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.
Bug gene therapy: Helpful insects could carry genes to protect diseased crops
...[S]cientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) want to capitalize on insects’ natural relationships with plants. They believe ...
Doubling nitrogen fixation in soybeans could boost yields, reduce fertilizer need
A Washington State University plant scientist may have discovered how to double nitrogen fixation in soybeans. Her greenhouse-grown soybean plants ...
UK Soil Association challenges New Scientist claim that organic farming is not sustainable
[Editor's note: This article is a response to Michael Le Page's recent article in New Scientist on why organic farming is ...
GMO cows might save your life
They look like normal black-and-white Holstein cows, a common sight in Western Iowa. But these cows are special: used not ...
Video: Ecological and economic value of restoring American chestnut tree using GM technology
American chestnut trees were once among the most majestic hardwood trees in the eastern deciduous forests, many reaching 80 to ...
GMO alfalfa has higher yields than conventional, according to USDA survey
...[R]elatively little has been known about the adoption of genetically engineered alfalfa, canola and sugar beets, crops that add substantial ...
Hollywood Reporter: Food Evolution documentary challenging GMO scares gets rave review
Neil deGrasse Tyson helps director Scott Hamilton Kennedy challenge enviro-activist orthodoxy in a new food doc. ...Food Evolution — which defends ...
Are GMO producers engaged in a ‘tobacco science’-like coverup?
One of the popular slogans of anti-GMO protesters has been that there is a “cover-up” going on by GMO seed ...
Indian crop scientists: 9 natural organic pesticides that can harm our health and ecosystem
Organic food is promoted as superior and safer for today’s health conscious people. It is claimed that they are pesticide ...
Gene conveying resistance to costly crop damaging fungus identified
A major breakthrough in the cloning of a resistance gene to eliminate wheat scab — a widespread disease responsible for ...
Want to save the planet from environmental disaster? Stop buying organic food.
[F]arming is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, only slightly behind heating and electricity. ... The one ...
‘Diversity Breeding’: Recovering desirable traits from crops’ wild relatives
A genetic toolbox held at the fingertips of plant breeding scientists is set to completely revolutionise the way crops are ...
Are predictions climate change will reduce crop yields wrong?
Those of us who try to monitor the torrent of climate change studies frequently come across various projections that just ...
Non-GMO RNA silencing technique may be used to combat citrus greening disease
AUM LifeTech in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture has developed a novel Non-GMO RNA silencing approach for ...
Has the organic industry lost its sympathetic ear in Washington?
Donald Trump moving into the White House will mean a very different regulatory environment for Big Organic. . . ...
Video: What is ‘green biotechnology’?
What is green biotechnology? Green biotechnology is set of techniques used to create new varieties of plants and animals that ...
Smart squash: Why some fruits are genetically wired to hurt your hands
Many a gardener will grow butternut squash.... They take the squash inside and immediately start cutting it up, about 5 ...
Gene editing could create healthier, more sustainable livestock
Gene editing, led by the discovery of CRISPR-Cas, promises widespread, accelerated, and targeted discoveries. ... Gene editing could eventually provide a ...
Genetic engineering could help reduce carbon footprint of food production
[Editor's note: This excerpt was translated from the Norwegian by Google translate. It has been lightly edited for clarity.] ...[A]griculture ...
Pakistan protects plant breeders’ rights in hope of developing GMO cotton
The government has decided to invite foreign seed companies to overcome cotton seed shortage and increase yield after getting legal ...
Brazil expected to release first variety of GMO sugarcane in 2017
[Editor's note: This excerpt was translated from the original Portuguese by Google Translate. It has been lightly edited for clarity.] ...
Activists destroy conventional rapeseed (canola) fields in France, claiming they are GMOs
[Editor's note: This excerpt was translated from the French by Google translate. It is lightly edited for clarity.] Several dozen ...
Dannon sued for labeling yogurt made from milk from GMO fed cows as ‘all natural’
Has the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims on food labels put a stop to the tidal wave of false advertising lawsuits ...
Russian politicians embrace pseudoscientists in campaign against GMOs
Irina Yermakova [is] a biologist and regular commentator on Russian national television. Yermakova is on the record as believing that men, as ...
Cargill developing GMO sustainable omega-3 rich salmon feed
For the first time in history, essential fatty acids used to feed salmon could be sourced from crops harvested on ...
USDA: Organic corn and soy more profitable than conventional crops despite higher costs
Organic corn and soybean production is far more profitable than conventional, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis. The ...
Startup developing fragrant GMO moss to act as living air freshener
Over three years ago ... Antony Evans, CEO of synthetic biology startup company TAXA Biotechnologies, launched a Kickstarter project to raise money for a ...
