Seed
Three farmers recently filed a class action against the very Texas plaintiff firm that represented them in the Syngenta MIR162 corn case, according to Reuters.
Formerly merged into Channel Bio Corp (owned by Monsanto) Midwest Seed Genetics will be relaunched in the Corn Belt for the 2017/2018 season. Founder Don Funk says this comes at a time that farmers are asking for more options.
The lawsuit was at least the second attempt by environmental groups to overturn the department’s decision to deregulate the genetically engineered crop.
The international Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has the green light for Golden Rice in the U.S. from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency concluded the rice varieties are safe for consumers.
New formed Local Seed Company says it will offer farmers a “direct-to-growers” option with a mission to provide custom crafted seed options delivered to the farm.
“The No. 1 failure I’ve seen is when producers are interested in cover crops and just jump in without knowing what they want to accomplish,” says Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska Extension engineer.
For the past several years sorghum research has lagged behind that of corn and soybeans, but that could soon change with technology advances. DuPont Pioneer partnered with the Sorghum Checkoff to improve sorghum breeding.
A former USDA scientist has plead guilty to stealing seeds.