Food safety and animal welfare groups petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday seeking limits on an animal feed additive now being blocked from meat exports to Russia. Russia said earlier this month it was requiring meat it imports to be tested and certified free of the feed additive ractopamine, a move jeopardizing […] Read more
U.S. food, animal groups seek lower ractopamine limits
U.S. winter wheat abandonment may top 25 per cent
Poor start Twenty-six per cent of the new U.S. winter wheat crop was rated poor to very poor in late November
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. winter wheat farmers could abandon more than a quarter of the new wheat crop due to devastating weather, though decisions on abandonment will not be made until spring, experts said last week. Historic drought, coupled with record warm weather and high winds sweeping across the Plains, have left the new crop in […] Read moreEven when GMO patents expire, the regulatory burden lives on
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters / What happens when patents for genetically modified seeds expire? Monsanto has made billions off Roundup Ready soybeans, corn, canola, and other crops since launching a glyphosate-tolerant soybean in 1996. But the upcoming expiry of its patent for the herbicide-resistant trait in 2014 raises an array of concerns, including who bears the costs and […] Read more
GMO politics: California voters not just choosing Obama or Romney
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / Heavy advertising spending by Monsanto Co. and others opposed to a California ballot proposal to require labels on grocery products containing genetically modified organisms is paying off, according to a new poll that shows the measure has slipped into a virtual tie. Forty-four per cent of California voters now support the measure, while […] Read more
CME buys Kansas City exchange
Next step Deal expected to boost trading of hard red winter wheat and may put Minneapolis Grain Exchange in play
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / CME Group is buying the Kansas City Board of Trade for $126 million in cash, cementing CME’s dominance in world grain futures markets and keeping rival IntercontinentalExchange from gaining an important foothold. It is CME’s first exchange purchase in five years since it wrapped up a buying spree that put the Chicago Mercantile […] Read moreGMO labeling efforts change course after California defeat
The failure on Tuesday of a California ballot initiative that would have mandated labeling of genetically modified foods is not a death knell for those seeking nationwide labeling, U.S. labeling proponents said. U.S. President Barack Obama’s re-election could be a boost, as he is seen, in general terms, as being supportive of labeling. Still, efforts […] Read more
U.S. drought shrinking, but not fast enough
Snow and rain and cooler temperatures helped ease suffering in drought-stricken areas of the United States over the last week, though some areas saw conditions grow worse, according to a climatology report issued Thursday. Monster storm Sandy, which devastated the eastern United States with heavy rains and high winds, had little to no impact on […] Read more
CME to buy rival Kansas City exchange, head off ICE
CME Group Inc. on Wednesday agreed to buy the Kansas City Board of Trade for US$126 million in cash, cementing CME’s dominance in world grain futures markets and keeping rival IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) from gaining an important foothold. It is CME’s first exchange purchase in five years since it wrapped up a buying spree that put […] Read more
Dow’s new biotech corn enters final stage of regulatory approval
Reading Time: 4 minutes A new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences could answer the prayers of U.S. farmers plagued by a fierce epidemic of super-weeds. Or it could trigger a flood of dangerous chemicals that may make weeds even more resistant and damage other important U.S. crops. Or, it could do both. “Enlist,” entering the final stages of […] Read more
Dow agrees to safeguards on 2,4-D-tolerant crop system
A U.S. farmer group on Tuesday dropped its opposition to efforts by Dow AgroSciences to roll out a new biotech crop system in exchange for some concessions by Dow, including help investigating any accidental crop damage. The deal calls for "several new safeguards" from Dow AgroSciences related to use of a reformulated herbicide and biotech […] Read more
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