The headline in a March 2018 story in the Western Farm Press reads “The alfalfa industry wants more favorable farm policy for its forage crop.” It argues that alfalfa doesn’t get the support and respect it deserves, given that by value, it is the number three field crop grown in the U.S., behind corn and […]
Jonathan Foley’s Attempt to Slay the “Feed the World” GMO Myth
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 […]
Dicamba Update – Document Review Shows EPA Used Monsanto Science to Justify Reducing Buffer Requirements
In the latest in the ongoing saga of the new dicamba-tolerant crops and their herbicides that won’t stay where they are sprayed, a document review investigation by the St-Louis Post Dispatch reveals that Monsanto’s own science played a key role in how the use restrictions were set. EPA had originally proposed a larger, more comprehensive, […]
The Multiple Benefits of Grassmilk Dairy Production Deserve a Closer Look
Blog by Chuck Benbrook and Don Davis We started our research in 2011 comparing the fatty acid profile of whole milk from cows managed conventionally and on organic farms, and now in our new paper, on grassmilk farms. Our first paper in December 2013 describes how organic management improves the fatty acid levels and quality […]
Syngenta is Playing with Fire in Its Efforts to Break Up the Bayer-Monsanto Marriage
A new opinion piece recounts how a Syngenta-linked PR firm has apparently started a non-profit front-group to challenge Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto. Opposition to the union of these two industry leaders rests in the fear of anti-competitive activity, leading to adverse impacts on farmers in the wake of higher seed prices and limited choices in the genetic […]
Mathematical Model Predicts Errors in Crispr-Cas9 DNA Targeting
When the Crispr-Cas9 system to target DNA for genetic engineering (GE) was first identified, it was seen as a game-changer. Crispr-Cas9 is a natural defense mechanism used by bacteria to protect them from viruses that works at the cellular level by targeting and removing viral DNA. Scientists first began to see its potential for GE […]
EPA Hit With Lawsuit Over Dicamba Drift Crisis
The debate about whose to blame for the dicamba drift crisis of 2016 and 2017 continues, with a new lawsuit filed in federal court last week taking aim at the Environmental Protection Agency for their approval and regulation of the new dicamba formulations. A recent story in the Wisconsin Gazette describes the suit against the EPA […]
Introducing New Nutrient Decline Section
We launch today a new focus area on Hygeia Analytics – Nutrient Decline. Last week, a Reuters story reported that Brazil was capturing soybean export market share from the U.S., in large part because of the falling levels of protein in US-grown soybeans, and the greater volume and higher quality of non-GM soybeans available from Brazilian […]
Nutrient Decline
Introduction Resources See also: Introduction and Nutrition 101 Organic vs. Conventional Foods Yields Introduction Over the last century the biggest and most sustained goal and impact of plant breeding has been increasing yields, a goal achieved to a stunning degree across most plant-based crops and foods from animals. A number of genetic, agronomic, fertility, and […]
FAQs About “Enhancing the Fatty Acid Profile of Milk through Forage-Based Rations, with Nutrition Modeling of Dietary Outcomes”
Why This Study and Key Findings Health Effects Impacts of Dairy Rations and Grazing on Milk Quality Nutrition Modeling Results CROPP Roll and Funding Why This Study and Key Findings Why this study? Milk and dairy products are excellent and affordable sources of many essential nutrients, and also contain a much healthier balance of fatty […]