Heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers, according to a new study. The peer-reviewed report, published last week in Entropy, an interdisciplinary open-access scientific journal, said evidence indicates that residues of glyphosate, best known as the active ingredient […] Read more
Study links heavy glyphosate use to health risks
Monsanto, DuPont reach licensing deal, end lawsuits
DuPont will pay Monsanto at least US$1.75 billion in a new licensing deal as part of an agreement which also dismisses the rivals’ bitter legal battles over rights to technology for genetically modified seeds, the world’s top seed companies said Tuesday. The deal tosses out a $1 billion jury verdict DuPont was ordered to pay […] Read more
U.S. animal rights groups: ‘Nay’ to horse slaughter plan
Resumption The last U.S. plants to slaughter horses for human consumption were shut in 2007
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / Animal rights groups are threatening to sue the U.S. government if officials move ahead with plans to allow meat-packing companies to resume the slaughter of horses for human consumption, a practice that was banned in 2006. “It’s a big fight,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. “We […] Read moreMonsanto, DuPont take seed battle to trial
Opening arguments got underway last week in a potentially pivotal legal battle between agricultural giants Monsanto and DuPont over Monsanto’s control of a popular seed technology worth billions of dollars. The rivals have been fighting for years and the trial in federal court in St. Louis represents only part of an ongoing argument over the […] Read more
DuPont Pioneer now eyeing biotech wheat
DuPont is expanding its pipeline of new products under development to include the potential for a biotech wheat, a company official said on Tuesday. DuPont and its Pioneer Hi-Bred agricultural seed unit said a hybrid wheat technology project has been added to its roster of crop research programs that are advancing into deeper development. DuPont […] Read more
Record area of biotech crops used in 2012, report says
Updated, Feb. 22 — Developing countries accounted for the first time last year for more than half the global biotech crop area, though the United States remains the primary nation making use of genetically altered crops, according to an industry report. "The developments we will see over the next five years will be in favor […] Read more
U.S. spring crop season jeopardized as drought persists
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / The unrelenting drought gripping key farming states in the U.S. Plains shows no signs of abating, and it will take a deluge of snow or rain to restore critical moisture to farmland before spring planting of new crops, a climate expert said Jan. 31. “It’s not a pretty picture,” said climatologist Mark Svoboda […] Read more
Washington demands better food safety practices
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters / U.S. regulators say proposed new food safety rules will make food processors and farms more accountable for reducing foodborne illnesses that kill or sicken thousands of Americans annually. “These proposed regulations are a sign of progress,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and […] Read more
Monsanto sees range of new products, raises profit outlook
Ambitious The world’s largest seed company is positioned to launch a new technology every year through the end of this decade
Reading Time: 3 minutes Monsanto Co., the world’s largest seed company, said Jan. 8 that expansion efforts in Latin America are paying off, adding to the company’s strength in the U.S. market and helping it capture surprisingly strong profits. Monsanto has been pushing for deeper penetration of its corn seed products in Latin America and said it was seeing […] Read moreDow delays Enlist corn release amid protests
A controversial new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences will be delayed at least another year as the company awaits regulatory approval amid opposition from farmers, consumers and public health officials. Officials of Dow Chemical’s agricultural arm said Friday they now expect the first sales of Enlist for planting in 2014. Previously officials had set […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
