Each week, news articles are selected from the news that pertain to agriculture, food, biotechnology and related issues.

AUG

OCT 1, 2013 - Source of Oregon GM Wheat Remains Mystery - Capital Press
APHIS says still no answer to how genetically engineered wheat got into eastern Oregon field. Drought, untimely heat and surprise frost would have been problems enough for Pacific Northwest wheat growers. Throw in the still-unexplained discovery of genetically engineered wheat growing in an eastern Oregon field and you’ve got a mess in the making. MORE

SEP 27, 2013 - Counties support bill pre-empting local GMO controls - Capital Press
A proposal to pre-empt local governments in Oregon from banning genetically modified organisms is being supported by an organization that represents counties in the state. The Association of Oregon Counties asked legislators to pass the bill included as part of a broader legislative package that will be considered by Oregon legislators at a special session of Sept. 30. MORE

SEP 27, 2013 - Senate seeks to reverse law on GM crops - Capital Press
The Senate addresses the "Monsanto Protection Act," which helped farmers avoid losses if their crops are caught up in legal challenges. The law is seen as a flash point in the debate over genetically modified foods. MORE

AUG 24, 2013 - Golden Rice: Lifesaver? - New York Times
One bright morning this month, 400 protesters smashed down the high fences surrounding a field in the Bicol region of the Philippines and uprooted the genetically modified rice plants growing inside. MORE

AUG 23, 2013 - Coalition asks USDA to bolster monitoring of GM crops - Sustainable Industries
Dozens of farm organizations, food processors, millers, retail companies, bakeries, and seed businesses have signed a letter calling for improvements in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of experimental trials of genetically modified (GM) crops. MORE

AUG 21, 2013 - US and UK scientists collaborate to design crops of the future - National Science Foundation Press Release
Three Ideas Lab projects and a fourth NSF sponsored project aim to transform future farming while reducing pollution and energy consumption. MORE

AUG 17, 2013 - Naturally Grown: An alternative label to organic - Yahoo News
Justine and Brian Denison say they adhere to all the growing practices required for organic certification, yet if they label their beans and tomatoes "organic" at the farmer's market, they could face federal charges and $20,000 or more in fines. MORE

AUG 8, 2013 - 'Golden rice' GM trial vandalised in the Philippines - BBC News
A trial plot of genetically modified rice has been destroyed by local farmers in the Philippines. "Golden Rice" has been developed by scientists to combat vitamin A deficiency, which affects millions of children in the developing world. MORE

AUG 7, 2013 - Designer Fruit - Naples Illustrated
Anything is possible in food universe, and it’s left up to consumers to decide if the innovators have gone too far. David Cain is a fruit geneticist, a former researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture who now breeds experimental fruit for profit. His latest invention is the Cotton Candy grape, which supposedly delivers a flavor similar to a carnival cone of spun sugar. MORE

JUL 23, 2013 - Wheat researchers identify Ug99 resistance gene - Capital Press
Researchers have discovered the gene that will help build resistance in wheat against the stem rust disease Ug99, but they say it's a tool and not a cure-all. MORE

JUL 22, 2013 - Market-driven approach better than laws for GMO labeling, UNPA says - NutraIngredients-USA.com
A marketdriven approach that allows consumers to opt for foods made without genetically modified ingredients is preferable to mandatory labeling via either state or federal statutes, according to the United Natural Products Alliance. MORE

JUL 19, 2013 - What would the FDA do? Court asks agency to resolve GMO labeling issue in “All Natural” case involving Mission Tortilla Chips Lexology - Lexology (Association of Corporate Counsel)
Last month we highlighted a tentative decision out of the Northern District of California that contemplated a stay of proceedings in the Cox v. Gruma Corp. MORE

JUL 18, 2013 - Monsanto drops GM crop plan in EU - BBC News
Biotechnology giant Monsanto is scrapping plans to win approval to grow new types of genetically modified crops in the European Union. MORE

JUL 17, 2013 - Judge asks FDA if GMO foods can be 'natural' - Capital Press
A federal judge has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine whether food made with genetically engineered crops can be labeled as "natural." The request springs from a lawsuit against the Gruma Corp. that accuses the company of falsely labeling its Mission tortilla chips as "natural" even though they contain genetically engineered corn. MORE

JUL 16, 2013 - Groups pay PR firm $35,000 to respond to GM wheat find - Capital Press
The Oregon, Idaho and Washington wheat commissions will pay $7,000 each toward bills accrued by a communications firm hired to help respond to media inquiries about unapproved genetically modified wheat discovered in an Oregon field. MOREJUN 24, 2013 - GMO-free label gets USDA's stamp of approval - Capital Press
The USDA has approved a label that verifies the absence of genetically modified products in some foods. The Non-GMO Project, a nationwide organization based in Bellingham, Wash., sought the approval "pretty intensively" over the past year, said Megan Westgate, executive director of the organization. MORE

JUN 20, 2013 - 'Saboteurs' destroy GM sugar beets - Capital Press
Saboteurs damaged two fields of genetically modified sugar beets in southern Oregon earlier June, according to the FBI. The FBI considers the incidents, which occurred during the nights of June 8 and June 11 in Jackson County, to be crimes of "economic sabotage" that violate federal law. MORE

JUN 19, 2013 - GM wheat scenarios add up to mystery - Capital Press
The possibility that someone covertly kept and then lost track of biotech wheat seed may be how the restricted crop ended up in an Oregon field, an expert says. The scenario is the "most plausible among many implausible scenarios," said Norm Ellstrand, a biology professor specializing in gene flow at the University of California-Riverside. MORE

JUN 14, 2013 - Agriculture should move 'beyond conventional' - Capital Press
Recently some farmers have begun using the term "beyond organic" as a new label to set their products apart from other "(merely) organic" alternatives. This is, as one farmer friend explained to me recently, a way to bypass the complications and expense of organic certification and get back to the basics of the idea, although another farmer friend quickly replied that it was an arrogant move that involves no accountability and shows no appreciation for what the organic movement has accomplished. MORE

JUN 14, 2013 - GMO debate stretches from farm to table - Capital Press
Among the 20 genetically modified crops now awaiting USDA approval, two stand out -- a new potato and an apple. While most of the biotech crops being evaluated will be fed to livestock or crushed for biofuel feedstock, the potato and apple are intended for human consumption, sparking keen interest among both the farmers who will grow them and the public who will eat them. MORE

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