The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

University of Vermont launches Institute for Agroecology to create sustainable food systems

The University of Vermont has launched the Institute For Agroecology (IFA) to create a new cycle of research, learning, and action to create more sustainable and just food systems. The goal is to use core knowledge for agroecology and food sovereignty to address the crises arising from industrial food production: inequity, the climate crisis, biodiversity […]

Research: Corn doesn’t get much nitrogen from fertilizer application

Recent research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reveals that tweaking fertilizer applications on corn doesn’t improve uptake efficiency by much. About 67% of the nitrogen in corn comes from naturally occurring sources in the soil, the study found. The evidence repeated itself in four studies from 2019 to 2023, done by the Department of Natural […]

Millet for the Midwest: drought-resistant grain could ease climate challenge

Though not a popular grain in the U.S.—it’s mostly grown in Africa and Asia—ancient millet varieties could offer significant benefits to alleviate climate impacts. A drought-resistant crop requiring less water, varieties including Japanese millet, pearl millet, foxtail millet, and proso millet can serve as cover crops and a versatile rotation crop. Millets are more resistant […]

As climate change threatens farming, incentives for cover crops could help

By Grace van Deelen Once a farmer understands how ecosystems function, planting cover crops is an obvious choice. At least, that’s what North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown believes. For nearly three decades, Brown has been planting his cash crops (barley, oats, wheat, rye, and others) alongside cover crops—plants that are not for sale but instead […]

U.S. pushing India to drop its non-GMO certification requirement for food imports

In its latest example of food imperialism, the United States continues to push India to drop its non-GMO certification for food, citing India’s domestic approval for environmental release of genetically modified mustard. The U.S. has lobbied to the World Trade Organization eight times over India’s requiring “non-GM origin and GM-free certificate” for 24 commodities imported […]