29. February 2008 by P. Leslie Riley.

For what it’s worth :

http://nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news2.27a.html

Research Breakthrough Could Lead to Super Synthetic Corn

Iowa State University researchers helped write the first draft of the corn genome sequence that will be announced Feb. 28, at the 50th Annual Maize Genetics Conference in Washington, D.C.

Patrick Schnable, a Baker Professor of Agronomy and director of the Center for Plant Genomics and the Center for Carbon Capturing Crops, and Srinivas Aluru, a Stanley Chair in Interdisciplinary Engineering and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, led the work at Iowa State and provided the project with expertise in corn genomics and supercomputing.

Schnable and Aluru led Iowa State’s work to refine assemblies of the genomic sequences generated by researchers at Washington University. In addition, they identified almost 100 genes which have nearly identical copies in the genome. Schnable said these nearly identical paralogs may have played important roles during the evolution and domestication of corn and may have contributed to the ability of breeders to mold this important crop species to meet human needs. The Schnable and Aluru teams also discovered several hundred new corn genes that are not present in other plants. Some of these genes may be responsible for unique attributes of corn.

The corn genome is an especially difficult jigsaw puzzle to put together, Schnable said. There are some 2.5 billion base pairs that make up the double helix of corn DNA. The corn genome also has long lines of repetitive code. And corn has 50,000 to 60,000 genes to identify and characterize. That’s about twice the number of genes in humans. Plus, 50 percent or more of the corn genome is made up of transposons or jumping genes. Those are pieces of DNA that can move around the genome and change the function of genes.

Solving all those assembly challenges took a lot of computing power and some new software technology. Aluru and his research team developed software called “PaCE” and “LTR_par” that runs on parallel computers — including CyBlue, Iowa State’s IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer capable of 5.7 trillion calculations per second. PaCE can generate draft genome assemblies in hours or days instead of months. LTR_par identifies retrotransposons, another mobile genetic element that can cause genome changes such as mutations, gene duplications and chromosome rearrangements.

Implications

Schnable said the resulting draft of the corn genome provides plant scientists with a lot of data to work with. He said it’s a lot like the collection of maps, diary entries, dried plants and animal specimens brought back by the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific. The explorers gathered and assembled a great deal of basic information about the Louisiana Purchase that required years of subsequent analysis and study.

“This will enable so much exciting corn research,” Schnable said. “This will raise questions about the biology of corn and provide great tools to answer them.”

Those answers could help scientists modify and improve corn plants, Schnable said. The genome, for example, could help scientists:

• develop crops that can withstand global climate change
• add nutritional value to grain
• sequester more atmospheric carbon in agricultural soils
• or boost yields so crops can meet growing demands for food, feed, fiber and fuel.

“In addition, what we learn from the corn genome will allow us to better understand other grasses,” Schnable said.

The genome of corn is very similar to the genomes of rice, wheat, sorghum, prairie grasses and turf grasses. Therefore, Schnable said the draft of the corn genome can help researchers improve the other cereals and grasses.

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2. February 2008 by P. Leslie Riley.

More godless genetic manipulation & short-sighted ecological irresponsibility ?
Cutting edge renewable solution to a growing problem ?

Both ?

Is there an opportunity for Agriculture to play a role in cleaning up modern ecological messes ?

http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news1.31c.html

 Transgenic Poplar Trees Being Used to Leach Toxins form Soil

Purdue University researchers are collaborating with Chrysler LLC in a project to use poplar trees to eliminate pollutants from a contaminated site in north-central Indiana.

The researchers plan to plant transgenic poplars at the site, a former oil storage facility near Kokomo, Ind., this summer. In a laboratory setting, the transgenic trees have been shown to be capable of absorbing trichloroethylene, or TCE, and other pollutants before processing them into harmless byproducts.

Richard Meilan, a Purdue associate professor, is currently at work to transform one variety of poplar suited to Indiana’s climate; cold-hardy poplars are generally more difficult to alter than the variety used in a laboratory setting.

“This site presents the perfect opportunity to prove that poplars can get rid of pollution in the real world,” Meilan said.

In a study Meilan co-authored, published last October in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, poplar cuttings removed 90 percent of the TCE within a hydroponic solution in one week. The engineered trees also took up and metabolized the chemical 100 times faster than unaltered hybrid poplars, which have a limited ability to remove and degrade the contaminant on their own, he said.

The transgenic poplars contain an inserted gene that encodes an enzyme capable of breaking down TCE and a variety of other environmental pollutants, including chloroform, benzene, vinyl chloride and carbon tetrachloride.

