Efforts to write benefits for biotech seed companies into U.S. legislation, including the 2013 Farm Bill, are sparking a backlash from groups that say the multiple measures would severely limit U.S. oversight of genetically modified crops. From online petitions to face-to-face lobbying on Capitol Hill, an array of consumer and environmental organizations and individuals are […] Read more
Standoff looms over U.S. plans to cut GMO oversight
Facing parched pastures, U.S. ranchers cull cattle
U.S. ranchers are rushing to sell off some of their cattle as the worst drought in nearly 25 years dries up pastures, thins hay supplies and sends feed costs skyrocketing. The more desperate in the U.S. Midwest are hauling water into areas where creeks have run dry and are scrambling to secure scarce and high-priced […] Read more
DuPont to increase investment in food, nutrition
Chemical and bioscience giant DuPont will spend $10 billion and release thousands of new products over the next nine years aimed at improving food production and nutrition, company officials said Thursday. DuPont said it was setting three primary goals for "stimulating and guiding" internal efforts around its commitments to helping address global concerns about food […] Read more
How about $6,700 per acre for corn land?
Corn country is getting more expensive — fast, according to the results of a new study released Dec. 14. With farmers and investors alike bidding up the cost of key acreage used for growing corn, soybeans and other crops, the average value for Iowa farmland has risen 32.5 per cent over the last year to […] Read more
Investors wary as U.S. farmland prices hit record highs
U.S. farmland prices in the third quarter surged to the highest levels in more than three decades amid an accelerating agricultural boom that has so far defied fears of a bubble about to burst. Prices hit record highs in the U.S. Plains, where wheat and cattle dominate production, and jumped 25 per cent in the […] Read more
Drought intensifies in U.S. south, no end in sight
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
“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
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