What do these two men have in common?

We know you probably know the guy on the left. But who's that next to Bill? We think you ought to know. He's the guy that's forced GMO apples (that no one wants) into our food system. He's forced GMO salmon (that no one wants) into our food system. And now, he's trying to force GMO mosquitoes into our environment. He's doing it by corrupting our regulatory agencies. Watch to get the scoop...

Strawberries were smaller when bees ingested pesticides

Study: Research from Lund University in Sweden, published in PLOS ONE, found that solitary bees that ingested the neonicotinoid insecticide, clothianidin, when foraging from canola flowers became slower. In addition, the strawberries pollinated by these bees were smaller. Strawberries are known to become bigger if bees have visited their flowers, but how strawberry growth is affected if the bees have been exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides has so far been unclear. The research team made the two discoveries in their new study. "Our study indicates that the substance made the bees slower and impaired their ability to pollinate the strawberry flowers”, says Lina Herbertsson, biology researcher at Lund University.

The Effect of Neonicotinoid Clothianidin on Ring-Necked Pheasant Survival and Reproduction

Study: Ring-necked pheasants are economically important to the state of South Dakota bringing in over one hundred million dollars in revenue each season. The study found that pheasants that were fed high levels of seeds treated with the neonic hatched half the number of chicks as those that did not eat those seeds. The chicks that the infected birds did manage to hatch were also 20% less likely to survive. The pheasant finding is alarming because it "echoes the historical impacts of DDT," said Florida state Rep. Rick Hansen, FL-South St. Paul, who leads House environmental committees. "We know there are devastating impacts of neonicotinoids on the environment and wildlife. But there has been a willful ignorance to ignore this. At some point policy makers need to take action," Rep. Hansen said.

Family Farms Can Reduce CO2 Emissions By Giving Cows More Pasture Time

Study: Organic, pasture-based grazing systems produce more climate benefits than other systems. The pasture benefit on GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions is explained by two factors, says lead researcher Horacio Aguirre-Villegas. First, pasture systems have a more developed root system than other crops fed to cows. “So, with pasture, you are leaving the majority of the biomass (and thus carbon) on the soil, versus corn, where you are taking most of the biomass out of the farm.” Part of this biomass in the roots is carbon, and part of this carbon will be stored in the long term (more than 100 years), based on different factors. The second benefit from pasture systems is that the feed is produced where cows eat. “So, there is no need for transportation, storage, harvesting, etc., meaning less use of inputs and thus, related GHG emissions.”

More national pesticide bans, despite industry pushback

In early June, PAN global network released the latest update of its list of pesticide bans—and the news is encouraging (if you don't live in the USA). The list documents 73 dangerous pesticides newly banned by national governments around the world. Boy do we have a long way to go. When 21 is not a lucky number... P.S. for our Canadian friends, you're in slightly better shape, but not much. Canada has banned 32 highly hazardous pesticides.