It appears that scientists, and farmers too, are taking a closer look at the ubiquitous use of neonicotinoid seed treatments in US corn, soybean and other crops. Neonics are powerful insecticides used to coat the outside of a wide variety of seeds including grain and oilseed crops. The brightly-dyed layer of pesticide is designed to […]
Read More, References, Comment »
A Scientific American piece on neonicotinoid insecticides begins with a fascinating story about a wildlife rehab clinic in Montana. In the 1990s, a “bizarre trend” was noticed — an unusual number and diversity of birth defects in roadkill deer and other big game autopsied at the clinic. Scientists at the clinic pondered what could have […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) considers wheat to be “the most important food grain source for humans” (Source, FAO) and globally wheat fields cover more land area than any other commercial crop. Thus, the new science out of the Earlham Institute in the U.K. has important implications. ScienceDaily reports on the paper published […]
Read More, References, Comment »
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 […]
Read More, References, Comment »
As predicted, the EPA has announced that it will allow use in 2018 of dicamba on dicamba-resistant soybeans and cotton, despite the serious problems that occurred in 2017. The acting chief of the herbicide branch, Reuben Baris, said the EPA has not yet decided on the “safeguards” it will impose in a September 19, 2017 […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Global agriculture is big business, and that includes the seeds that farmers need to grow their crops. The R+D priorities of the seed-biotech industry have huge implications for farmers and consumers alike, as the seeds available to put in the ground each spring determine the types, taste, and nutrient profile of the fresh produce and […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Talk about swimming upstream, but overall feeling so glad that open-source seed initiatives are springing up around the world. This in-depth story explains why the trend toward patenting seeds and traits locks farmers and amateur breeders out of the process of incrementally improving crop genetics. Big mistake, unless you trust the biotech-seed companies to deploy […]
Read More, References, Comment »
