Originally published in The Hill newspaper Since 1981, the Rodale Institute, America’s oldest organic research institute, has conducted North America’s longest side-by-side farming systems trial: comparing organic, conventional and, for the last handful of years, GMO agriculture, collecting data on yields, economics, nutrition, soil health and energy. The foundation of organic agriculture is not only the absence of the use of toxic chemicals in food production, it's also the

OK, quick, grab your gene gun and shoot tiny DNA-coated metal pellets of "Scandal" into the pitch-dark cell walls of the "House of Cards" and you have the genetically-engineered psychodrama which reverberated in the marble halls of Congress in recent industry-led hearings and briefings, under the pretext of a legitimate debate over GMOs. A Hollywood producer would have a field day with a script where GMO executives play on Congressmen's lack of understanding of plant biology,

Lingering long after the bombs stopped falling in Vietnam, the effects of Agent Orange continue to haunt Vietnamese people and American veterans of the war. Generations later, cancers, birth defects, deformities, and organ failure have all been attributed to exposure to the chemicals produced by Monsanto and Dow Chemical to defoliate Vietnamese jungles. Now Dow Chemical wants to increase the use of 2,4-D, a major component of Agent Orange, on American farmlands. Dow Chemical

Although there is much promising research, there is no known cure for Parkinson's disease. Also, relatively little is known about how Parkinson's disease develops. Research suggests that the cause of Parkinson's disease is a mix of heredity and environmental factors. Pesticides in particular have been repeatedly linked to Parkinson's disease. According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, one major environmental factor is pesticide exposure. A meta-analysis in 2012 found th

It seems like every day the food movement is gaining more power in the fight for the consumers' right to know what is in our food. Two weeks ago 200 businesses and organizations sent a letter to President Obama asking him to fulfill his 2007 campaign promise to label foods made with genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. Just last week, Hawaiians rallied together to defeat a legislative maneuver designed to strip local control over agriculture. And states like Vermont and M