Agriculture Spotlight
Passage of Ugandan biotech law opens access to vitamin-fortified, disease-resistant crops
Genetically engineered crops that promise to benefit both farmers and consumers are poised to enter Uganda’s marketplace now that its ...
Transgenic silkworms engineered to spin tough-fiber spider silk
In Jon Rice’s office is a small incubator full of tiny insect eggs—one of many such incubators kept at Kraig ...
Muscular pigs in Cambodia raise false concerns about GMO technology, safety
Pigs are being bred on a farm in Cambodia, and their enormous size and hulking muscles are raising alarm. The ...
Disease-resistant GMO tomato that could eliminate need for copper pesticides blocked by public fears
Field trials have shown that a disease-resistant GMO tomato variety eliminates the need for copper pesticides that pollute soil and ...
University of Florida’s Kevin Folta’s unique libel suit against New York Times faces long odds
A pro-GMO professor, University of Florida plant scientist, Kevin Folta who claims he has been defamed by the New York Times’ ...
Opinions on GMOs less swayed by facts as food becomes synonymous with religion
Personal food preferences aren’t really a rational choice. They’re more like an ideology that’s bordering on a religion. ... Gillian ...
What’s the future of meatless burgers and other ‘synthetic foods’?
[Editor’s note: Jaqueline Rowarth is chief scientist at the Environmental Protection Authority of New Zealand] Both Impossible Burger and Perfect ...
Plan for farmers in Boulder County forced to transition away from GMO crops stalls
Boulder County open space farmers facing a forced transition away from GMO crops are asking for a time out as ...
Viewpoint: Climate change, pesticides endanger monarch butterfly populations
The life cycle of the monarch hinges on the availability of milkweed, but the prevalence of the herbicide Roundup has ...
Group fitness more important than individual fitness for high-yielding crops, study shows
Survival of the fittest is a fundamental concept in Darwin's theory of natural selection which drives evolution. However, when it ...
Conventional agriculture holds multiple ecological advantages over organic, analysis shows
Conventional farming outperforms organic in several key measures -- particularly crop yield, according to a meta analysis of 164 research ...
Drought-tolerant maize could increase food security in Zimbabwe
A new study from scientists with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) shows that drought tolerant (DT) maize ...
Gene identified for disease resistance in bananas, may stave off ‘bananapocalypse’
For decades, biotech researchers and conventional breeders were foiled in their efforts to bring disease resistance to the Cavendish [banana] ...
Aquabounty and food activists clash over need for labels for GMO salmon
Four-and-a-half tons of genetically modified salmon have been released into the Canadian food market, and consumers have no way of ...
For consumers to embrace high-tech meat, producers must address sustainability concerns
Plant-based and cultured meat producers see themselves promoting sustainability, promising healthier options in a world that demands convenience and good ...
Ben and Jerry’s announces organic dairy line in Europe, pledges ‘no glyphosate traces’
Ben & Jerry’s has moved to cut all glyphosate-tainted ingredients from its production chain and introduce an “organic dairy” line ...
Non-browning genetically engineered ‘Arctic apples’ now on sale–without GMO label
[Arctic] apples are genetically altered to suppress browning and may be offered for sale as bagged slices in up to ...
Kevin Folta looks back 5 years after release of controversial Séralini GMO rat study
The heavily criticized and retracted paper linked GMO consumption and glyphosate exposure to cancer in rats. The brouhaha that erupted ...
India investigating reports of cotton farmers growing unapproved improved Monsanto GMO variety
A top Indian cotton-producing state has ordered an inspection of fields planted with an unapproved variety of genetically modified seeds ...
Viewpoint: Glyphosate herbicide’s ‘tough year’ could get much worse
Monsanto’s flagship weed killer, Roundup, has had a tough year. And it could get worse. With Roundup at the center ...
Talking Biotech: Can we fight herbicide-resistant weeds with non-GMO RNAi technology?
Monsanto biochemist Doug Sammons: RNAi technology increases weed sensitivity to targeted herbicides. This could counter the growing problem of glyphosate-resistant ...
Has the Non-GMO label fever peaked? Major vegetable packing firm removes ‘fear perpetuating’ label
One year ago, Mann Packing went through the process of getting some of its vegetable products Non-GMO Project Verified. Now, ...
Is climate change to blame for disappearing bumblebees?
[Researchers] have discovered one of the reasons why bumblebees are disappearing – global warming’s effect on flowering times. Scientists at ...
Rich people care more about perceived ‘naturalness’, environmental impact than lower-income food buyers
[Editor’s Note: Jayson Lusk is a food and agricultural economist and head of the Agricultural Economics Department at Purdue University.] ...
Despite drift issue, Monsanto sees ‘surge’ of farmers buying dicamba-resistant GMO soybean seeds
Monsanto Co. posted a surprise fourth-quarter profit and said it still expects a surge in sales of a controversial line ...
Crops and chemicals: What does the future hold for GMOs and pesticides?
[Editor's note: The following is a Q&A with Paul Vincelli, a plant pathology professor at the University of Kentucky.] Farmers are ...
State bans of dicamba herbicide could increase soybean, cotton prices
Efforts to ban the herbicide [dicamba] could benefit the prices of agricultural products such as soybeans and cotton. At the ...
