By AJ+ All of the soybean and cotton seeds that Monsanto sends to farmers around the world start in Puerto Rico. Dena Takruri gets rare access inside Monsanto’s Puerto Rico operation, where they get huge tax breaks to test and grow GMO seeds. Meanwhile, thousands…
By Elias Marat The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended its annual surveys of the honeybee population as the federal agency increasingly turns toward representing big agricultural interests rather than regulating them. Citing the need for budget cuts, the Trump administration’s suspension of the…
A vegetable-picking robot that uses machine learning to identify and harvest a commonplace, but challenging, agricultural crop has been developed by engineers. The ‘Vegebot’, developed by a team at the University of Cambridge, was initially trained to recognise and harvest iceberg lettuce in a lab…
By Mike Maharrey MONTPELIER, Vt. (July 5, 2019) – On Monday, a Vermont law expanding raw milk sales in the state went into effect. It not only expands food freedom in the state; it also takes another step toward nullifying a federal prohibition scheme in practice…
By Cat Ellis Have you noticed that there seems to be another major food recall every week or so? With the recent food recall over E. coli in three different brands of flour, the one over frozen berries with hepatitis, and the one over beef…
By Catherine J. Frompovich The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has gone out of its way, and even ‘fallen all over itself’ in trying to present a somewhat balanced 257-page report regarding the agricultural herbicide glyphosate for the purpose of soliciting consumer…
Bees are valuable to humans not only because they produce honey, but also because they pollinate wildflowers and food crops. They exclusively eat nectar and pine pollen. So in areas where intensive agriculture is practised, they suffer from the thin supply of flowers in May…
By Derrick Broze On June 11, President Donald Trump quietly issued an executive order to “streamline” GMO regulations in the United States. The order, titled Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products, is the latest move by the Trump administration aimed at promoting the use of…
By Michael Snyder Torrential rains have been hammering the heartland of America for months, and at this point vast stretches of farmland in the middle of the country are nothing but mud. As a result of the endless rain and unprecedented flooding that we have…
By Cat Ellis Floods are dangerous natural disasters. People and animals can be swept away and easily drown. Floods can carry bacteria and pollutants great distances. Floods can bust through levees and tear down bridges. Floods can also lead to food shortages when they destroy…
We’ve all heard about bacteria that are becoming resistant to multiple types of antibiotics. These are the so-called superbugs perplexing and panicking medical science. The plant analogue may just be waterhemp, a broadleaf weed common to corn and soybean fields across the Midwest. With resistance…
The abundance of bird species living in agricultural environments has decreased both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe. Attempts to rectify the situation have been made with the help of agri-environment-climate subsidies. They are granted to agricultural producers by the EU for implementing measures that…
By Mayukh Saha In a twist in the classic David vs Goliath story, the Goliath has rallied against David here. We are talking about the potential lawsuit with which PepsiCo has threatened small-time farmers in a small village near Ahmedabad, Gujarat in India. But why?…
By Jeffrey Green Smirnoff vodka is now made with non-GMO corn. Apparently, they made the announcement a few months ago but didn’t get much exposure in the corporate or independent media. “While Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka has always been gluten-free, 10-times filtered and triple-distilled, now…
By Matt Agorist In February, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Senator Edward Markey introduced the Green New Deal, a radical piece of legislation designed to overhaul America’s economy in the name of fighting global warming. The implementation of this “deal” is estimated to cost…
By Mike Maharrey Last week, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill into law that decriminalizes hemp-derived cannabidiol. This will not only open up markets in Arkansas, but it is also a crucial step given the FDA’s continued regulation of CBD. Rep. Justin Boyd (R-Fort Smith)…
By Catherine J. Frompovich In March 2019, The Cornucopia Institute produced a 22-page online report “The Gatekeepers of Organic Integrity.” On page 5, they discuss “hydroponics” as being incompatible with organic principles. Then, on page 7 “Container Hydroponics” is discussed along with the certifiers allowing…
By Vic Bishop Just under the radar of public concern is the fact that bees and pollinator insects are dying off in catastrophic numbers; and if we are unable to reverse this trend, we face a very different kind of future. Bees in particular appear…
By Elias Marat If you’re buying fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States, 70 percent of it will carry pesticide residues on it even after you’ve washed it, according to a new study from a widely-respected health advocacy group. The Environmental Working Group’s annual…
Note: Julian Rose’s new book Overcoming the Robotic Mind – Why Humanity Must Come Through is available through Dixi Books HERE. Q: Our planet is turning into a place that cannot be lived in any more at a very fast pace. Does your book put…
