -
Global malnutrition could fall 84 percent by the year 2050 as incomes in developing countries grow - but only if agricultural productivity continues to improve and climate change does not severely damage agriculture, Purdue University researchers say.
"The prevalence and severity of global malnutrition could drop significantly by 2050, particularly in the poorest regions of the world," sai ...
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Chinese wines struggle to uncork overseas sales
Hong Kong (AFP) June 01, 2014 -
China's makers of merlot and chardonnay have found success at home, but have struggled to convince drinkers overseas that their wines can compete with offerings from more established wine nations.
Booths for Chinese wine producers displaying bottles of red, white and sparkling wines drew curious crowds at last week's Vinexpo Asia Pacific in Hong Kong.
But traders at the fair, the large ...
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Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory Passes Starts Mission
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 02, 2014 -
The new Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory satellite is now in the hands of the engineers who will fly the spacecraft and ensure the steady flow of data on rain and snow for the life of the mission. The official handover to the Earth Science Mission Operations team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on May 29, marked the end of a successful check-out per ...
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