USDA Issues Draft Plan

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a draft proposal to again allow farmers to grow Monsanto Co.’s genetically modified sugar beets. A U.S. district court in California has ruled that the sugar beets cannot be produced until the USDA issues a full environmental impact study, which the department does not expect to complete until

Sugar Beet Ruling Pressures USDA GMO Oversight – for Sep. 9, 2010

Proponents of tighter U. S. oversight of biotech crops say a court-ordered ban on genetically modified sugar beets is a key ruling that should lead to more thorough regulatory review of such crops. And they threatened further court action against the U. S. Department of Agriculture if the agency does not start examining the environmental


Monsanto Soybean Seed Pricing Under Scrutiny

“My office is concerned that West Virginia farmers are paying much higher prices for soybeans with the Roundup Ready 2 trait when the yields do not live up to the claims and do not justify the increased prices.” – WEST VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL DARRELL MCGRAW JR. West Virginia officials have notified global seed giant Monsanto

DuPont Likes EU Moves On GMO Crops

Moves by the European Union to overhaul its approval system for genetically modified crops is a “big step forward,” but it is likely to be some time before the bloc is open to widespread cultivation of key crops, a leading DuPont executive said June 8. Citing a provision of reported regulatory plans to allow EU


In Brief… – for Jun. 10, 2010

Dow gets access to Roundup: Monsanto Co. has agreed to license its Roundup Ready 2 Yield herbicide trait to Dow Chemical’s agricultural unit, an agreement that will let Dow boost its presence in the soybean market. Dow AgroSciences will pay Monsanto a royalty for stacking the technology with its seeds. As part of stacking, seed

Monsanto Acknowledges Role In “Super Weeds”

Monsanto Co. said on May 27 it will restructure its herbicide products in an effort to help combat the spreading environmental woes of herbicide-resistant weeds, also known as “super weeds,” which many critics have blamed on the chemical giant. “We need to get in front of this,” Monsanto chairman Hugh Grant said in a conference


DuPont Says EPA Approves Optimum AcreMax I Seeds

DuPont said May 3 the Environmental Protection Agency has approved its Optimum AcreMax I, a product the company says will save farmers time and make it easier for them to use hybrid seeds. The decision, which was not unexpected, lets the company, also known as E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. , better

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


India Politics Delay GM Vegetable Start

“It is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary, principle-based approach.” – JAIRAM RAMESH India has postponed the launch of its first genetically modified (GM) vegetable, saying it would adopt a cautious approach and wait for more scientific studies on the impact of the new variety of eggplant. “The moratorium will be in place until

Report Says Biotech Wheat Will Damage Wheat Prices

“Some in the wheat industry seem intent on pushing genetically modified wheat.” – TODD LEAKE U. S. wheat prices could fall by 40 per cent or more if industry efforts to develop a biotech wheat succeed, according to an industry report issued Jan. 27. The report, issued by the Western Organization of Resource Councils, a