Posted July 23, 2021
A California judge gave Monsanto and its German owner Bayer AG a pre-trial boost in a ruling issued Monday, a week before the scheduled start of a new courtroom challenge to the safety of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicides. Judge Gilbert Ochoa of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County in California agreed with Monsanto that federal law regarding pesticide regulation and labeling preempts “failure to warn” claims under state law, and the plaintiff in the trial set to start next week will not be allowed to pursue such claims. Read more.
Get Informed on Issues Related to Chemicals
Stine Says Dicamba Has Damaged U.S. Agriculture More Than Anything in his Lifetime
Posted July 23, 2021
“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, in an e-mail. “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 neighbors and they have learned that reporting dicamba damage accomplishes absolutely nothing.” Read more.
3 All-natural Insect Repellents that You can Make at Home
Posted July 22, 2021
Insects can be deadly if they are not taken care of immediately. But many mainstream insect repellents contain toxic chemicals. This is why you should rely instead on homemade herb and essential oil-based insect repellents. Read more.
Arkansas Lawyer fights Dicamba Damage to Crop and Trees, Warms of Arson and Intimidation
Posted July 22, 2021
In May the Arkansas state Plant Board voted to allow farmers to spray the weedkiller dicamba up until June 30 over the top of GM dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. Farmers had a May 25 cut-off in the past two growing seasons but changes in the board’s membership has led to a relaxing of restrictions. In recent years the Plant Board has instituted some seasonal restrictions over dicamba spraying, going beyond EPA guidelines, in a half-hearted attempt to limit the massive damage caused to crops, trees, and garden plants as the weedkiller drifts off-target. Read more.
Do You Know What’s In Your Makeup?
Posted July 15, 2021
New research shows that many cosmetics contain dangerous chemicals with known human health risks. Action Alert! Cosmetics is a $20 billion industry, but companies aren’t transparent about the fact that a high percentage of these products are made with PFAS, or “forever” chemicals that cause a host of human health and environmental problems. But you wouldn’t know it in most cases because the products do not disclose these ingredients on their labels. Read more.
Confessions of a Middle Age “Glyphoholic”
Posted July 9, 2021,
I am James Johnson. I am a former chemical farmer trying to kick bad habits. I consider myself a recovering glyphoholic who now just wants to “feed my soil, feed my community, and feed my soul.” Read more.
Brave new ‘animal-free’ world: When animal products are no longer made from animals, what do we call them? (And are they vegan?)
Posted July 9, 2021
Thanks to advances in synthetic biology, with the right set of instructions, an army of microscopic little food factories (yeast, fungi, bacteria, algae etc) can now make animal proteins without animals, from collagen and egg albumin to whey protein if you feed them sugar and put them in a fermentation tank. But what do we call them? And are they vegan? Read more.
The PERILS of PLOWING: Tillage, the Dust Bowl, and Storytelling
Posted June 2, 2021
Since the early 1900s, tillage has been a conflicting debate. The term tillage is defined as the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking. Read more.
Make a Clean Break from Toxic Household Cleaners
Posted June 2, 2021
Cleaning has always had a squeaky-clean reputation. Many popular household cleaners promise to remove dirt, dust and germs to improve your home and your health. But there’s a dirty little secret hiding in popular household cleaners. Those wipes, sprays, cleansers, powders and liquids may be leaving behind much more than a lemony scent. They could also be exposing you to toxic chemicals that can harm your health and the environment. Read more.
Bayer to Rethink Roundup in US Residential Market after Judge Nixes $2 Billion Settlement
Posted June 2, 2021
Bayer (BAYGn.DE) said on Wednesday it will review the future of its Roundup and other glyphosate-based weedkillers in the U.S. residential market after a judge rejected a $2 billion plan to settle future claims alleging the herbicide causes cancer. The company also said it will reassess its efforts to settle around 30,000 ongoing claims by Roundup users who are alleging they have become sick from the product. Read more.
