The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Pacific Northwest universities receive $50 million grant for climate-smart potato production

Potato growing that improves soil health and reduces carbon footprint—that’s what a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to farmers and Native American Tribes is betting on. One of 70 projects of the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, the initiative will identify practices and crop rotation options to prevent the soil […]

Study finds 300% increase in weedkiller levels in pregnant women in the Midwest

A new study has found that the average level of the controversial herbicide dicamba in the urine of pregnant women has increased 300% since 2017, the year widespread planting of dicamba-tolerant GMO crops began. Chuck Benbrook, executive director of the Heartland Health Research Alliance, which conducted the research, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “We knew […]

New report finds global pesticide use has increased by a “staggering” 80% since 1990

A new Pesticide Atlas report found global pesticide use up 80% since 1990 along with an estimated 11,000 human fatalities and poisoning of 385 million people each year. There has also been a 30% decline in field birds and grassland butterfly populations with one in ten of Europe’s bees threatened with extinction. “The evidence is […]

The next Farm Bill can only be “climate-smart” if it reduces agricultural reliance on pesticides, says diverse coalition

Fifty organizations recently sent a public letter to the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, calling for a transformative 2023 Farm Bill. They urged the legislators to incentivize reductions in pesticide use, include provisions to protect farmworker health, and increase funding and research for organic and regenerative farming, representing fenceline communities, […]

Jack’s Solar Garden produces clean energy and nutritious food

By Patrick Bosold In Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado, there is a farm—Jack’s Solar Garden—that has an array of over 3,200 solar panels generating 1.2 megawatts (MW) of community solar power. This is enough electricity to power over 300 homes. At the same time, the farm produces a wide range of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and livestock […]