Record-breaking triple-digit temperatures were prolonging a devastating drought that has been baking the U.S. South and the dry spell could extend into next year and beyond, climate experts said Thursday. “Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse… we are seeing expansion of this drought. This drought will continue to persist and likely intensify,” […] Read more
Drought intensifies in U.S. south, no end in sight
Southern Plains Wheat Farmers Watch The Skies And Hope
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kansas farmer Larry Kepley is almost out of hope. After drought left the veteran wheat farmer with what he called the “worst wheat harvest” he’s ever known, the odds for next year’s crop are looking just as grim. Sun-baked fields are as hard as rock, and moisture levels deep into the soil are nearly nonexistent […] Read more
Dow Introduces Triple-Resistant Soybean
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dow AgroSciences is launching a genetically altered soybean seed aimed as a direct assault on the dominance of global seed leader Monsanto. Dow submitted a regulatory package on Aug. 19 seeking government approval for a glyphosatetolerant soybean that the company says would be the “first-ever, three-gene,” herbicide-tolerant soybean. The new soybean will be tolerant of […] Read more
Syngenta suing Bunge over rejection of biotech corn
Syngenta Seeds, a unit of the world’s largest agrochemicals company Syngenta AG, has filed suit against major grain handler Bunge for refusing to accept a type of its biotech corn. Syngenta claims Bunge’s North America operations are illegally refusing to handle a type of genetically modified corn that is designed to protect the crop against […] Read more
Dow to take on Monsanto with new biotech soybean
Dow AgroSciences is launching a genetically altered soybean seed aimed as a direct assault on the dominance of global seed leader Monsanto. Dow submitted a regulatory package Friday seeking government approval for a glyphosate-tolerant soybean that the company says would be the “first-ever, three-gene” herbicide-tolerant soybean. The new soybean will be tolerant of a new […] Read more
Ethanol Producer Adding Cheap Wheat To Corn
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Andersons Inc., a major U.S. ethanol producer, has started mixing wheat into its corn-based biofuel in a move to lower costs and diversify its sourcing amid increasingly tight corn supplies. Andersons, which operates three U.S. ethanol plants with total capacity of 300 million gallons, has started using soft red winter wheat along with corn. […] Read more
“Massive” crop losses feared in U.S. South’s drought
The worst drought in more than 40 years intensified across Texas over the last week, with high winds and heat causing “massive crop losses,” with little relief in sight, according to weather experts Thursday. A report released Thursday from a consortium of national climate experts, dubbed the Drought Monitor, said drought worsened along the Texas […] Read more
Cancer Cause Or Crop Aid? Glyphosate Faces Big Test
Reading Time: 4 minutes Critics say it could cause infertility or cancer, while others see it speeding the growth of super weeds and causing worrying changes to plants and soil. Backers say it is safe and has made a big contribution to food production. It’s glyphosate, the top-selling weed killer used worldwide. For more than 30 years, glyphosate has […] Read more
Organic Farmers Sue, Seek Protection From Monsanto
Reading Time: 2 minutes A consortium of U.S. organic farmers and seed dealers filed suit against global seed giant Monsanto Co. on Mar. 29, in a move to protect themselves from what they see as a growing threat in the company’s arsenal of genetically modified crops. The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed the suit on behalf of more than […] Read more
Syngenta To Go Ahead With Ethanol-Specific Corn
Reading Time: 2 minutes A month after receiving regulatory approval, Swiss agricultural company Syngenta is starting to sign up U.S. farmers to grow its new biotech corn seed aimed at ethanol production, but expects to enroll fewer than 20,000 acres in a contracted growing arrangement this spring, a top company executive said Mar. 16. Syngenta is meeting with growers […] Read more
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