Farmer’s use of genetically modified soybeans grows into Supreme Court case. “I am less than a drop in the bucket.”
Yet Bowman’s unorthodox soybean farming techniques have landed him at the center of a national battle over genetically modified crops. His legal battle, now at the Supreme Court, raises questions about whether the right to patent living things extends to their progeny, and how companies that engage in cutting-edge research can recoup their investments. Farmers Rally at White House to Protest Monsanto's GMO Empire. Hundreds of small farmers and advocates for organic seed growers gathered outside the White House Thursday, calling on President Obama and other lawmakers to come to their aid as they continue their fight against Monsanto, one of the world's largest, most powerful—and to them sinister—industrial agriculture corporations.
(Image: Ecowatch.org) The farmers and citizens assembled demanded the end of Monsanto's "campaign of intimidation against America's family farmers" and their relentless push for GMO (or genetically engineered-GE) crops. The rally followed a court hearing earlier in the day in the ongoing and landmark Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al. v. Food Democracy Now. Et al. v. Monsanto. Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association et al. v. Monsanto was filed in federal district court in Manhattan, NY, on March 29, 2011, on behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and agricultural organizations and challenges Monsanto’s patents on genetically engineered (GE) seed. Cytotoxic and DNA-damaging properties of glyphosate and Roundup in human-derived buccal epithelial cells. Glyphosate (G) is the largest selling herbicide worldwide; the most common formulations (Roundup, R) contain polyoxyethyleneamine as main surfactant.
Recent findings indicate that G exposure may cause DNA damage and cancer in humans. USDA downplays own scientist’s research on ill effects of Monsanto herbicide. Sure, the crops are genetically engineered to withstand Roundup; but what about the soil?
What would happen if a USDA scientist discovered that one of the most commonly used pesticides on the planet with a reputation for having saved millions of tons of US soil from erosion was — rather than a soil savior — a soil killer? That, to quote a certain paranormal expert, would be bad. And yet, it’s true. This news came to the fore thanks to a recently published must-read article from Reuters on how government regulators are “dropping the ball” on agricultural biotechnology. Monsanto & Cancer Milk: FOX NEWS KILLS STORY & FIRES Reporters. Monsanto's Deep Roots In Washington. It's planting season, which brings to mind one of the most ubiquitous names in agribusiness: Monsanto.
Love it or hate it -- and there are plenty of people on either side -- the company controls much of the agricultural market, and also sells products for the suburban yard such as the weed-killer Roundup. Wikileaks: GMO conspiracy reaches highest levels of US Government. Recent Wikileaks cables are typically associated with information leaks related to U.S. war strategy, and foreign policy, which has led some people to conclude that leaked information of this nature is a possible threat to national security.
But in this case, Wikileaks cables leaked information regarding global food policy as it relates to U.S. officials — in the highest levels of government — that involves a conspiracy with Monsanto to force the global sale and use of genetically-modified foods. In 2007, then-U.S. ambassador to France Craig Stapleton conspired to retaliate against European countries for their anti-biotech policies. U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks reveal the Bush administration formulated battle plans to extract revenge against Europe for refusing to use genetically modified seeds. NutraSweet (Aspartame): General Info. Monsanto petition tells Obama: ‘Cease FDA ties to Monsanto’ - BlogPost. Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 01/30/2012 Jan 30, 2012 04:27 PM EST.
35 individuals who worked for Monsanto and the U.S. Government. Monsanto. Founded in 1901 by John Francis Queeny, by the 1940s Monsanto was a major producer of plastics, including polystyrene and synthetic fibers.
Notable achievements by Monsanto and its scientists as a chemical company included breakthrough research on catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation and being the first company to mass-produce light emitting diodes (LEDs). The company also formerly manufactured controversial products such as the insecticide DDT, PCBs, Agent Orange, and recombinant bovine somatotropin (a.k.a. bovine growth hormone).
Monsanto was among the first to genetically modify a plant cell, along with three academic teams, which was announced in 1983,[9] and was among the first to conduct field trials of genetically modified crops, which it did in 1987. Organic Consumers Association: News and Background Info on Monsanto. President Obama knows that agribusiness cannot be trusted with the regulatory powers of government.
On the campaign trail in 2007, he promised: We'll tell ConAgra that it's not the Department of Agribusiness. It's the Department of Agriculture. We're going to put the people's interests ahead of the special interests. But, starting with his choice for USDA Secretary, the pro-biotech former governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, President Obama has let Monsanto, Dupont and the other pesticide and genetic engineering companies know they'll have plenty of friends and supporters within his administration. President Obama has taken his team of food and farming leaders directly from the biotech companies and their lobbying, research, and philanthropic arms: Michael Taylor former Monsanto Vice President, is now the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods. Roger Beachy former director of the Monsanto-funded Danforth Plant Science Center, is now the director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.