Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

Glyphosate resistance in weeds – the transgenic treadmill Institute for Science in Society - 3/3/2010. By Joe Cummins – Glyphosate herbicide was patented and sold by Monsanto corporation since 1974 under the trade name and proprietary formulation Roundup. The herbicide has been used widely in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, alongside roads and highways, and in home gardening. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that poisons many plant species so it is frequently used to ‘burn down’ weeds on a field prior to the planting or emergence of crops. Before 1996, weeds were not observed to have evolved resistance to glyphosate in the field, but since then, the introduction of transgenic glyphosate tolerant crops has led to evolution of a number of resistant weeds as the result of the greatly increased use of the herbicide particularly during the post-emergent growth of the crops. More weeds found resisting Monsanto Roundup Organic Consumers - 3/3/2010. By Carey Gillam, Reuters – Kansas City: Scientists said on Friday they have confirmed expanding weed resistance to a key ingredient in Monsanto's widely used Roundup herbicide, a troubling development for farmers and fresh fodder for Monsanto critics. Kansas State University said scientists had found five kochia weed populations in western Kansas that have been confirmed to have become resistant to glyphosate. Kochia, also called fireweed, is a drought-tolerant weed commonly found on land in the western United States and Canada where crops are grown and cattle are grazed. EU authorizes GMO potatoes Common Dreams - 3/2/2010. By Agence France Presse – Brussels: The European Commission on Tuesday approved the cultivation of genetically-modified potatoes, but environmentalists and some European ministers slammed the so-called "frankenfoods." The first approval of genetically modified foods in Europe for 12 years was criticised by the Friends of the Earth group and others as a threat to human health, though the potatoes will not be for human consumption. "This is a bad day for European citizens and the environment," Friends of the Earth said of the green light given for the Amflora potato to be developed by German chemical giant BASF. Common weed killer chemically castrates frogs, study finds Grist - 3/1/2010. By Agence France-Presse – Washington: One of the most common weed killers in the world, atrazine, causes chemical castration in frogs and could be contributing to a worldwide decline in amphibian populations, a study published Monday showed. Researchers compared 40 male control frogs with 40 male frogs reared from hatchlings until full sexual maturity in atrazine concentrations similar to those experienced year-round in areas where the chemical is found. Ninety percent of the male frogs exposed to atrazine had low testosterone levels, decreased breeding gland size, feminized laryngeal development, suppressed mating behavior, reduced sperm production, and decreased fertility. Raw milk story confuses real debate with false balance Portland Press Herald - 3/1/2010. Op-Ed by Michael Bendzela – Standish: There are studies showing that the American public is scientifically illiterate, in spite of this country's reputation as a pioneering society. One cause of this deficiency might be what passes for "objective" journalism these days. The sham of "objective" journalism is revealed when one compares it with science education. Biology teachers, in an effort to disseminate truly "objective" information, don't give equal time to creationist arguments alongside evolutionary ones. The scientific consensus overwhelmingly supports Darwin's idea, feelings of outside observers notwithstanding. This is what the evidence points to. Not so with journalism, where every point of view, no matter how absurd, is treated with blind deference. USDA dumping livestock ID plan Kennebec Journal - 3/1/2010. By Mechele Cooper – A controversial federal livestock-tagging program that had earned the scorn of Maine farmers is being scrapped by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The National Animal Identification System is being replaced with a more flexible plan for tracing animal diseases that would apply only to animals sold across state lines, U.S. Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Feb. 5. Hooking up with farms Portland Press Herald - 3/1/2010. By Ann Kim – Portland: Think of it as speed dating for vegetables. That's one description Adrienne Lee of New Beat Farm in Jefferson heard for the community-supported agriculture fairs held around Maine on Sunday. "There are a lot of different options," said Lee, who helped organize the Portland fair. "People get to shop around." Current  Archive     Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7