Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) — A drought in northern China that has
limited drinking water to almost 4 million people may also be
making birds more susceptible to the deadly H5N1 avian-flu strain.
The lack of rainfall in Shandong, Shaanxi and other northern
provinces since October causes stress for local fowl, said
, who
specializes in birds. “Any sort of stress would make birds more
susceptible to disease,” she said by e-mail today.
Bird flu killed Read the rest of this entry »

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – Monsanto Co said Wednesday it filed for U.S. regulatory approval for what could be the world’s first drought-tolerant corn, a product that agricultural companies around the globe are racing to roll out amid fears of global warming and the needs of a growing population.
Monsanto said it submitted its product to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for regulatory clearance. It is working with German-based BASF on Read the rest of this entry »