Meilan said he believes the transgenic poplars will be able to remove the TCE from the site, named Peter’s Pond, which was contaminated by tainted oil stored there in the 1960s. The chemical, used as an industrial solvent and degreaser, lies within 10 feet of the surface, making it accessible to poplar roots, he said.

TCE, the most common groundwater pollutant on Superfund sites, is a probable human carcinogen and causes various health problems when present in sufficiently high levels in water or air.

Meilan said planting transgenic trees in the field remains controversial, primarily due to concerns that inserted genes, or transgenes, might escape and incorporate into natural tree populations.

“It is legitimate to be concerned about transgenic plants, but we are taking comprehensive steps to ensure that our transgenes don’t escape into the environment,” Meilan said.

Meilan has applied for a permit to grow transgenic poplars in a field, or non-laboratory, setting from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the government organization responsible for regulating such research activities, he said.

In order to comply with permit guidelines and to protect the environment, Meilan’s team will take measures to prevent any plant material from leaving the site and will remove the trees after three years, short of the five it takes for poplars to reach sexual maturity, he said.

“Three years should be enough time for them to grow up, send down roots to suck the pollutants up and break them down,” Meilan said. “Then we’ll cut them down before they have the chance to pass on their genes to the environment.”

Besides their utility in phytoremediation, or pollution removal, poplars have promise as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol. To investigate their potential in this area, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $1.3 million grant to Meilan and two colleagues, professors Michael Ladisch, agricultural and biological engineering, and lead researcher Clint Chapple, biochemistry.

They are currently investigating ways to alter the composition of poplar lignin, which provides rigidity to the plant cell wall by binding to strands of cellulose, a complex sugar that can be converted into ethanol.

Chrysler will fund the Kokomo project and said that the TCE is contained within an isolated water table at Peter’s Pond and presents no public hazard.

The original study, led by University of Washington professors Stuart Strand and Sharon Doty, revealed that the transgenic poplars also were able to absorb TCE vapors through their leaves before metabolizing the chemical. Tree cuttings removed 79 percent of the airborne TCE from a chamber within one week. This suggests poplars could one day help mitigate air as well as water pollution.

If the project succeeds, poplars may be used for phytoremediation elsewhere. Poplars grow across a wide geographic range and in many different climates, Meilan said.

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2. February 2008 by P. Leslie Riley.

So who is it again who likes NAFTA ?
You can thank the “leaders” of the Democrat & Repiblican parties for :
a) making messes
b) not learning from them
c) repeating/ expanding them

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/01/mexico.farmers/index.html

Mexican farmers protest NAFTA

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of farmers clogged central Mexico City Thursday with their slow-moving tractors, protesting the entry of cheap imported corn from the United States and Canada.

Farmers protest in Mexico City Thursday against the removal of import tariffs on U.S. and Canada farm goods.

On January 1 Mexico repealed all tariffs on corn imported from north of the border as part of a 14-year phaseout under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

The farmers want the government to renegotiate the 1994 free trade agreement, which removed most trade barriers among Mexico, Canada, and the United States, saying livelihoods are at stake.

“NAFTA is very bad, very bad for Mexican consumers and for Mexican producers,” said Victor Quintana, head of Democratic Farmers Front, which organized the protest.

The farmers complain that U.S. and Canadian grains are heavily subsidized and therefore undermine Mexican products.

“The NAFTA agreement is in place and that’s that,” said farmer Armando del Valle. “But all producers should be under equal conditions, and as Mexicans, we are not working under the same terms as our neighbors up north.” Watch a tractor go up in smoke, as farmers plead their case »

Ramon Garcia, who grows corn just outside Mexico City, said he couldn’t afford to fertilize his crop this year and had to rent a tractor to till his field. The work is too much work for too little return, he said.

“Corn is too cheap,” Garcia said. “For me to make a profit, it has to bring in 15 pesos ($1.4) a kilo, and I can barely get 10.”

The farmers say their pleas have fallen on deaf ears in the Mexican government, forcing them to take their protests to the streets.

The government has said NAFTA is working fine and won’t be renegotiated but promised to negotiate with farmers to find ways to increase their subsidies.

Grain prices in Mexico have been stable since subsidized U.S. and Canadian grains appeared on the market in January, Mexican officials said — but still too low for many farmers

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30. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

Statewide Radio Interview Thursday.

This Thursday ( Nov. 1) I will be interviewed on the Gallo program on Supertalk from 7:30 to 8:00. This is a statewide drive time program and has the largest audience of any radio program by far. If you do not know what your local affiliate, is you can click here & scroll about half way down the page.

