Minnesota communities find pesticides in their air
Today Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is releasing Pesticide Drift Monitoring in Minnesota, a report that documents multiple pesticides in the air near homes and farms throughout Central Minnesota. This...
View ArticleDriftcatching with Iowa farmers
On a rainy day in Iowa last month, I found myself crowded into a small building perched on the Mustard Seed Community Farm near Ames. I was joined by PAN's new staff scientist, Emily Marquez, and we...
View ArticleMinnesota mom rallies against pesticide drift
Bonnie Wirtz is a new mom living in Melrose, Minnesota. She and her husband moved there to start a farm and raise a family.What they weren't planning on were the consequences of living in close...
View ArticleThousands sue DuPont over tree-killing pesticide
Legal claims against the Big 6 pesticide company DuPont are piling up based on Imprelis, which has been linked to the loss of hundreds of thousands of trees nationwide.Some 30,000 claims have been...
View ArticleMN court backtracks on pesticide drift
The Supreme Court of Minnesota recently issued a disappointing ruling on the legal rights of organic farmers faced with pesticide drift from neighboring farms.As we reported some months ago, Oluf and...
View ArticlePAN Partners launch nationwide report
Last week PAN released a new report, A Generation in Jeopardy: How pesticides are undermining our children's health & intelligence with events in 10 cities. The report has landed well, with media...
View ArticleFarmer v. Monsanto goes to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court announced last week that an Indiana farmer who was sued by Monsanto will get another day in court.Vernon Hugh Bowman was forced to pay Monsanto $84,000 for planting seeds containing...
View ArticleDuPont hires ex-police to patrol soybean farms
Seed and chemical giant DuPont just hired a fleet of ex-police officers to patrol the farmlands of North America.The second-largest seed company used to rely on their partner/competitor Monsanto to...
View ArticleSuperweeds spreading at warp speed
The near-exponential spread of herbicide-resistant "superweeds" across U.S. farmland is reminding us all that no matter how much the Big 6 pesticide corporations invest in research and development,...
View ArticleDrift catching in the Midwest: Ready, set, go!
Whew! I just got off the road from a wintry, whirlwind tour of farms, churches and schools in Minnesota and Iowa. My colleague Emily Marquez and I completed our last of four Drift Catcher trainings,...
View ArticleStacked in favor of Monsanto & Co.
Well, it's been signed. The biotech rider, or the "Monsanto Protection Act," as it has been appropriately dubbed, was signed into law last week by President Obama. What does this mean, and why is...
View ArticleWhose food system? Court sides with Monsanto.
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the much anticipated Monsanto v. Bowman case, addressing whether the corporation's patent protections extend past the initial sale and use of their...
View ArticleMom on a mission
In our modern, chemical-filled world, many parents are constantly guarding their kids against exposure to pesticides and other potential health threats. Today I want to shine the light on just one of...
View ArticleGE labeling — gaining ground!
It’s amazing what can happen in a year. Just ten months ago, we watched as the ballot initiative to label genetically engineered (GE) food in California — Prop 37— was defeated by massive spending from...
View ArticleAll eyes on chlorpyrifos
Here in Minnesota, the state Department of Agriculture (MDA) just announced a review of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for all agricultural insecticides, but with a special focus on chlorpyrifos.Why...
View ArticleCelebrating women in agriculture
This week I had the immense pleasure of attending the 4th National Conference for Women in Sustainable Agriculture in Des Moines, Iowa. The conference was hosted by the Women, Food, and Agriculture...
View ArticleWhat's up with the TPP?
If you're like me, you've known for awhile that the U.S. is negotiating a new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but you haven't taken the time to figure out exactly why it matters....
View ArticleToxic Taters: Minnesotans not lovin' pesticide drift
Something courageous happened today. A small group of farmers and rural residents dared to hold McDonald's accountable to its promises. Since 2006, PAN has been working with a grassroots coalition of...
View ArticleThe Big 6 — bigger & badder
The public comment period for Dow's new genetically engineered, 2,4-D-resistant corn and soy closed yesterday. And despite comments from nearly 400,000 concerned individuals and farmers urging...
View ArticleMidwest Drift Catchers are ready for spring!
PAN's Drift Catchers training: Carol Schutte and Greg KingAre you ready for spring? For most of us, that means house cleaning and a welcome wardrobe change. But for farmers and other rural residents it...
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