The drought in California is impacting almond growers to the point of having to remove the trees themselves because if they die in the orchard insects and disease spread to the remaining and neighboring orchards.  The impact on crop production this year is unknown but farmers fear the worst.  For more, [link]

People want Non GMO.  That message is being heard by major food companies now and they are finding that the supply chain is so filled with GM crops that it’s a real challenge to convert.  That’s how pervasive and insidious the GM problem has become.  From Reuters this article details some of these issues in great detail – [link]

An Australian farmer is suing his neighbor over the significant economic loss that occurred when the organic farmer lost most of his organic certifications due to cross contamination of his crop by his neighbors planting of GMO canola and rapeseed.   Monsanto is not party to the suit as that company forces farmers to sign a third party waiver which leaves liability to the farmer.  If the lawsuit is successful, farmers will likely be less inclined to plant GMO crops if they can be held liable for their potential contamination of neighboring farmers crops.   Here’s more on this story – [link]

Reacting to the state by state effort by groups that want Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) labeled on foods that contain them, the food industry is proposing voluntary guidelines for this labeling.  With over 30 States expected to see some type of legislation regarding GMO’s this year, the industry is trying to come to grips on what labeling should be done so that each State doesn’t end up with their own set of rules.  It’s clear that people just want to know what’s in their foods.  Perhaps, labeling will happen sooner than we think.  For more on the story, [link]