Daily Food & Ag Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of agricultural and food issues, including the GMO debate, conventional and organic farming, regulations, new breeding technologies and sustainability. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Climate change could turn bugs into more aggressive pests—and limit the ability of plants to protect themselves
Recent models are telling us that, as our climate warms up, herbivores and pests will cause increased damage to agricultural ...
Future of farming: How next-generation robots breed heartier crops and optimize yields
In a research field off Highway 54 last autumn, corn stalks shimmered in rows 40-feet deep. Girish Chowdhary, an agricultural ...
What do the latest studies say about IARC’s lone conclusion that glyphosate could cause cancer? Faulty memories, statistical bias undermine conclusion
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that is used to control many types of plants worldwide. The International Agency for Research ...
Biofortification from Golden Rice and other biotech crops could help cut $3.5 trillion lost annually to malnutrition
Over two billion people worldwide continue to suffer from hidden hunger, or the lack of essential micronutrients, which impairs the ...
Viewpoint: If Europe wants to be ‘carbon neutral,’ it needs to embrace biotechnology—GMO and CRISPR crops included
“A revolution is taking place in the knowledge base for life sciences and biotechnology, opening up new applications in healthcare, ...
How beer brewers and marijuana growers are teaming up to help address the climate crisis
The state of Colorado and three small businesses are trying a novel approach to reduce carbon emissions that sounds like ...
FDA reports 38% decline in animal antibiotic sales since 2015, easing public health concerns
For several years, an area of focus for those of us involved in farm animal care has been a commitment ...
Viewpoint: Science losing out to anti-glyphosate hysteria, farmers in a quandary as there are no alternative weedkillers as effective
Confirmation [in January] by the U.S. [EPA] that glyphosate is not carcinogenic is welcome, but .... it doesn’t matter. What ...
Viewpoint: Anti-chemical ‘activist-legal complex’ fuels public fear of scientific innovation
In his Farewell Address, President Eisenhower warned of the military-industrial complex, a partnership between the military and defense industry that ...
Viewpoint: How the ‘green lobby’ has partnered with the fishing industry to keep sustainable GMO salmon off our plates for 25 years
What should one make of the following set of facts? A federal government, urged on by self-designated advocates for the ...
East Africa faces two plagues: Once-in-a-generation insect infestation and swarms of European activists trying to block the only effective tool, pesticides
European activists are putting lives at risk in East Africa, turning a plague of insects into a real prospect of ...
Meat takes a toll on the planet, but these vegan favorites come at a ‘heavy’ environmental price, too
It has all the makings of a delicious smoothie – a dollop of almond butter, an avocado, a few slices ...
Public views pesticides as ‘bad industrial chemicals’. Here’s how farmers can turn that fear into support for sustainable farming
The online conversation around pesticides is expected to explode by 212 percent over the next two years, despite the fact ...
Expert answers to 11 questions about Beyond Burgers, Impossible Whoppers and other plant-based meats
Bruce Friedrich is cofounder and executive director of The Good Food Institute (GFI), an international non-profit organization that .... is ...
Bayer and BASF hit with $265 million verdict for damages jury concludes were caused by dicamba weedkiller
A jury ruled against Bayer and BASF SE in a crop-damage case, awarding $265 million to a Missouri peach farmer ...
Climate change could increase productive farmland more than 30%—and boost carbon emissions 177 gigatons
Future farming in regions that were previously unsuitable for agriculture could significantly impact biodiversity, water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions ...
Impossible Foods touts eco-benefits of its GMO plant-based burger to win over skeptical consumers
Impossible Foods has claimed a spot on the menus of fast-food chains like Restaurant Brands International’s Burger King and White ...
Weedkiller breakthrough? Bayer developing new herbicide to help farmers tackle glyphosate-resistant weeds
With stakes in the fight against tough-to-control and resistant weeds at an all-time high, Bayer is adding a new tool ...
Drought-tolerant GMO wheat boosts yields up to 22% in field trials, while drought-tolerant soy could launch in 2020
During the latest harvest, drought-tolerant wheat yielded up to 22.1% more, according to tests conducted on 395 hectares, [the biotech ...
Bayer faces ‘almost impossible’ task of ending glyphosate-cancer litigation while its Roundup herbicide remains in stores
Bayer faces an extraordinary challenge as it tries to settle tens of thousands of claims that its Roundup weedkiller causes ...
California attorney general sides with Bayer glyphosate cancer plaintiffs, challenges appeal of $78.5 million verdict
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed an amicus brief in Johnson v. Monsanto, arguing against preemption of state laws requiring ...
Burger King plans expansion of plant-based meat options following booming sales of GMO Impossible Burger
Burger King has been a pioneer among fast-food chains when it comes to offering plant-based meat alternatives. In August, it ...
Viewpoint: How the rural-urban divide helps ‘anti-farming groups’ spread myths about agriculture
Farmers are arguably the best environmental stewards we have in our economy .... With livestock, it makes little sense to ...
Australia’s stingless bees: Beekeepers’ best defense against deadly varroa mite?
Australia’s native stingless bees could be a key line of defense for the nation’s horticulture industry against the dangerous bee ...
CRISPR could help immunize Africa’s staple crop sorghum against destructive witchweed parasite
Sorghum crops in areas where the agricultural parasite striga, also known as witchweed, is common are more likely to have ...
Podcast: ‘There’s no safe level of pesticides’? ‘Don’t eat what you can’t pronounce’? Food Science Babe takes on popular nutrition tropes
“Don’t eat what you can’t pronounce… Synthetic chemicals are more dangerous than natural chemicals… Chemicals in food are killing us… ...
GMO cotton, corn have increased farmer incomes in Colombia more than $300 million since 2003
This study assesses the economic and environmental impacts that have arisen from the adoption and use of genetically modified (GM) ...
