Brazil GMO planting to increase by 14 per cent

Reuters / Brazil will increase the amount of land planted with genetically modified soy, corn and cotton by 14 per cent this season from a year ago as it shoulders a growing share of the world’s agricultural output, local analytics firm Celeres said Dec. 17. That is more than the 12.3 per cent expansion in



Researchers genotyping semen from historic animals

By genotyping influential beef bulls, researchers hope to create a low-cost tool that predicts key animal traits

Check your tanks for bull semen, because you might have the sample the Canadian Cattle Genome Project is trying to find. Researchers want to sequence the genotypes of influential beef bulls and are looking for semen vials, semen straws, blood, tail hair and tissue to obtain DNA samples. “For each of the breeds we’re working

One per cent checkoff recommended for developing new varieties

The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry is currently holding hearings on agricultural research. These are excerpts from a presentation Oct. 18 by Richard S. Gray, professor, Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics at the University of Saskatchewan. He has visited Australia, France and the U.K. to study their system for funding research My first


Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk

Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk london / reuters / Researchers in New Zealand have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk with very little of an allergy-causing protein. The technique, called RNA interference, reduces activity of certain genes without eliminating them completely. With mothers breastfeeding less, cows’ milk is an increasing source of protein

U.S. plans to cut GMO crop oversight

Efforts to write benefits for biotech seed companies into U.S. legislation, including the 2013 Farm Bill, are sparking a backlash from groups that say the multiple measures would severely limit U.S. oversight of genetically modified crops. From online petitions to face-to-face lobbying on Capitol Hill, an array of consumer and environmental organizations and individuals are


BASF sees strong growth tied to GMO crop traits

Reuters / Global conglomerate BASF is rolling out a series of new plant science and plant protection products for farmers in the United States as it aims to increase its share of fast-growing markets, executives of the German chemical giant said. South America is also a target as BASF shifts its agricultural emphasis — and

Officials meet to discuss low-level GMO contamination

Government and farm officials are continuing their efforts to bring some clarity to the contentious issue of low-level presence of genetically modified organisms, but it’s not clear how much progress is being made. Officials from exporting and importing countries recently met in Vancouver to discuss how to prevent trade disruptions when trace levels of a


Death knell may sound for Canada’s GMO pigs

Without fresh funding, the animals will be euthanized 
and their genetic material put into cold storage

Pigs that might have become the world’s first genetically modified animals approved for human consumption may instead face an untimely end, as key backers of Canada’s “Enviropig” project withdrew their support for the controversial engineered animal. Scientists at the University of Guelph, 90 km west of Toronto, bred the first GMO pig that was developed

Scientist says drought-tolerant corn a “baby step” that does little for farmers

It would be better to plant conventional corn and improve agronomic practices than switch to “drought-tolerant” corn, says a veteran plant scientist. “The technology has gotten a tremendous amount of attention. We think undue attention,” said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It is a modest benefit and a real