The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

New scorecard reports 10 major U.S. food retailers’ progress on protecting bees from toxic pesticides

Giant Eagle, Whole Foods, and Walmart take top positions on Bee-Friendly Retailer Scorecard Friends of the Earth recently released its latest Bee-Friendly Retailer Scorecard, ranking 25 of the largest US grocery retailers on pesticides and pollinator protection in their food and beverage supply chains. Ten retailers improved their scores since last year, with Giant Eagle, Whole Foods, and Walmart ranking […]

Greenhouse gas emissions lower in organic wheat production than conventional

A recent study illustrates that organic farming emits fewer greenhouse gases than conventional, carrying lower global warming potential. Published in Soil Science Society of America Journal, the research focused on winter wheat under a five-year rotation with leguminous crops including alfalfa and lentils. The organic system incorporated livestock to manage weeds and soil fertility; chemical […]

Synergistic action of pesticide “cocktails” is escalating bee mortality

A meta-analysis of 90 studies found that bees are dying in greater numbers from the overall synergistic effect between multiple anthropogenic stressors—including agrochemicals, nutritional stressors, and/or parasites. Impacts of these stressors individually were already taking a toll on bee populations; but strong evidence of synergy when bees are exposed to multiple agrochemicals at field-realistic levels […]

Changes in farming practices could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2036

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory participated in a study that shows innovation in technologies and agricultural practices could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from grain production by up to 70% within the next 15 years. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies a combination of […]

Missouri farmers embrace cover crops with federal and state assistance

Cover cropping is known to prevent soil erosion and create efficient water cycles, and Missouri farmers are seeing the benefits. The 2017 Census of Agriculture highlighted cover crops as the third most planted crop in the state. Cover crop acreage has doubled in five years, to 850,000 acres. Corn and soybean farmer John Hemme cites […]