Monsanto
Is glyphosate a cancer risk? It depends on your gauge.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer started a global debate by rating glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world, as "probably carcinogenic to humans" while the EPA says its studies indicate it is "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans at doses relevant to human health." Harvest Public Media says the difference in view is partially explained by the way the agencies chose to evaluate the issue.
U.S. farm groups tell Senate they can support big ag mergers
Since World War Two, the U.S. food supply has come from a network of fewer but larger farms. And the groups representing those highly mechanized operations told the Senate Judiciary Committee that they could accept, with sufficient safeguards, mergers that would convert the six largest seed and agricultural chemical companies into a "big three."
Ag-merger wave looks like a ‘tsunami,’ says Senate Judiciary chairman
The seed and ag-chemical industry "is seemingly on the precipice of a significant structural transformation," says Senate Judiciary chairman Charles Grassley in remarks written for today's hearing on consolidation in the sector. Five of the "big six" companies are involved in mergers while two Canadian companies are combining to form the world's largest fertilizer company.
Glyphosate ‘not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,’ says EPA paper
In a 227-page "issue paper" compiled for a panel of experts, the EPA says its latest analysis indicates glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world, does not cause cancer. "The strongest support is for 'not likely to be carcinogenic to humans' at doses relevant to human health risk assessment," says the paper in a discussion of the results of dozens of studies that it reviewed.
EPA postpones advisory meeting on glyphosate indefinitely
The EPA says its scientific advisory committee will meet later this year after it finds additional epidemiologists to serve on the panel during its review of glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world. The panel was scheduled to meet this week to assess the carcinogenic potential, if any, of the herbicide.
Antitrust regulators are collaborating on ag-merger wave
Ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the seed and ag chemical sector, the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission say they will consider the combined impact of mergers as well as the import of each deal. If they go forward, the mergers would result in three dominant companies in the sector instead of the current six.
Ag crisis is on the horizon unless farm economy improves
U.S. farm income is down sharply from the records set in 2013, with little improvement forecast in the near term. "If something doesn't change between now and 2018, we will be in a big crisis," said Zippy Duvall, president of the largest U.S. farm group, during a luncheon session with reporters, referring to the target date for Congress to overhaul farm policy law.
Deere says planter deal won’t reduce competition
In response to a Justice Department lawsuit, Deere and Co., the world's largest farm equipment maker, says its purchase of a competitor, Precision Planting, will expand farmers' ability to update their planters and will not reduce competition for planter sales.
Bayer to buy Monsanto for $66 billion in a giant deal for seeds and ag chemicals
Two of the largest seed and agricultural chemical companies of the world, Bayer and Monsanto, will combine in a deal valued at $66 billion. Monsanto chief executive Hugh Grant said the merger, in which Bayer buys Monsanto for cash, will result in "an innovation engine that pairs Bayer’s crop protection portfolio with our world-class seeds and traits and digital agriculture tools to help growers overcome the obstacles of tomorrow."
U.S. panel examines ag consolidation, as Bayer-Monsanto eye merger
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley set a Sept. 20 hearing to examine consolidation in the seed and agricultural chemical sector at the same time that another blockbuster merger seemed imminent. "If these mergers go through, you'd have a 'big three' instead of a 'big six' dominating the market," Grassley told reporters.
After rogue GMO interlude, Japan resumes purchase of U.S. wheat
Japan bought 2.13 million bushels of U.S. Western White wheat on Thursday, ending a one-month interruption in purchases caused by the discovery of 22 stalks of unapproved GMO wheat in a fallow field in Washington State. U.S. Wheat Associates said trade disruptions related to the rogue wheat were minimal "because every stakeholder approached it in a reasonable way."
Bugs, fungi, and nematodes deployed to battle corn rootworm
Researchers are turning to natural solutions like nematodes, spiders, and cover crops to fight the notoriously destructive rootworm in corn crops. “Western corn rootworm has evolved resistance to nearly every chemical and biotech tool deployed against it in the past few decades,” including Monsanto's genetically modified Bt corn, says The Progressive Farmer.
Grassley to hold hearing on ag concentration
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Glassley of Iowa said he would hold hearings next month on "a wave of consolidation among seed and chemical producers, including the merger of Dow and DuPont," the Des Moines Register reported. The announcement came one day after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States approved the $43 billion merger of ChemChina and Swiss-based Syngenta, which has significant operations in the United States.
Rural Argentineans say massive increase in glyphosate is making them sick
In Argentina, the use of glyphosate increased 1,000 percent between 1994 and 2010, as soybean farmers fought off resistant weeds, says the BBC. With large amounts of the herbicide still being applied to fields, some experts think that it may be responsible for a surge in health problems among rural residents.
Big Data ag company to build weather-and-soil monitoring system
Climate Corp., a subsidiary of Monsanto, says it will develop its own in-field network of weather and soil monitors—including a sensor that tracks nitrate levels—to broaden its agronomic models that help farmers decide their crop strategies. The nitrate sensor could mean more efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer and less runoff into waterways.
Ag mergers need coordinated review, says Senate chairman
The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission ought to collaborate in their review of two major mergers that affect the seed and ag chemical supply, said Senate Judiciary chairman Charles Grassley in a letter to regulators. "It is important that these transactions are not reviewed in isolation," wrote Grassley, noting that different regulators are handling each of the mergers, Dow-DuPont and ChemChina-Syngenta.
USDA chased rogue GMO wheat for weeks before announcing incident
The tip that led to discovery of rogue GMO wheat in the Pacific Northwest reached the USDA on June 14, more than six weeks before the incident was made public. Officials spent the time in verifying it was a genetically-engineered variety from Monsanto and to begin testing all the wheat grown on the farm in Washington State where 22 stalks of wheat survived a dose of herbicide that should have killed them.
GMO wheat disruption may be short-lived; origin may stay a mystery
The discovery of 22 stalks of GMO wheat in a fallow field in Washington state “is an isolated incident,” said Monsanto, which developed the experimental strain as part of a project that was shuttered a decade ago.