Regenerative Agriculture
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Certification experts try to find common ground on ways to regenerate agriculture
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By Ken Roseboro
Advocates of different certification programs may disagree on the best way to regenerate agriculture but they agree on the goal of soil health as a key to producing healthier foods and mitigating climate change. That was a key takeaway of “A Regenerative Forum” held at Natural Products Expo East in September.
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Wendell Berry’s Right Kind of Farming
In an interview with the
New York Times
, farmer, essayist and poet Wendell Berry says that agricultural choices must be made by these inescapable standards: the ecological health of the farm and the economic health of the farmer.
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Environmentally friendly farming practices used by nearly 1/3 of world’s farms
Nearly one-third of the world’s farms have adopted more environmentally friendly practices while continuing to be productive, according to a global assessment by 17 scientists in five countries.
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Farmers mentor farmers to make the transition to organic more manageable
Despite the promise of strong profits growing organic, the high costs of transitioning conventional land and purchasing new equipment can be a nonstarter for many farmers. As a result, organic farmers are helping other farmers make the transition.
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Organic Trade Association hits back on the
Wall Street Journal
’s claims on organics
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) recently took contributors of the
Wall Street Journal
(
WSJ
) to task over a series of op-ed pieces, which target the FDA and the organic industry. The OTA noted that the articles were “misleading and derogatory attacks,” and the association published a full-page ad in the
Journal
—the nation’s best-selling newspaper—refuting those claims with facts about the organic industry.
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Transitional farming gains traction, as organic consumers prioritize ecosystems
Core organic consumers embrace an idealized view of farming including strong ecosystems, biodynamic and sustainable farming, and farmers as stewards, noted the Organic and Natural 2018 report. They support the Certified Transitional label as well, that measures organic compliance during the transition to organic period.
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Your “organic” restaurant meal may not be entirely organic
Eateries may advertise “organic” items without the certification label. Despite consumer preferences, organic restaurant certification isn’t something all owners pursue.
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Now GMO supporters want to deny consumers the right to know if their foods are non-GMO
Proponents of genetically engineered foods have aggressively tried to stop efforts to label them as such. With their efforts failing due to the forthcoming national GMO labeling bill, an obscure think tank now wants to prohibit non-GMO labeling.
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“Free-From” Foods Are Changing the Way Your Meals Are Produced
More and more consumers want foods free from genetically modified ingredients, gluten, pesticides, and antibiotics and food companies are responding.
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U.S. start-up nurtures market for organic and non-GMO crops
An American entrepreneur is building a wholesale commodity market to meet rising demand for food that is free from pesticides and bioengineering.
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Manitoba targeted for non-GMO soybean production to fill export opportunity
Though Western Canada has been dominated by genetically modified soybean acres, seed companies are developing high protein varieties to expand Manitoba’s Red River Valley non-GMO soy production.
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Monsanto weed killer linked to bee deaths
The world’s most widely used weed killer may also be indirectly killing bees. New research from the University of Texas at Austin shows that honey bees exposed to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, lose some of the beneficial bacteria in their guts and are more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria.
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Bayer may face next Roundup cancer trial by the end of the year
Bayer had hoped they wouldn’t face another trial over the cancer link to Roundup herbicide until February but an elderly couple in California aims to change that.
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Breakfast with a dose of Roundup?
A nutritious, healthy breakfast has long been touted as the best way to start a day—so it’s more than troubling to discover that high levels of a toxic herbicide have been found in Cheerios, Quaker Oats brands, Kellogg’s cereals, and granola bars.
General Mills faces class action lawsuit over Cheerios glyphosate cover up
General Mills is facing a potentially damaging
class action lawsuit
in the U.S. after a Florida woman accused it of engaging in deceptive business practices, by not alerting the public that their Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios cereals contain the known carcinogen and the world’s most used weedkiller—glyphosate.
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Is the end near for pre-harvest use of glyphosate?
With increased concerns about glyphosate herbicide in food products and lawsuits over its presence in foods, the use of glyphosate on crops such as wheat and oats before harvest is under greater scrutiny.
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Nature Valley removes “100% Natural” label following pesticide claims
After settlement of a lawsuit brought by consumer groups citing deceptive labeling, General Mill has removed “Made with 100% Natural Whole Grain Oats” from its Nature Valley granola bars. The groups allege the bars contained glyphosate, the ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.
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Dicamba and 2,4-D herbicides damaging vineyards, orchards, historic trees nationwide
Drift damage from dicamba herbicide continues to grow nationwide along with similar problems from 2,4-D herbicide. Drift is damaging crops, vineyards, orchards, and historic trees in many states.
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When dicamba drift hits home
The herbicide dicamba has caused widespread damage to non-GMO soybeans in the last few years, but what happens when the harm shifts to homeowners’ yards, nurseries, and specialty crops? Financial losses and deteriorating neighbor relations are the latest casualties.
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Seed companies move to restrict dicamba spraying
Pushing back against widespread dicamba injury to non-target plants, the two largest independent U.S. seed sellers, Beck’s Hybrids and Stine Seed, are encouraging the EPA to disallow farmers from applying Monsanto’s herbicide during summer months.
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Research finds consumers have “yucky” attitudes about genetically engineered foods
A new study finds that after more than 20 years of growth in genetic engineering in agriculture, consumers have largely remained skeptical, even to the
point of being “grossed out” by the idea.
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U.S. GMO crop acreage levels off, but still dominates corn, soybeans, and cotton
Acreage of genetically modified crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton has leveled off but GMO varieties still account for more than 90 percent of the three crops.
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How did India get inundated with GM foods?
The discovery was bad, surprising news: GMOs have made significant inroads into infant food, edible oil, and packaged food snacks, despite sale and import of GM foods being illegal in India.
U.S. government pushing GM crops on African countries
Amid resistance from activist groups, U.S. State Department officials are promoting GMOs in Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa—warning of aggressive pushback against anti-GMO regulations. Kenya will likely plant GM cotton next year, and is conducting trials of GM corn and cassava.
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Percy
movie dramatizes Saskatchewan farmer’s legal fight with Monsanto
Academy Award winner Christopher Walken and Christina Ricci are in Winnipeg, Manitoba to film the story of Percy Schmeiser, a canola farmer from Saskatchewan who was sued by Monsanto in 1998 for “stealing” genetically modified canola seed that had drifted onto his property.
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Extreme Genetic Engineering
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GMO burger described as “Natural” at the Cheesecake Factory
The Impossible Burger, whose main ingredient is genetically engineered heme, is now served in Cheesecake Factory restaurants, and is described as “Natural” on the restaurant’s menu and website.
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C
RISPR alert: gene-edited cells could trigger cancer
Two recent studies found that cells altered using the gene technology CRISPR-Cas9 for disease treatment could seed tumors leading to cancer.
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Center for Food Safety calls for court decision on GE labeling delay
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) recently filed a motion for summary judgment on its federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for failing to issue the genetically engineered food disclosure law by the mandatory deadline of July 19, 2018. The USDA recently announced it would unveil the final labeling law by December 1.
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Iran to label GMOs
Iran’s Food and Drug Administration began labeling all genetically modified products—including corn and soybean oils—in July; by August all food products with ingredients derived from GMOs were required to be labeled as well.
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