crops

Crawling Around Crop Fields, Chinese Spy Caught Stealing Millions of $$ Worth of GM Seeds

China is vowing to crackdown on the illegal planting of GMO crops after it was revealed that a spy stole millions of dollars’ worth of proprietary corn seeds produced by DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto.
The Chinese-born U.S. citizen, Mo Hailong, has confessed to leading a group that swiped the seeds. Mo had been the director of Dabeinong Technology (DBN) Group, a Beijing-based agricultural tech firm, and is also the brother-in-law of the company’s founder.

Students Learn Organic Farming, Sell Thousands of Pounds of Produce After Internship

As part of the growing need to find sustainable ways to provide organic, quality food for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors, more young people have become interested in organic farming. Now new programs are teaching children the importance of self-sustainable farming, and how to farm using age-old techniques.

Pakistani Government Advises Farmers to Feed Livestock GM Crop Waste

Feeding livestock waste from Bt cotton crops is an ill-advised way to eradicate the bollworm pest, but the Pakistan government has told farmers to do it anyway. This, despite warnings from organizations that Bt cotton could harm the animals.
Animals fed Bt cotton waste are in danger of aflatoxin fungus and Bt toxic acute poisoning. Both can build up in the animals’ systems.

What the Illegal, ‘Rogue’ GM Corn in China Says About GMO Regulation

Beijing has spent billions developing GMO crops in the hopes of securing food for its burgeoning population, but there has not yet been approval for the commercial cultivation of these crops, partly due to a deep-seated distrust of genetically modified crops by the Chinese public. Nonetheless, GM corn is already growing in China illegally, causing further distrust in the government’s ability to regulate GM crops.

How Scotland’s “Organic Ambitions” Plan Will Shift the Future of Food and Farming

Next week, “Organic Ambitions: An Action Plan for organic food and farming in Scotland 2016-2020” will be unveiled in Scotland. The plan for organic food production is designed to help build a more sustainable farming future and stimulate the rural economy.
The January 27 launch will coincide with the first day of the Organic Research Center’s annual conference, being held in Bristol.

Monsanto’s Greed Continues to Threaten 59 Indigenous Corn Varieties in Mexico

As recently as October of 2015, Monsanto stated that it planned to double its sales in Mexico. The biotech giant already made around $400 million in the country in 2015. This greed to conquer the Mexican maize market has caused the company to fight resistance and GMO corn bans initiated by citizens and government, though the company continues to put 59 unique, indigenous varieties of corn at risk. [1]

State in India Goes 100% Organic, Protects 75,000 Hectares of Land from GMOs

As of the end of December, 2015, Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state in the country. Implementing organic farming practices on 75,000 hectares of land, the citizens of Sikkim will enjoy GMO-free, sustainable agriculture which will be certified organic.

“We have achieved fully-organic status in the end of December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally announce this at a sustainable agriculture conference in Gangtok on January 18,” said Sikkim Organic Mission’s executive director Dr. Anbalagan.