The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Film on India’s “Seed Mother,” preserver of native crop varieties, wins Cannes Award

Rahibai Soma Popere, a 55-year-old Indian farmer who has single-handedly conserved up to 122 varieties of 32 different native crops, is featured in a short film that won third prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The festival’s Nespresso Talents 2019 honored the film by Indian filmmaker Achyutanand Dwivedi. Last year, Rahibai made the BBC’s 100 […]

Rat feeding study suggests the Impossible Burger may not be safe to eat

Controversial burger tests positive for glyphosate It hit New York City restaurants with hype—but Impossible Foods’ Impossible Burger created disturbing side effects for rats involved in a short-term study. A report by GM Watch editor Claire Robinson and molecular geneticist Michael Antoniou revealed adverse health impacts potentially related to the GMO ingredient the burger contains. […]

USDA official suggests gene editing could be used in organic production

The National Organic Program rules prohibit the use of genetic engineering in organic farming and processing, considering it an “excluded method.” But a U.S. Department of Agriculture official recently suggested weakening that rule to allow the use of gene editing in organic production. Speaking before a recent House Agriculture Subcommittee meeting, undersecretary Greg Ibach said: […]

Rogue weedkiller vapors are threatening soybean science

It’s not just non-GMO soybean fields, peach and cypress trees, and tomato plots being decimated by drift from the herbicide dicamba—it’s harming research being done at universities. Pengyin Chen, professor of soybean breeding and genetics at the University of Missouri, has seen soybean damage—curly leaves, fragile side branches—for three years, since introduction of Monsanto’s dicamba-tolerant […]

Dicamba disaster: herbicide drift damage reports pour in nationwide

Farmer says dicamba drift damage is a “real black eye” for agriculture For the fourth year in a row, drift from dicamba herbicide used with genetically engineered dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton is damaging crops, fruits, vegetables, and ornamental trees nationwide. Jennie Schmidt is an advocate for genetically modified crops but this year her farm, which […]