Paul Gallo is out & the guest hosts will be Conservative Republicans Nick Walters & Hays Dent. Plan on listening & calling in if you can (888)-808-8637

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24. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting has loaded the videos of all statewide candidates on their web site. Myself & my Democrat & Republican opponents are at the bottom.

http://www.etv.state.ms.us/televisio…ates/index.htm

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24. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

Ag Commissioner hopefuls Square off

Starkville Daily News

http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/content/view/23936/60/

By KELLY DANIELS
Starkville Daily News

Both opponents of incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell said during a debate Tuesday night that he was obligated to take at least some of the blame for the failure of Mississippi Beef Processors plant and the loss of $55 million in taxpayer dollars.
With the position of agricultural commissioner up for grabs on Nov. 6, Spell, a Republican, and challengers Rickey Cole, a Democrat, and Constitution Party candidate Leslie Riley, disagreements and answers to touchy issues during a debate on the Mississippi State University campus last night - one being the beef plant.
WTVA-TV news anchor Craig Ford, one of two media panelists, asked Spell, “Looking back what else could you have done to better scrutinize the project during the development process and not at the very least share some of the blame for what happened?”
Without taking at least some of the blame, Spell, who has been agriculture commissioner since 199 6, said that he was not the only member of the board that oversaw the project.
“A lot of criticism has been made at the level of committees, but I ask you to remember that the (Mississippi) Land, Water and Timber (Resources) Board has 14 members,” said Spell.
Riley offered an answer of what he would do in a similar situation.
“I will not run out and take credit for every good thing that happens in the state,” said Riley. “I don’t think Dr. Spell is the sole problem for what’s going on, but I think we’re in a big mess right now.”
Riley added that he would take the blame for any future messes.
Cole said that Spell should shoulder some of the blame.
“But he hasn’t even taken one-fourteenth of the blame,” said Cole, referring to the 14-member Land, Water and Timber Resources Board that initially pushed the project.
“The beef plant was never a good idea that failed in its execution,” said Cole.
“The beef plant was a fundamentally flawed idea. It was doomed to failure from day one.”
Cole sited an unspecified 2001 MSU study on the beef plant, in which the “perfect scenario” for the plant’s success showed only a 2.5 percent profit at best.
Riley added to Cole’s comments drawing from his experience in the private sector.
“If you lose $55 million, it’s the CEO who takes the blame,” said Riley.
Spell’s rebuttal was a redefinition of the problem, which he said was the oversight and management of the project.

Food safety and illegal immigrants

One question to Riley addressed a statement on his campaign Web site regarding removal of illegal aliens from food processing plants where potential contamination situations exist.
“As Dr. Spell mentioned in his opening statement, food safety is the key component of this business. In Alabama they have a they had an outbreak of tuberculosis,” said Riley. “We had tuberculosis wiped out.”  
Riley attributed the outbreak to 152 unaccounted for food workers of a p oultry plant.
Cole’s answer was for stronger enforcement of illegal immigration laws from the federal government.
Spell had the same answer, yet disagreed aloud with a statement Cole made to the Hattiesburg American concerning illegal workers.
The Oct. 11 edition of the Hattiesburg American quotes Cole saying, “I don’t believe any right-thinking government official in this country would tell employers we’re coming to fine you today for hiring illegal aliens and we’re going to shut your operation down. … The economy would grind to a halt.”
Spell said he disagreed with that philosophy.
“It is a problem when you talk about  health issues, particularly those people that sneak across the borders,” said Spell. “I think what we really ought to do is insist that Congress enforce the laws that we have on the books.”
Spell continued his argument remembering the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
“We are very susceptible not only these acts, but acts of germ warfare and chemical warfare and I think we’d do a better job if we already enforce the laws that we have,” said Spell.

Eliminating the
commissioner’s job

Starkville Daily News Editor Brian Hawkins, the other panelist, asked Spell what his thoughts were on the elimination of the commissioner’s position and shifting the Agriculture Department’s duties to the state’s two and-grant universities — MSU and Alcorn State — or to the Mississippi Development Authority.
Spell said the agriculture business draws in more than $6 billion each year and needs support from a full-time state department.
“We have one out of four jobs directly related to agriculture,” said Spell. “Nobody else provides the support for our small farmers and our young farmers.”
Spell added that agriculture was far too large of an industry to be divided among other state agencies.
“We build grocery stores,” said Spell.
 ”By the way, I led the fight to ban Chinese catfish that was contam inated.”
Riley also said that the position shouldn’t be eliminated. However, he added that editorialists who would like to get rid of the department would really like to have the money spent by the department be distributed elsewhere, instead of having taxes lowered.
“They don’t want to get rid of $19 million that the agriculture department is spending every year and put it back in their pocket,” said Riley. “If that was something they were talking about doing, my more Libertarian leanings might be swayed to go in that direction.
“What  they want is to send it over to the wise folks over in the legislature and spend it on something else.”
“Well, it’s not going to happen,” Cole answered. “I’ve met a lot of people in these campaign trails who really don’t know what this job does.”
Cole said that when he is elected that people will not only know “what the job does,” but they will wonder what they will do without it.
Tuesday’s debate at MSU was sponsored by the Stennis-Montgomery Association.  

