Monsanto Ordered to Pay Man $289 Million

It's a huge win over weedkiller-giant Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, the most popular weedkiller in the world! Jurors in San Francisco just awarded a former school groundskeeper
Dwayne Johnson $289 million after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Rain Barrel System

What an awesome rain barrel system! I am preparing to get my first rain barrel at a workshop in April. I'm looking forward to it!

Coming Soon!

"The Case Against GMOs"

TakePart.com did a little fact-checking on some of the claims surrounding the controversy of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and Monsanto.

Some takeaway points:

• ...genetically altering corn “causes unintended changes in the way it grows, causing it to be less productive.”
•  “Rats fed on a diet containing NK603—a seed variety made tolerant to dousings of Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller—or given water with Roundup at levels permitted in the United States, died earlier than those on a standard diet"
• Round-Up Ready crops were supposed to reduce the use of herbicides, but "13 years later, evolution has run its course and now superbugs and superweeds plague farmers. As a result, herbicide use increased by 11 percent between 1996 and 2011."
• Advice to organic farmers who have to worry about GMO genes making its way into their crops? "In a new USDA report, the government suggests that such farmers buy additional insurance to protect them from crops lost due to unintentional GMO contamination."

Check it out here!

Monsanto Comic

The arms of Monsanto spread far and wide, and weave a more complex web than most understand...

In short, Midwestern agriculture quickly evolved into a vast, efficient system that is much easier to farm but is "biologically simple," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, and a specialist on biotech agriculture.

"But the problem is,'' he added, "it's a perfect storm for resistance."

A new article from the Star Tribune about the perfect ecological storm that is being created by Monsanto.

8 Reasons Not to Trust Monsanto with Our Food

I'm having a little difficulty properly formatting the image. So just click on the image to view it completely.

From Care2

France finds Monsanto "Guilty" of poisoning farmer

I love when Monsanto "gets what's coming to them", but it doesn't happen nearly enough.

Farmers Sue USDA Over Monsanto

And Monsanto is in the news once again...

Other countries protect their people against GM crops

Other countries across Europe are acting to protect their people and environments against GM crops, but sadly not the US.