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.
British oilseed rape farmers face beetle infestation after government rejects neonics emergency request
In light of the rejection of their emergency use application last spring to use neonicotinoid seed dressings on autumn oilseed ...
If nutrition is focus, GMO and organic foods can both deliver results
Passionate views on GMO, conventional and organic farming dominate food-related news and social media. But I rarely see nutrition mentioned, ...
Could gene editing create safer, pesticide free marijuana?
There is a growing demand for organic cannabis, but is there an alternative? Can modern techniques in gene editing, such as ...
Bacteria could transform trees into industrial chemical scrubbers
Hacking trees by adding bacteria to their roots could help scrub contaminated soil clean of chemicals and metals from industrial ...
EPA approves field trials of disease-resistant GMO citrus trees
The Environmental Protection Agency announced ... that it has given major Florida citrus grower Southern Gardens approval for large-scale field testing ...
Changing minds on GMOs, global warming: More information may not be enough
Because there is often a gap between science and public opinion, there is a need to better understand what factors ...
Anti-GMO activist-funded lab tests find micro-traces of glyphosate in popular foods
The herbicide residues were found in cookies, crackers, popular cold cereals and chips commonly consumed by children and adults, according ...
Indian anti-GMO philosopher Vandana Shiva doesn’t speak for India’s farmers
[Editor's note: Vandana Shiva, a controversial full-time anti-GMO activist, speaks at Drake University on November 16. Many critics say her claims ...
Chile’s GMO schizophrenia: It exports seeds and imports crops, but doesn’t allow cultivation
Chile has a surprising export crop: seeds. It is currently the fifth largest seed producer worldwide, and the first in the production of genetically ...
Nigeria’s top biotech regulator says nation needs GMOs for ‘socioeconomic survival’
The Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba has declared that Nigeria’s Biosafety regulation of ...
How weeds can help with weed control
Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of ...
Will Trump reduce regulation on GMOs?
Donald Trump’s presidency has the potential of being the greatest threat the organic industry has faced since the invention of ...
Millennials’ demand for organics ripples through supply chain
Co-packers should be concerned, along with distributors, farmers and even, heck, grain elevator operators. Their worlds are incrementally turning upside ...
Chinese crackdown on illegally grown GMO crops still leaves public queasy
China has spent billions on research of biotech crops, but it has not yet approved the planting of any GM ...
Lawsuit targets Topco over micro-traces of glyphosate in ‘natural’ granola
Plaintiff Jason Scholder is taking on defendants Topco Holdings Inc. and Topco Associates LLC, the makers of Granola Oats, Honey ...
Should organic agriculture consider allowing gene-edited crops?
Proponents of agricultural biotechnology are calling for a reconsideration of the organic opposition to GMOs in light of [New Plant ...
Boulder farmers criticize ‘rushed, incomplete’ plan to phase out GMO crops
[In March, Boulder County, CO Comissioners decided to ban cultivation of GMO crops on county-owned farmland. The following is an excerpt from ...
Food companies may go ‘non-GMO’ for marketing reasons
[Editor's Note: The author of this excerpt, Shiloh Perry, is a communications assistant for the American Farm Bureau] Companies often make ...
GMOs can provide vegans improved alternatives to animal products, more nutritious plants
[Editor's note: Jayson Merkley is a contributor to Vegan GMO, an organization that advocates "for a rational approach toward biotechnology ...
Disease incidence trends in Europe v US shows GMOs have no negative health impacts
Genetically modified foods should be considered as safe as conventional choices, according to Dr. Timothy Griffin, associate professor at Tufts” ...
EPA approves Monsanto’s new dicamba formulation for use with herbicide-tolerant cotton, soy plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on [Nov. 9] approved Monsanto Co.'s XtendiMax, a powerful new formulation of the powerful weed killer ...
GMO crops not ‘contaminating’ nearby organic farms, USDA data suggest
In 2015, Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 2509, which created mediation protocols for growers who believe nearby farming practices are ...
African Centre for Biodiversity claims South Africa’s GMO maize provides poor nutrition, will not help nation cope with drought
[Haidee Swanby is Research and Outreach Officer and Linzi Lewis is a Researcher at the African Centre for Biodiversity.] A new report by ...
UK research facility spent over $2.5 million to protect GMO wheat trial from threatened vandalism by anti-GMO activists
[Editor's note: Rothamsted Research is the longest running agricultural research center in the world. It has three campuses in Britain. The research ...
Sonoma County votes to ban GMO crops
Opponents of genetically modified crops won big in Sonoma County [Nov. 8] when voters approved a ban on GMOs, or genetically ...
Sustainable agriculture has major role in addressing climate change
Agriculture, including forestry and fisheries, is the sector most threatened by climate change. At the same time, the agricultural sectors ...
Are GMO crops improving children’s IQ?
[Danny Hakim's October 29th article in the New York Times appears to suggest] that planting GMO crops has 1) lead to ...