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19. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

The Coast’s biggest daily newspaper — the Sun Herald — had an article about the Ag Commissioner’s race today ( below). They published a very balanced piece.

The artilce is below. If you get a chance, e-mail the author and thank him for his fair coverage and send a letter to the editor in support of my campaign ( reference the article & it is more likely to get published).

http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/167637.html

3 vying for Dept. of Agriculture post
Commissioner works with farmers in state
By MICHAEL A. BELL
mbell@sunherald.com

With the title of “Mr. Agriculture” comes a responsibility to protect consumers from harmful imported foods, promote Mississippi’s economic vitality across the globe and help local farmers grow and promote their crops.

The three candidates running for Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner - Democrat Rickey Cole, Republican Lester Spell and independent Paul “Les” Riley - all say they are up for the challenge.

Cole, president of Mississippi Policy Forum, said he is running because he feels the state is neglecting farmers like him. The Ovett man spent 15 years growing greens and selling them to markets across the Gulf Coast; he wants more incentives and tax breaks for dairy farmers, along with more money for farming research.

“I meet farmers all the time who are working at public jobs that they hate because they couldn’t see a way to make a living,” he said.

Spell, a retired veterinarian from Richland who’s held the commissioner spot since 1995, has a platform that includes protecting consumers from tainted imported foods. He says his staff in June detected illegal substances in catfish imported from China before it reached local markets.

“Food safety is very important to us,” he said. “We take it very, very seriously.”

Spell also is quick to note under his leadership the number of farms across the state has climbed more than 2 percent, while the majority of other states report losses.

Riley, with the Constitution Party, has a platform based on removing the state’s dependence on big government.

“I think we need to be much more humble in our approach that we think government can solve all our problems,” he said.

The Pontotoc salesman has actively voiced his devout Christian faith and staunch conservative views throughout his campaign.

After its support of several failed programs, including the beef plant in Oakland, Riley wants to see the Department of Agriculture’s budget cut and the money returned to the taxpayers.

Both Riley and Cole said the failed Spell-approved beef plant in Oakland cost taxpayers $55 million and a loss of 400 jobs.

Spell said the decision was made for the betterment of the state. If the plant were a success, it would have created hundreds of jobs and industry sales of more than $140 million.

Whoever does come out on top in the commissioner race on Nov. 6 will monitor petroleum quality, while likely continuing a push for alternative fuel research and development.

Cole said he’s recently pulled into a number of gas stations across the state and spotted outdated inspection stickers on the gas pumps. Spell, however, said he’s traveled to a number of the pumps Cole pointed out, and he claims many of the convenience stores quit selling gas years ago or were closed.

Riley wants more focus on alternative fuel research.

“We need to move towards a more decentralized system using alternative crops, such as sorghum,” he said. “This would return more dollars to the farms and give more control to local economies, rather than the big oil, big government model we have now.”

Meet the candidatesHere are the three candidates running for Commissioner of Agriculture & Commerce:

Rickey L. Cole, of Ovett

Political party: Democrat.

Current occupation: President, Mississippi Policy Forum.

Highest educational degree: Attended Mississippi State University.

Personal: 40 years old, married, one child.

Why I’m running: “Mississippi agriculture is our largest industry, but millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on poorly planned agricultural development projects like the failed cull-cow plant.”

Lester Spell, of Richland

Political party: Republican.

Current occupation: Commissioner of Agriculture, 1996 to present.

Highest educational degree: Doctor of veterinary medicine, Auburn University, 1968.

Personal: 64 years old, widowed, two children.

Why I’m running: “I want to continue my successful efforts that have increased farming opportunities, developed new products and markets for our farmers, and have provided fresh Mississippi-grown products for consumers.”

Paul “Les” Riley, of Pontotoc

Political party: Constitution.

Current occupation: Salesman, Aberdeen RV, four years; small-business owner, Abby’s Grace Originals, five years; runs small farm.

