Reuters — DuPont is buying a California-based microbiome discovery company for development of biological crop products, a move that the chemical and crop company hopes will give it an edge in an emerging agricultural market. DuPont’s announcement on Wednesday didn’t disclose how much it is paying for Taxon Biosciences, but said the 15-year-old company brings […] Read more
DuPont to buy microbiome firm, seek edge in emerging crop products
U.S. regulators may recommend testing food for glyphosate residues
Reuters — U.S. regulators may start testing food products for residues of the world’s most widely used herbicide, the Environmental Protection Agency told Reuters on Friday, as public concern rises over possible links to disease. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, has come under intense scrutiny since a research unit of the World Health […] Read more
U.S. EPA to require weed-resistance restrictions on glyphosate
Reuters — U.S. regulators will put new restrictions on the world’s most widely used herbicide to help address the rapid expansion of weeds resistant to the chemical, Reuters has learned. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed it will require a weed resistance management plan for glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s immensely popular Roundup […] Read more
Scientist defends WHO group report linking glyphosate to cancer
Reuters — A World Health Organization group’s controversial finding that the world’s most popular herbicide is “probably carcinogenic to humans” was based on a thorough scientific review and is a key marker in ongoing evaluations of the product, the scientist who led the study said Thursday. “There were several studies. There was sufficient evidence in […] Read more
Monsanto seeks retraction for report linking herbicide to cancer
Reuters — Monsanto, maker of the world’s most widely used herbicide, Roundup, wants an international health organization to retract a report linking the product’s chief ingredient to cancer. The company said Tuesday that the report, issued on Friday by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was biased and contradicts regulatory […] Read more
Environmental group sues U.S. EPA over monarch butterfly levels
Reuters — An environmental group sued the U.S. government on Friday, accusing regulators of discounting dangers a widely used herbicide is alleged to pose to the declining monarch butterfly population. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in U.S. District Court in New York. The suit claimed […] Read more
U.S. approves first biotech apple that resists browning
Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday approved what would be the first commercialized biotech apple, rejecting efforts by the organic industry and other GMO critics to block the new fruit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved two genetically engineered apple varieties designed to resist browning that have been […] Read more
USDA approves Monsanto’s new GMO soybeans, cotton
Reuters — Monsanto Co. received final U.S. approval on Thursday for herbicide-tolerant crops to be used with a new herbicide the company says will fight problematic weed resistance on farm fields, but critics say will only worsen the problems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said the genetically modified […] Read more
Monsanto profit falls, less sharply than Street expected
Reuters — Monsanto on Wednesday reported a 34 per cent drop in quarterly profit, in part because of lower planted corn acreage in South America and a shift in timing of some sales, but the decline was less steep than analysts expected. Shares of the world’s largest seed company, which is known for its genetically […] Read more
USDA report says no risk from pesticide residues
Reuters — More than half of food tested by the U.S. government for pesticide residues last year showed detectable levels of pesticides, though most were within levels the government considers to be safe, according to a report issued Dec. 19 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA looked at fresh and processed fruits and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
