The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Cover crop cost-share funds available for farmers in Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska

Farmers thinking of planting cover crops this fall can access cost-share funds from one of seven private cost-share programs in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska thanks to cost-share initiatives Practical Farmers of Iowa of Iowa has launched over the past seven years with supply chain partners. The following grain merchandisers are participating: ADM/Unilever (Des Moines, Iowa) […]

Jurassic Park coming to the Arctic? Scientist aims to “de-extinct” wooly mammoth as solution to climate change

In what would seem to be a “Colossal” publicity stunt or a headline from The Onion, a tech entrepreneur and Harvard geneticist have hatched a plan to genetically engineer Asian elephants to resemble long-extinct wooly mammoths as a way to slow global warming. What could possibly go wrong? Entrepreneur Ben Lamm and geneticist George Church, […]

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 […]

First-of-its-kind study shows that diverse landscapes could boost U.S. crop yields by 20%

The team found that landscapes with increased diversity produced ~17 to 18 bushels more per acre, of corn and wheat By Emma Bryce Increasing land cover diversity in agricultural landscapes is about more than protecting nature: it could also increase crop yields across large areas of the United States by up to 20%, according to […]

Brazil’s millers oppose GMO wheat imports

Brazil’s flour millers are threatening to stop buying wheat from Argentina if Brazil approves genetically modified wheat imports from its neighbor. According to the Brazilian Wheat Industry Association (Abitrigo), local millers are opposed to processing GMO wheat from Argentina or any other country. Rubens Barbosa, head of Abitrigo, told Reuters: “There is no country in […]