The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Transition to organic sustains family farm

When Joel Layman first started farming part-time in 2007, he would have said there was no way he’d ever grow organic crops. But today, Layman farms 1,700 acres of his family’s Michigan farm organically, with another 200 in transition. It all started after working with his neighbor, who in 2013 had started farming organically. After […]

Holland turns bus stops into “buzz stops” with plants atop shelters attracting honeybees

Over 316 bus stops in Utrecht, the Netherlands, are now covered with sedum plants in an attempt to create a more sustainable, healthy city that supports biodiversity. Honeybees and bumblebees enjoy the plants sitting atop the rooftop of shelters; the plants also help capture dust and store rainwater. Energy-efficient LED lights and bamboo benches have […]

Is the bollworm growing resistant to the last defense of Bt corn and cotton?

Entomologists in southern states are reporting that earworm/bollworm caterpillars are feeding on genetically modified Bt corn and Bt cotton designed to kill them, and surviving. These crops express the Vip3A protein, developed by Syngenta to combat increased pest resistance to older Bt Cry proteins, found in three-gene cotton varieties (Bollgard 3, TwinLink Plus) and pyramided […]

Brazilian scientist called for suspension of GM mosquito trial, said Oxitec treated local population exposed to mosquitoes with contempt

An article in the Brazilian newspaper Rede Brasil Atual said that Dr. José Maria Gusman Ferraz, a member of Brazil’s biosafety commission (CTNBio), which approved the GM mosquito project, called on his fellow regulators to suspend the release of the mosquitoes until further health and environmental impact studies were done. In particular, he highlighted the […]

GMO mosquitoes spreading out of control in Brazil

According to a new scientific publication, genetically engineered mosquitoes produced by the biotech company Oxitec (Intrexon) have escaped human control after trials in Brazil. They are now spreading in the environment. The yellow fever mosquitos (Aedes aegypti) are genetically engineered to make it impossible for their offspring to survive. After release they were supposed to mate […]