The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Weedkiller complaints skyrocket among Illinois farmers

State agriculture department records five-fold increase in crop damage complaints since 2016 Farmers in Illinois have filed a record number of complaints with the state about crop damage due to drift-prone herbicide dicamba. As use of dicamba along with soybean seeds genetically modified to tolerate the weedkiller have increased, there have been mounting complaints nationwide […]

The future of wheat farming is glyphosate residue free—exclusive interview with Axis Farms

Sustainable Pulse interview with Axis Farms’ Partner, Mark Sanders, discussing the future of wheat farming in Canada and why they decided it is important to certify their harvest as Glyphosate Residue Free. Glyphosate Residue Free certification is now being embraced by farmers, ingredient suppliers and brands around the world. You can find the latest certified […]

Glyphosate and Roundup disrupt gut microbiome, contradicting regulator’s assumptions, study says

A comprehensive study using cutting-edge molecular profiling proved that Roundup and glyphosate herbicides inhibit a pathway in gut bacteria, when given at permitted doses. Specifically, glyphosate kills plants by inhibiting an enzyme called EPSPS, part of a biochemical pathway—the shikimate pathway—that produces proteins. Imbalances in gut bacteria have been linked to cancer, type 2 diabetes, […]

Cover crops get a boost through initiatives and funding

Two Midwestern U.S. states are planting seeds for cover cropping to become a more widespread farming practice. The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced a new crop insurance savings program—giving farmers $5 per acre toward paying crop insurance in 2020. Over 50,000 acres are funded (average farm size in Illinois is 372 acres). Since cover crop […]

Harnessing soil as a potent weapon against climate change

Farmers are a group who engage with climate impacts most directly—and floods in the Midwest in 2019, California droughts, and East Coast hurricanes have hit rural and agricultural sectors hard, along with already tight profit margins and trade disruptions. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sees agriculture not only as a victim of climate change […]