Pesticide Action Network, North America by Linda Wells Source: Tom It’s official. EPA and USDA have both evaluated Dow Chemical’s new line of 2,4-D-resistant seeds, Enlist, and have approved both the seeds and the accompanying pesticide formulation for market. This is a turning point, not just for grain production, but for food production in the… Read more »

NPR – The Salt by Natalie Jacewicz Source: Steve Tomlin Forget bold stripes and mule flats — could the next big fad be super-old wheat? Consumer interest in healthy grains could sow the seeds for some long-forgotten bread wheats to make a comeback, according to an opinion article released Monday in Trends in Plant Science —… Read more »

CivilEats by Elizabeth Grossman Source: Tax Credits A first of its kind study shows organic agriculture earns farmers significantly more, and suggests it might be worth the price. Most people buy organic to avoid pesticides, antibiotics, and GMOs, and to support environmentally friendly growing practices. Now you can add helping farmers make a living to… Read more »

Cornucopia’s Take: The growing consumer hunger for organics has made organics a $43 billion a year business. As shortages appear, more farmers look to transition to organics. While they wrestle with changing agricultural practices, corporations are scrambling to find supplies – sometimes in the U.S. and increasingly from abroad. Paying Farmers to Go Organic, Even Before… Read more »

NPR – The Salt by Dan Charles Source: Cascadian Farm Rearranging veggie genes is big business, and we’re not even talking about biotechnology. Private companies and university researchers spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year breeding better genetic varieties of food crops. But organic farmers say those programs have a big blind spot when… Read more »