DuPont does not plan to alter its pricing strategy in key North American corn and soybean markets despite moves by rival Monsanto to ease prices for some products, a DuPont official said May 4. James Borel, who oversees DuPont’s production agriculture businesses, including corn and soybean seed developer Pioneer Hi-Bred, said in an interview DuPont
DuPont Seed Strategy Unruffled By Rival
Are U. S. Regulators Dropping The Ball On Biocrops?
“Science is not being considered in policy setting and deregulation. This research is important. We need to be vigilant.” – ROBERT KREMER Robert Kremer, a U. S. government microbiologist who studies Midwestern farm soil, has spent two decades analyzing the rich dirt that yields billions of bushels of food each year and helps the United
Regulatory Oversight Inadequate
Fourteen years after commercialization of the world’s first biotech crop, the U. S. regulatory agencies charged with overseeing biotech crops – USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U. S. Food and Drug Administration – are under attack on several fronts. The USDA is most directly in the line of fire after a string of
U. S. Eyes Regulatory Overhaul
Since 1987, the USDA has overseen genetically modified organisms through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) regulates GE organisms based on “plant pest risk.” USDA has said it wants to make changes that ensure safety while making the process more transparent to the public, and more efficient and easier
Agribusiness Monopolies Under Scrutiny
“Big is not necessarily bad, but big can be bad if power that comes from being big is misused.” – U. S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER Two U. S. cabinet members and other top officials have pledged a thorough examination of allegations that monopolistic practices in agriculture are driving small farmers out of business and
U. S. Winter Wheat Emerges Through Wet Fields
Warming temperatures this week through the U. S. Plains were driving emergence of what looks to be a hardy new U. S. winter wheat crop, although agronomists were worried that wet weather could delay fertilizer applications and lower yields. Overly wet fields were limiting farmer efforts to fertilize their wheat, and experts said the window
More U. S. Weeds Found Resisting Monsanto Roundup
U. S. scientists said Feb. 26 they have confirmed kochia weed populations have developed resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Kansas State University said scientists had found five kochia weed populations in western Kansas that are resistant to glyphosate. Kochia, also called fireweed, is a drought-tolerant weed commonly found on land in the
GMO Crop Growth Expands Around Globe
Led by U. S. producers, 14 million farmers around the world planted genetically modified crops last year, increasing planted biotech cropland by seven per cent, even as biotech crop use declined in Europe, according to an industry report issued Feb. 25. Expansions were noted for biotech soybeans, corn and cotton, and the appeal to farmers
GMOs In Nature Refuge Contested
Environmentalists filed a federal lawsuit against the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Mar. 1 accusing the service of illegally allowing farmers to grow genetically modified crops in a national wildlife refuge. The groups said up to 80 other national wildlife refuges across the United States are now growing genetically engineered crops and could
Global GMO Crop Growth Expands
Led by U. S. producers, 14 million farmers around the world planted genetically modified crops last year, increasing planted biotech cropland by seven per cent, even as biotech crop use declined in Europe, according to an industry report issued late last month. Expansions were noted for biotech soybeans, corn and cotton, and the appeal to
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