As we have covered extensively here on Hygeia, the introduction of dicamba-tolerant soybeans in 2016 also triggered an unprecendented spike in herbicide-drift damage reports and associated litigation. Millions of acres were damaged in 2016 and 2017 by drifting dicamba. Both the EPA and affected states established stricter rules in an effort to prevent further impacts. We […]
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Few people engaged today in the important debates over regulation of agricultural biotechnology know or remember much about the critical debates that unfolded when the gen-one wave of ag biotechnologies first hit the beach. Today, as CRISPR-driven, largely untested technology rolls on shore, attention to lessons learned in the past (but thus far unheeded) might […]
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It is widely accepted that consumer tastes, preferences, and concerns will drive the Future of Food. The companies that find a way to connect with consumers on these issues will gain market share and traction, or so the theory goes. But how will consumers know which foods are tastier and more nutritious? Safer and less […]
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Genetically engineered (GE) corn and cotton expressing Bt toxins for insect control came on the market in 1996. The most contentious public policy and regulatory issue prior to approval was whether and how the biotech-seed companies should prevent the emergence and spread of insects newly resistant to Bt toxins. For more on the debate over […]
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We launch today a new, focused look at “The Future of Food” — the introduction and landing page to this new section of Hygeia is here. A day rarely goes by without another article, or several, about some high-tech “solution” to one of the stubborn problems plaguing agriculture and our food system. Some of the […]
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On Thursday, June 7, 2018, Bayer’s $66 billion purchase of Monsanto will close, and the world’s most powerful pesticide, seed, and ag biotechnology company will be born. Within months, according to Bayer’s CEO, the Monsanto name will be dropped, and for good reasons. This is very big news in the world of big ag. News […]
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Ken Roseboro’s May 11, 2018 story in Civil Eats is a sober reminder that pesticides are toxic, some people have been exposed to levels that almost certainly trigger or contribute to disease, and that the most worrisome exposure episodes often occur as a result of unusual circumstances. “These Farmers Switched to Organic After Pesticides Made […]
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The seductive, but corrosive impact of mythology will be a recurrent theme as historians explain the rise and fall of first-generation genetically engineered (GE) crop technology in the U.S. Here are just a few of the myths that arose along with the new crops: GE corn will affix its own nitrogen. Herbicide-tolerant crops will reduce […]
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A wonderful, long piece in the April 18, 2018 New York Times Magazine explains how changing land and agricultural management can “sip carbon from the air” and put it back in the soil — improving soil health and a farmer’s profit margin, while mitigating climate change. “Can Dirt Save the Earth?” by Moises Velasquez-Manoff starts with […]
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Thanks to Peter Melchett for his provocative blog on why, across the EU, the government, farmers, food industry, and consumers are all pulling in the mostly same direction to grow the volume and quality of home-grown organic food. Lessons learned from the efforts of many individuals, companies, and organizations in the EU are worth heeding […]
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