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U.S. Agriculture needs USMCA!!!!

Opinion | Democrats should give Trump a win on his trade deal with Mexico and Canada Putting out the NAFTA fire would help stabilize the global economic outlook .

Iowa governor signs law enabling industrial h**p production The Iowa H**p Act passed the Legislature with overwhelming support last month.

One billion acres of Bt crops, zero 'unintended consequences' - Alliance for Science More than one billion acres of farmland around the world have been used to grow crops that have been genetically engineered with proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The Bt protein’s insecticidal properties allow farmers to control pests without having to spray their field...

Viewpoint: Why grow GMO crops? Because they cut pesticide use 37% The development and utilization of GMOs is not well understood by most consumers, causing them to be susceptible to misleading claims and advertising....

US agriculture minister: Europe will pay the price for ignoring science Europe is a “technology-free zone” when it comes to agriculture and it will pay the price for that, US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said, criticising the EU for ignoring science on new technologies in farming.

New Study Suggests Those Extremely Opposed to GMOs Know the Least About GMOs Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can provide real solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. For example, with GMOs, we can: Increase productivity in agriculture, helping feed the worl…

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Farmer pleads guilty in Iowa to $140 million organic grain scheme Randy Constant sold more than $142.4 million worth of falsely marketed organic grain between 2010 and 2017.

Hooray!!!

Canada, U.S. reach deal to update NAFTA: Canadian sources

By tweaking the genes that are already there, we can help crops resist and ultimately defeat the age old threats of diseases and pests. http://globalfarmernetwork.org/2018/04/technology-is-getting-crispr/

Hey Amazon, let’s be honest about genetically modified foods [Opinion] Amazon's recent acquisition of Whole Foods has brought immediate changes to the Texas-based grocery chain, such as lower prices and selling Amazon tech products on supermarket shelves. As a registered dietitian nutritionist and nearly native Texan, I have an idea for Amazon to help Whole Foods' cust...

There is a common misconception that farmers are eager to “drown” or “douse” their crops in whatever pesticides available. It’s as if we go into the fields as often as we can to spray as much as we can. People somehow imagine this is how we squeeze out every penny we can out of a crop.

This could not be farther from the truth.

Pesticides are expensive! In addition to paying for the chemicals, it also takes time and money to actually apply it to the fields. We are also very aware of the environment when deciding whether to spray something. We have zero interest in poisoning our fields or polluting our water, because we want to use those fields and drink that water for years and years to come.

Before we apply any pesticides to a field, we do a cost benefit analysis to make sure that the cost of the application is going to be worth it in terms of how much pest damage is likely. If the amount of pest damage in a field is likely to cost less than the application, then we are not going to apply it. Farming is a business, too.

As for insecticides, we haven’t used them on corn since we adopted the Bt trait. Not a drop. That is precisely how farmers have been able to decrease insecticide use since 1972, when the amount peaked, so drastically – technology, science, and best practices.

What is even more impressive is that during this time of drastically reducing our insecticide use, we have also increased our production. In other words, as we have found ways to use less insecticide, we have also been growing and harvesting more and more food.

So, next time you hear someone complain about how much farmers spray to control for the bugs and insects, show them this statistic. It might just make them stop and think.