The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

How planting prairie strips on Iowa farms could save soil, water, wildlife and money — in-state and beyond

An Iowa State University program to encourage planting strips of native prairie on Iowa’s corn and soybean farms has been shown to significantly reduce soil erosion and runoff of phosphorous and nitrogen fertilizer, while establishing habitats for pollinator populations and reducing the need for pesticides. Iowa State University’s “Science-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie […]

Gene-edited foods won’t be safety-tested or labeled in Canada—and consumers are wary

Genetically modified foods splashed on the market in the 1990s, promising solutions to world hunger, yield shortfalls, and pesticide overuse. Although Health Canada and the World Health Organization insist they are not harmful, only 37 percent of Canadians agreed strongly in a 2018 poll, and an overwhelming majority wants GMO labeling. Now gene-editing technology has […]

Survey finds consumers still concerned about safety of GM foods

A recent poll found that 52 percent of United Kingdom consumers would be less likely to eat a food if they knew it was genetically modified. Forty-four percent of the 1,139 respondents characterized their perception of GM foods as “negative” or “extremely negative.” Northern Connectors, a supplier of industrial components, conducted the survey. Overall, the […]

China seeks public opinion on GMO corn, soybean approval, gets an earful

Proposed approvals of a genetically modified soybean and two GM corn varieties for domestic production in China have generated negative reactions among the Chinese public. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) recently said it plans to approve the GM crops for domestic production in a move to commercializing GM grain production in the […]

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 […]