Press-Republican

In My Opinion

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 10, 2011

In My Opinion: Thinking beyond our borders

DR. RICK GRANT Press-Republican

We have all read the headlines of food shortages, riots and dire predictions of escalating global food insecurity. The theme for this year's World Food Day, set for Oct. 16, is "world food prices — from crisis to stability."

Increased global demand is driving food prices higher. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people, and we will need to grow more food in the next 50 years than has been produced in the last 10,000 — essentially 100 percent more food than we currently produce. And to preserve our planet, we will also need to freeze the environmental footprint of food production. Consequently, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that about 70 percent of the increased food production will need to come from efficiency-enhancing farming practices and technologies if we are to stand a chance of feeding the world's growing population while sustaining the natural environment.

The World Wildlife Fund's Dr. Jason Clay asserts that solutions to the global food crisis will come from intensification of agriculture and intelligent use of genetic enhancements of crops and technology.

Recent research suggests that high-yielding farms spare land for more wild species to exist. Improvements in food-production practices have continually reduced the use of water and land for crop and animal production.

As an example, adoption of technologies over the past six decades that boost production efficiency has reduced the carbon footprint of milk production in the United States by more than 60 percent. Our relative food security enables consumer choice of either intensive or low-input food production methods and debate about which is ultimately better for society.

The typical U.S. consumer spends 10 percent of his or her income on food, whereas in India it is 50 percent. A researcher in Nairobi issues this challenge that I like to share with our environmental science students at the Institute: "You people in the western world are certainly free to debate the merits of genetically modified foods, but can we please eat first?"

The debate over the best global food-production practices will undoubtedly continue, but The Economist earlier this year reported that traditional and organic farming might possibly feed Europe and America but not the entire world. So, it is fortunate that recent surveys show that 95 percent of consumers worldwide are either neutral or supportive of using advanced technology to produce food.

A Nielsen survey this year found that 98 percent of U.S. consumers consider taste, cost and nutritional value the top three most important factors when making food-purchasing decisions.

Can U.S. farmers feed the world? That has long been a rallying cry for American agriculture. We all should know that today's U.S. farmer produces food and fiber for 155 people here and abroad.

Interestingly, a survey conducted this year found that 40 percent of U.S. consumers felt that American farmers should not be responsible for addressing world hunger. A majority of consumers, in fact, feel that it is more important for the United States to teach developing nations how to feed themselves rather than exporting food to them.

This is food for thought. Regardless of the path we choose, the United States must lead a global effort to address food security. We talk about local food production and locavores — thinking locally but acting globally.

When it comes to feeding the world and the proper role of global agricultural practices, thinking beyond our North Country borders has never been more important.

Rick Grant is president of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
In My Opinion
  • In My Opinion: E'town water, sewer essential

    Elizabethtown has a history of economic ups and downs, Town Supervisor Margaret Bartley writes.

    February 11, 2012

  • In My Opinion: Behind the city lockbox program

    AFSCME Local 788 has received the opinion and award of Arbitrator Kenneth J. Toomey denying the union's grievance of the city's Financial Lockbox, by which residents' water, sewer and trash payments can be routed to a Glens Falls National Bank subcontractor in Hicksville, Long Island, union President Denise Nephew writes.

    February 3, 2012

  • In My Opinion: Tribe said to violate contract policy

    Take a quick survey of the northeast corner of St. Lawrence County and the northwest corner of Franklin County, and one would see and hear from residents that the only real economic activity that is taking place these days is happening on our reservation, Akwesasne Mohawk Contractors Association President Ron Garrow writes.

    February 2, 2012

  • In My Opinion: Putting vision into action

    My family has been residents here since 1956. We have seen many changes, many exciting new beginnings and a few disappointments along the way, writes Robert Smith, chairman of the Partnership for Community Development.

    February 1, 2012

  • In My Opinion: Willsboro residents urged to participate

    Nearly three years ago, work began to develop a new community-based comprehensive local land-use planning program for the Town of Willsboro, write Steering Committee Co-Chairs Bill Bardeen and John Oliver.

    January 20, 2012

  • In My Opinion: Board isn't firing superintendent

    The primary responsibility of the Lake Placid Central School District Board of Education is to promote the welfare and education of students, writes School Board President Phil Baumbach.

    December 27, 2011

  • In My Opinion: Congress urged to preserve gauges

    All of the Champlain Valley communities that suffered flooding during this spring's snowmelt and those damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in September could be better prepared the next time such a disaster threatens homes, says John Sheehan of the Adirondack Council.

    December 20, 2011

  • In My Opinion: Housing official rebuts charges

    That New York State Comptroller's report and their investigation findings in reference to my hiring was so far from the truth, now is time for the public to hear the facts, former Comlinks Housing Director Fred Gagnier declares.

    December 17, 2011

  • In My Opinion: Supervisor addresses accusations

    Mooers is a terrible place to live, according to some. This must explain why Mooers had the highest population growth rate in the county in the 2010 census, writes outgoing Town Supervisor Rudy Miller.

    December 10, 2011

  • In My Opinion: Addressing the state's 'illness'

    There has been much recent discussion about the state's budget deficit, Gov. Andrew Cuomo writes. But the state's deficit is only a symptom, and, as governor, I want to address the illness.

    December 7, 2011