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open i's 2002 Archive


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David Walker
Postwick, Norwich
NR13 5HD, England
phone: +44 1603 705 153
email: davidw@OpenI.co.uk
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By date of publication, 2002

  1. Dec. 23, 2002: ANALYSIS: North American Grain Review - while US export sales have continued at a respectable rate in view of limited supplies, prices continue to back off from their late summer highs.
  2. Dec. 9, 2002: ANALYSIS: Early 2002/03 Prospects - the International Grain Council's(IGC) first projection of world wheat production for 2003 provides a very early basis for evaluating market prospects for next season.
  3. Dec. 1, 2002: The Postwick Bonfire - That environmentalists object to the English celebration of Guy Fawkes probably has more to do with their attitude to life than the environmental considerations. (380 words)
  4. Nov. 21, 2002: The Organic Wrangle - between a junior environment minister and the Food Standards Agency chair is doing nothing for the organic movement. (760 words)
  5. Nov. 20, 2002: Rich in history, English cattle market clings to life - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation editorial by David Walker
  6. November 2002: The Great Grain Give Away - the spread between US and Back Sea port grain prices suggest a give away. This will be confirmed if grain supplies from this source dry up.
  7. Oct. 14, 2002: SUMMARY: 2002 HGCA Market Outlook Conference - The challenges and opportunities from "Trading in an Open Market," the theme of the conference, are well illustrated.
  8. Sept. 30, 2002: Peaceniks 150,000, Rustics 400,000 - this unlikely result reflects alienation felt by rural people. (650 words)
  9. Sept. 25, 2002: The Great Grain Give Away - the spread between US and Back Sea port grain prices suggest a give away. This will be confirmed if grain supplies from this source dry up. (660 words)
  10. Sept. 24, 2002: The Day After the March - - DEFRA issued four press releases, none of which were concilliatory or at all reassuring to the 400,000 who took to the streets of London. (520 words)
  11. Sept. 23, 2002: Marching for what? - the 400,000 strong Liberty and Livelihood March should have sent a significant message to government, but hardly a clear one. (700 words)
  12. Sept. 20, 2002: No Soils Association Seed of Doubt - an assessment of genetically modified crops in North America says more about the publisher than the crops. (470 words)
  13. Sept. 19, 2002: Norwich Market, open for the moment - the attitude of the City of Norwich in its livestock market reflects societies declining dependence on, interest in and support of agriculture. (760 words)
  14. Sept. 17, 2002: ANALYSIS: US Market Update - prices have risen significantly since early June, mainly as a result of poor harvest prospects, but consumption prospects will be more critical this autumn. - featured in HGCA's MI Prospects.
  15. August 21, 2002: Travellers at Postwick - they moved on but not beroe they left their accustomed mess. (340 words)
  16. August 19, 2002: ANALYSIS: Canadian Crop Update - Although it is too early for an accurate estimate, a second successive drought-reduced crop is expected. Canada will be virtually absent from barley markets until after the 2003 harvest. - featured in HGCA's MI Prospects.
  17. July 24, 2002: In Praise of Biotechnology - Prime Minister Blair's recent criticism of radical activist opposition to genetically modified crops should prompt that part of the scientific community, which might otherwise have had political reservations, to speak its mind. (650 words)
  18. June 10, 2002: ANALYSIS: UK Weather Update - 2002 crop conditions, so far and for the most part, have been relatively favourable and crop development reflect it. The contrast to last year is marked. - featured in HGCA's MI Prospects.
  19. June 2002: Swinging Europe -The swing of European politics to the right may provide a breathing space for CAP budget and WTO issues to be addressed. - an Opinion from the Anglia Farmer and Contractor by David Walker
  20. May 24, 2002: Balance in the Biotech Debate - often extreme views are dismissed as not worthy of rebutal, but society suffers as a result of this. (750 words)
  21. April 24, 2002: Agriculture and European politics - the swing to the right may provide space for resolving farm budget and WTO issues before eastern European accession and the environment again dominate the CAP debate. (840 words)
  22. April 17, 2002: The Eco-Mercenaries' GM market - with interest fading, it makes good business sense for them to move on to issues with better fund raising potential. (700 words)
  23. April 15, 2002: ANALYSIS: US and Canadian Spring Cropping - Wheat sensitive to drought developments this spring, maize quiet except for summer weather . - featured in HGCA's MI Prospects.
  24. April 15, 2002: Foot and Mouth - the unasked question - The mistakes with the recent British foot and mouth outbreak would have been avoided if recommendations made after the 1967 outbreak had been promptly implemented. The unasked question is why was there a delay. (600 words)
  25. April 2002: Little space for new lobbies - Current demand for sectoral representation of farming, some of it from East Anglia, may have to wait a while yet. - an Opinion from the Anglia Farmer and Contractor by David Walker
  26. March 28, 2002: British beef can't catch a break - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation editorial by David Walker
  27. March 19, 2002:The Future of Farming and Food, an afterthought - With the absence of government interest in meaningful rural environmental investment, a new order of landed gentry may be needed to conserve the countryside.(1,050 words)
  28. March 16, 2002: Beyond the National Farmers Union - The current structure of British farm politics is robust and able for awhile to withstand pressure for change stemming from the evolution of agriculture.(800 words)
  29. March 15, 2002: Foot and Mouth - the political tail continued - While the motivation for a public inquiry into the British foot and mouth outbreak may be vindictive, it would serve a useful purpose in discouraging politicization in future. (840 words)
  30. March 14, 2002: Foot and Mouth - the political tail - replaced by Foot and Mouth - the political tail continued, March 15. (840 words)
  31. Feb. 27, 2002: BSE, Back in the News - Sceintific findings dismiss maternal transmission but media concern over comtamination in ship holds. (780 words)
  32. Feb. 21, 2002: Paying for the Environment - Just as social programmes have not done much to solve poverty, environmental programmes are unlikely to benefit the countryside significantly. (830 words)
  33. Feb. 7, 2002: Cardboard Marge - Ridiculing the newish British minister of other things and agriculture with a cardboard image is entertaining but not be in the best interest of the industry. from The Western Producer by David Walker
  34. Feb. 6, 2002: Out Crossing and Gene Stacking - English Nature misrepresents scientific findings. (520 words)
  35. Feb. 5, 2002: Awkward Agriculture - the British government would undoubtedly close down agriculture as other industires have been in the past, but it is more awkward. (1020 words)
  36. Feb. 4, 2002: ANALYSIS: World and EU Oats Update - Strong prices reflect solid US niche market demand in a season when supplies of suitable quality are short. - featured in HGCA's MI Prospects.
  37. Jan. 28, 2002: European GM Crops, Slow Progress - While the popularity of genetically modified crops elsewhere in the world almost certainly means they will eventually be accepted in Europe, nobody expects the process to be either smooth or swift. (800 words)
  38. Jan. 14, 2002: Agriculture within the Environment - Britain's Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs may yet recognize the importance of a thriving farm sector to conserving the countryside environment. (620 Words)
  39. Jan. 11, 2002: The Environment's Dependance on Agriculture - recognition that the degradation of the urban environment is linked to deprived economic conditions must apply in the countryside too. (600 Words)
  40. Jan. 7, 2002: Urban Blight and the Countryside - The British government needs to recognize that economic depredation is as important for sustaining the environment in countryside as it is in urban areas. (1,030 Words)
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