Agriculture

"WASHINGTON — On the heels of the Senate’s passage of a long-awaited farm bill, the Obama administration is to announce on Wednesday the creation of seven regional 'climate hubs' aimed at helping farmers and rural communities respond to the risks of climate change, including drought, invasive pests, fires and floods."

"Quite possibly, you've noticed some new food labels out there, like 'Not made with genetically modified ingredients' or 'GMO-free.' You might have seen them on boxes of Cheerios, or on chicken meat. If you've shopped at Whole Foods, that retailer says that it now sells more than 3,000 products that have been certified as 'non-GMO.'"

"Long-delayed farm legislation easily cleared a procedural hurdle on Monday in the U.S. Senate, with final passage of the nearly $1 trillion bill expected as early as Tuesday."

"Dozens of protestors from around the globe rallied against Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, on Tuesday urging its shareholders to consider the risks of growing and consuming genetically modified crops."

"Scientists and biotechnology companies are developing what could become the next powerful weapon in the war on pests — one that harnesses a Nobel Prize-winning discovery to kill insects and pathogens by disabling their genes."

"WASHINGTON -- Leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees are optimistic that the long-overdue U.S. farm bill will pass, although the House of Representatives vote set for Wednesday could be the more difficult hurdle."

"Negotiators agreed Monday evening on a new five-year Farm Bill that slashes about $23 billion in federal spending by ending direct payments to farmers, consolidating dozens of Agriculture Department programs and by cutting about $8 billion in food stamp assistance."

"The Food and Drug Administration has continued to allow dozens of antibiotics to be used in livestock feed, despite findings from its researchers that the drugs could expose humans to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through the food supply, an environmental advocacy group said in a report Monday."

"Climate change will play havoc with farming, and policy makers and researchers aren’t fully aware of the significance on food supply, according to the World Bank."