It will be a long time before Swiss canola will be genetically modified.

No GMOs for farmers in Switzerland

After moving from Alberta to Europe, Marianne Stamm finds a different consumer culture

She chops onions, carrots and potatoes, adds them to the sizzling oil in the frying pan. The oil isn’t from genetically modified (GM) canola, and never will be if Monika Wanner, a Swiss farmwoman, has her way. “We have good products in Switzerland,” she says. “We don’t need GMOs.” That growing GMOs is banned in […] Read more

(Deborah Samac photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Roundup Ready alfalfa primed for launch in East

The company with Roundup Ready alfalfa on its launchpad plans a limited rollout of commercial seed into Canada’s six eastern provinces this spring. In a move likely to face opposition from several farm groups across the country, Forage Genetics International (FGI) on Tuesday announced plans for a limited release of commercial HarvXtra alfalfa “in time for […] Read more


(USDA.gov via Flickr)

USDA clears Monsanto, Syngenta corn traits

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will no longer regulate a genetically-modified corn developed by Monsanto to resist dicamba herbicide, the agency said on Wednesday. The move by the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), means it can now be planted without permits or any additional regulatory oversight from […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU defers decision on glyphosate safety

Brussels | Reuters — The European Union on Tuesday put off a decision on whether to extend approval for glyphosate, used in herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, after a dispute between EU and U.N. agencies over whether it causes cancer. Experts from all 28 member states attended a closed-door meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, […] Read more


(MonsantoStore.corpmerchandise.com)

Monsanto threatens to exit India over GM royalty row

New Delhi | Reuters –– Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed company, threatened to pull out of India on Friday if the government imposed a big cut in royalties that local firms pay for its genetically modified cotton seeds. Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India), a joint venture with India’s Mahyco, licenses a gene that produces its own […] Read more

(BASF.com)

BASF to cut half the jobs in plant biotech unit

Leverkusen, Germany | Reuters –– BASF, the world’s largest chemicals group by sales, will cut half of the 700 jobs at its plant biotechnology business, slashing some early development projects in yield improvement and stress tolerance and all of its rice yield and corn fungal resistance projects. BASF’s plant biotechnology unit is developing improved plant […] Read more


Grainews reporter Lisa Guenther spoke with Jon Treloar of Monsanto to learn more about Quick Roots at Crop Production Week.

VIDEO: New yield-boosting seed treatment on the horizon

Show me the data! What farmers should look for when buying new inputs

Monsanto is banking on biologicals to be the future of ag inputs, company officials said during a media event at Crop Production Week in Saskatoon this winter. Monsanto has partnered with Novozymes to develop, test, and release new biological products. One of the first products to come out of that business relationship is QuickRoots, a […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Monsanto to pay U.S. SEC settlement over Roundup earnings

Washington | Reuters — Monsanto will pay US$80 million to settle civil accounting violations after it allegedly misstated its earnings in connection with its top-selling Roundup product, U.S. securities regulators said Tuesday. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also said three accounting and sales executives have agreed to settle charges in connection with the […] Read more



Syngenta’s Interaction Centre at Stein, Switzerland. (Syngenta.com)

China seeks food security with friendly bid for Syngenta

Basel | Reuters — China made its boldest overseas takeover move when state-owned ChemChina agreed a US$43 billion bid for Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta on Wednesday, aiming to improve domestic food production. The largest ever foreign purchase by a Chinese firm, announced by both companies, will accelerate a shake-up in global agrochemicals and […] Read more