Highest educational degree: Attended Christian Brothers College and Northwest Community College.

Personal: 40 years old, married, nine children.

Why I’m running: “Mississippi needed a visionary, conservative alternative to the two Democrats that we running for Ag Commissioner. I will work to create an environment that is conducive to profitability of farms - small and large; to young people going into farming; to communities becoming more independent & prosperous through agricultural & bottom-up development, and show that having a clean environment, healthy food, and an economy that is growing is not dependant upon big government, cheap, illegal, immigrant labor, or a culture where cities and farms are at odds.”

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11. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

I was recently asked a very good question about my statements regarding country of origin labeling. I thought the answer was worth posting here for clarification.

The question asked was :

If I may ask you a question about your political philosophy in this regard … you are a conservative … you believe in limited government involvement (or what some would call deregulation) … this is more government regulation … why are you not against this philosophically …?

I am a libertarian … we share a lot of the same political leaning supposedly … if you are insisting that there are good laws that should be enforced … and meat safety is one IMHO …

My reply :
I will try to start with the philosophical & then deal with the specifics.

While I have leanings that could fit into the categories of Libertarian & paleo-Conservative, we live in a time when these labels are not quite as easy to fit into as they recently would have been.

Generally speaking I am somewhat Jeffersonian ( localism, Agrarianism, decentralization, & limited government) with a heavy dose of John Calvin’s view of human nature & spheres of authority as the foundation.

I am not opposed to government to the degree that the most doctrinaire libertarian would be because I believe that this tends towards anarchy which always leads to further tyranny.

How does all this philosophy relate to COOL laws ?

1) We cannot say that all regulation is unconstitutional because the Constitution gives the federal government the authority to regulate interstate commerce, trade, and currency.
But I think the Founders view ( and the correct view) is towards very little regulation & government involvement in the economy or free enterprise.
To quote Jefferson : “Government should prevent men from doing one another harm and otherwise leave them to regulate their own affairs”.
2) We cannot say that the state of Mississippi is not allowed to have any regulatory authority because the States clearly reserved broad powers for themselves in the Constitution ( 9th & 10th Amendments particularly).
** That being said, my tendency is still towards more freedom/ less government. I think this is one of the building blocks of our system of government; it is the most moral position; and it is the position that provides the most opportunity for prosperity. **

I do have a concern — and I frankly have not come to a clear answer in my own mind on this — that private centralization can be just as dangerous as government centralization.

Big Government & Big Business are not enemies, they are friends. And both are enemies of the family, of liberty, of our culture, of small business, and of free enterprise. Socialism & Communism gives government control of the economy and ultimately everything else. The Statism of & trend towards centralization of government in our country is a step down towards socialism .
Fascism leaves ownership of private property in the hands of the private sector but the government controls & manipulates it. ( and those in power give favors to their friends/ punish their enemies). Corporatism & the trend towards centralization in business is a step towards fascism.

As far as the even more specific of this law goes.

I do not think requiring country of origin labeling is out-of-bounds — particularly not if it is done at the state/ local level. As one who has worked in super market management ( at the store and corporate level) the expense to the food industry for compliance is miniscule to the point of almost being non-existent.

For a libertarian-leaning conservative like me, here is where the rubbber meets the road.
The law does not forbid the sale of foreign meat by packers & retailers. It does not forbid the purchase of foreign meat by consumers. People still have as much freedom as they did before, but they are informed and can make choices.

Hope this clears things up. But this may not be at all what you are looking for . . . Let me know if you have anymore questions

Leslie Riley

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8. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

Being called a bit kookie by a fellow conservative is an odd endorsement, but I still appreciate this from the blog “Common Sense from the Piney Woods”

 http://commonsensefromthepineywoods.blogspot.com/2007/10/endorsements.html

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6. October 2007 by P. Leslie Riley.

In the last week, there have been two major meat recalls. One will apparently bankrupt TOPPS hamburger. The other is at Sam’s Club. This is yet another reason that packer concentration and meat country of origin labels are important.

As pointed out in this post/ press release, Mississippi passed a common sense meat labeling law in 2002 that called for the Ag Dept. to enforce said labeling laws. To date — even after the recent scares, this labeling law is still not being enforced.

 In an age of e-coli, meat recalls, potential bioterrorism, and a intense centralization of both the processing & retailing end of the meat industry it is important for consumers to have an opportunity to know where their food is produced.

 According to a recent poll, the majority of American consumers want this sort of labeling — so it is not only good for livestock farmers, but also demanded by the buying public. It is time for the ag dept to enforce this law.

http://www.ellinghuysen.com/news/articles/57772.shtml

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