Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
While initial reports on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms focused on the idea that Big Ag and genetically modified crops were the big winners, environmentalists see it another way.
According to the website Food Safety News, environmentalists and food activists believe the decision could set a precedent for strictly regulating GMO crops.
In a 7-1 vote, the court reversed a federal appeals court ruling that prohibited Monsanto Co. from selling alfalfa seeds that are resistant to the active ingredient glyphosate used in the company’s trademark Roundup herbicide. The Court ruled that a federal judge abused his discretion by issuing an injunction that a full environmental impact review should have been completed by the USDA prior to approval of the seed.
From Food Safety News:
“The [Center for Food Safety] is victorious in this case in several other ways: most importantly, the High Court did not rule on several arguments presented by Monsanto about the application of federal environmental law,” the group said yesterday. “In addition, the Court opinion supported the Center’s argument that gene flow is a serious environmental and economic threat. This means that genetic contamination from GMOs can still be considered harm under the law, both from an environmental and economic perspective, another huge victory for CFS.”
Dave Murphy, founder and director of Food Democracy Now, agreed, telling the site that the decision represents a “serious defeat for Monsanto” since the court ruled that “environmental harm” now includes genetic contamination.
While most believe the Supreme Court has already lifted the ban on genetically-modified alfalfa, the decision is actually in the hands of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Already, six Democratic senators and 50 House members are asking him not to lift the ban.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter