19/July/21

 

Harry Stine is weighing in on off-target dicamba movement that has occurred in soybeans this month. “In my opinion, dicamba has caused more damage to American agriculture than anything I have witnessed in my lifetime. (And I am old :)),” writes the founder of the Stine Seed Company, Adel, Iowa. “I told Robb Fraley (retired chief technology officer) of Monsanto (bought by Bayer in 2018) this in the late summer of 2017. The vast majority of dicamba damage goes unreported as farmers do not want to upset their neighbours and they have learned that reporting dicamba damage accomplishes absolutely nothing.” Dicamba is sprayed on GM dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton but drifts off-target, killing and damaging other crops and wild plants. Successful Farming

 

 

A new paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Agronomy reports significant impacts of organic farming systems on pesticide use and the risks stemming from pesticide residues on food. “Organic Farming Lessens Reliance on Pesticides and Promotes Public Health by Lowering Dietary Risks” was co-authored by Heartland Health Research Alliance (HHRA) executive director Chuck Benbrook, with research partners Susan Kegley and Brian Baker. A key conclusion of the team’s analysis is that by converting the 1.2% of US cropland growing fruits and vegetables to organic production, the nation’s farmers could dramatically reduce pesticide dietary exposures and risk. Agronomy

 

 

Mexico is phasing out imports of glyphosate and GMO corn. Supporters say that could reverse years of damage from US trade policy. And while the phase-out has significant trade implications for the United States, Wise said the Biden administration should not only respect Mexico’s right to make change, but consider embracing similar changes, says Tim Wise, senior advisor at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. In fact, several US cities have already limited or banned the use of glyphosate. The Counter

 

 

Nicholson Baker's book Baseless is now out in paperback. The book shows that lab leaks of dangerous pathogens, weaponizing illness, and harmful experiments by governments on their own citizens are nothing new. The US government and the National Institutes of Health were guilty of all this from as far back as the 1940s. There's an audio interview with Baker at the link above. Books on Pod on Twitter @booksonpod