GMOs | Grist

Deniers with attitude (and power)

Sen. Inhofe and U.S. Farm Bureau chief casually chat about destroying the climate bill 0
Posted 5 days, 16 hours ago On the floor of the U.S. Senate, a pair of climate change deniers flexed their muscles against the Kerry-Boxer climate bill.
Not just a river in Egypt

Michael Specter’s new book ‘Denialism’ misses its targets 43
Posted 1 week ago A big-time New Yorker writer has come out with a book denouncing scientific "denialism." Tom Philpott can't believe Michael Specter let climate deniers off the hook--and instead goes after proponents of organic agriculture.
GMO wishes, geo-engineering dreams

Save us, [insert techno-fix here], you’re our only hope! 7
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago Watching SuperFreakonomics author Steve Levitt sitting next to Jon Stewart as they shook their heads in disbelief that everyone wasn't on the climate change/geo-engineering bandwagon depressed me to no end. Techno-fixes--you gotta love 'em. Or not.
Unlocking the Gates

Bill Gates reveals support for GMO ag 44
Posted 2 weeks, 3 days ago The Gates Foundation is reshaping African agriculture. So far, it has refrained from declaring patent-protected biotechnology a panacea for African farmers. But if a recent speech by Bill Gates is any indication, that view may be changing.
Bioreactor reaction

Gulf dead zone fix falls flat 6
Posted 1 month ago It's good to see a big Midwest "land grant" agricultural program that's concerned about the Gulf Dead Zone, and upper Midwest farms' large contribution to it.
GMO job--or new food paradigm?

Another Monsanto man in a key USDA post? Obama’s ag policy’s giving me whiplash 20
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago With new ag appointments, the Obama administration's food/ag policy keeps zigzagging between progressive change and the agrichemical status quo.
Champagne and real pain

Big Ag places a foot soldier at the U.S. Trade Office—but loses a GMO court battle 2
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago If you run a globe-spanning, U.S.-centered agribusiness firm, you're probably not sure whether to cry in your Krug or toast with it this week.
Choice nuggets

From Whole (junk) Foods to Julia/Julie hype, tasty morsels from around the Web 2
Posted 3 months ago
Grist's food editor serves up a brief rundown of interesting food/agriculture journalism from around the web.
Notable quotable

Wendell Berry on the promise of GMOs to ‘feed the world’ 2
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago
In many powerful circles, genetically modified crops are hailed as the only technology that can "feed the world" in an era of population growth and climate change. Hogwash, says Wendell Berry.
GMO job

In which I go toe to toe with H. Clinton’s science czar over GMOs 12
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Who could resist going toe to toe with Hillary Rodham Clinton's science czar on the topic of GMOs? Not I.
Sugary surprise

Would you like some GMOs in your coffee? 93
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
About half of U.S. sugar comes from beets--and suddenly, 90 percent of sugar beets are genetically modified. Yum!
Political engineering

Monsanto dropped a cool $2 million on lobbying in Q1 2009 4
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
Monsanto dominates the global market for GMO seeds like Microsoft dominates the operating-system software market. And it invests a portion of its substantial profits on political engineering--cultivating friends on the Hill.
Flour power

A farmer speaks: no to GMO wheat 11
Posted 5 months, 4 weeks ago
Several weeks ago, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) issued a press release proclaiming that 75 percent of its member farmers support the rollout of genetically modified wheat seeds. According to NAWG, wheat farmers are clamoring to follow their corn and soy counterparts toward a biotech-dominated future. Todd Leake, a wheat farmer and NAWG member, has a different viewpoint.
Truth in advertising?

Monsanto targets public radio to spread false biotech messages 30
Posted 5 months, 4 weeks ago
Monsanto has been on a charm offensive, touting its green cred in NPR and other high-profile outlets. What gives?
Tired of rearranging your closets? Why not play with some genes?

OMG, it’s DIY GMOs 0
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago
I learned of a newly popular hobby for the masses thanks to a recent edition of Food Chain Radio podcast: amateur gene tinkerers. It's such an obvious plot for a Michael Crichton book, featuring an innocent experiment wiping the planet's motherboard. Why let corporations and academics in their ivory towers have all the fun?
Yielding to reality

Biotech’s history of overpromising and underdelivering may be catching up with it 1
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Tom Philpott's post on USDA chief Tom Vilsack's comments regarding biotech deserves a bit more attention.
Gates of power

Breaking: Gates Foundation ag official gets USDA post 2
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Obama has named a top ag official at the Gates Foundation to a post at USDA. Gates has been criticzed for its ties to GMO seed giant Monsanto.
How biotech companies control research on GMO crops 6
Posted 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Foiled Rotten

E.U. foiled in bid to force France, Greece to allow GM crop 0
Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Ten reader food quandaries solved! 3
Posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago