Dan Charles

Dan Charles appears in the following:

Cut Down On Bee-Killing Pesticides? Ontario Finds It's Easier Said Than Done

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Pesticides called "neonics" are popular among farmers, but also have been blamed for killing bees. In Canada, the province of Ontario is trying to crack down on neonics, with mixed results.

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Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated?

Monday, October 17, 2016

In the great household debate about refrigerating tomatoes, there's some new scientific evidence on the no-fridge side. But some taste testers are not convinced.

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In Fight Against Food Waste, Brits Find A Worthy Battlefield: The Home

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Reducing food waste is complicated, but the clearest success story may be the United Kingdom, where households cut the amount of food they wasted by about 20 percent.

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We Pay Billions For Greener Farms, So What Does That Buy Us?

Thursday, October 13, 2016

American farmers receive billions of dollars each year in "conservation payments" that are intended to protect the environment. Some environmentalists say the payments deserve scrutiny — and reform.

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Perdue Goes (Almost) Antibiotic-Free

Friday, October 07, 2016

The giant poultry producer says that it is now raising all of its chickens without routine antibiotics. Only those flocks that get sick, about 5 percent of all birds, will be treated.

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As a GMO Pillar Wobbles, Biotech Companies Promise New Insect-Killing Genes

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Scientists have discovered a soil microbe with a gene that kills the corn rootworm, an insect that farmers spend $1 billion each year trying to control.

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EPA Weighs In On Glyphosate, Says It Doesn't Cause Cancer

Saturday, September 17, 2016

The Environmental Protection Agency says that the country's most widely used weedkiller, glyphosate, does not cause cancer. The chemical has been under intense international scrutiny.

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Farmers Lament Bayer's Acquisition Of Monsanto For $66 Billion

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The world's largest seed company, Monsanto, is being bought by Germany-based chemical company, Bayer. Farmers at a farm show in Canada are wondering if this will reduce competition.

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Bayer To Buy Monsanto For $66B, Part Of A Trend Of Consolidation In Big Ag

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Bayer, the maker of Aspirin and other pharmaceuticals and chemicals, is buying Monsanto in a deal valued at $66 billion. If approved, it would make one of the world's biggest agri-chemical companies.

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STEM To Steam: How Coffee Is Perking Up Engineering Education

Thursday, September 08, 2016

Coffee can teach us many things, including engineering. At the University of California, Davis, it's now the focus of the most popular elective class on campus and of an ambitious new research center.

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How GMOs Cut The Use Of Pesticides — And Perhaps Boosted It Again

Thursday, September 01, 2016

There's new and detailed data on the impact of genetically modified crops on pesticide use. Those crops replaced insecticides, and, at first, some herbicides. But herbicide use has rebounded.

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Minnesota Cracks Down On Neonic Pesticides, Promising Aid To Bees

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Minnesota's governor has ordered new restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been blamed for killing bees. Many details of the plan, however, remain to be worked out.

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America's Real Mountain Of Cheese Is On Our Plates

Friday, August 26, 2016

To help dairy farmers hurt by a glut, the USDA said this week it'll buy $20 million worth of cheese and give it to food banks. But we eat so much of the stuff, that's hardly a drop in the bucket.

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Berkeley's Soda Tax Appears To Cut Consumption Of Sugary Drinks

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

According to a new study, the nation's first soda tax succeeded in cutting consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. But there's uncertainty about whether the effect will be permanent.

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Soda Tax Drives Down Sales In Berkeley, Calif.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

According to interviews conducted before and after Berkeley imposed a tax on sugary drinks, the tax is having the desired effect. People reported drinking 20 percent fewer sugar-sweetened drinks after the tax went into effect.

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Why Do Milk Prices Spike And Crash? Because It's Like Oil

Friday, August 05, 2016

Milk is like oil - it's refined into products that are traded globally. So global events can mean profits or losses for dairy farmers. This year, they're seeing losses, and asking Congress for help.

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Organic Food Fights Back Against 'Non-GMO' Rival

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Sales of food labeled "non-GMO" are booming, and it's starting to annoy organic food companies. They see the non-GMO label as cut-rate competition that doesn't deliver what shoppers imagine.

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Monsanto Sold Soybean Farmers A Weed-Beating Tool They Couldn't Legally Use

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

There's tension brewing among U.S. soybean farmers after Monsanto started selling a new herbicide-resistant seed — without EPA approval.

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How Monsanto And Scofflaw Farmers Hurt Soybeans In Arkansas

Monday, August 01, 2016

A new type of genetically engineered crop is tempting farmers to use a weedkiller illegally. The illicit chemical use has damaged nearby crops and provoked conflict among neighbors.

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Cookie Dough Blues: How E. Coli Is Sneaking Into Our Forbidden Snack

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Most people know not to eat raw cookie dough. But now it's serious: 46 people have now been sickened with E. coli-tainted flour. Here's how contamination might be occurring.

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