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Picture a 3000-mile-long dinner table spanning the United States. Then imagine all 303 million Americans sitting down to eat. All of them, that is, except for members of Congress and a bunch of lobbyists and farm activists, who are in the kitchen planning our menu.... Read more

WESTFIELD -- Jack Lazor of Butterworks Farm talks about his latest corn crop like a proud father discussing his newborn. Lazor is due to harvest the corn any day now. He says the ears look beautiful but Lazor can't say yet what the crop is worth -- especially since it may have been cross-pollinated by genetically engineered corn planted accidentally by one of his neighbors.... Read more

It once seemed like smooth sailing for The Farmer's Protection Act. S.18, which would hold manufacturers of genetically modified organisms liable for contamination caused by their product, breezed through the Vermont Senate on a 26-to-one vote. Easy passage was expected in the Democratic-controlled House, where 54 representatives have already co-sponsored a version of the bill. But it's now looking as if the measure will never make it out of the House Agriculture Committee.... Read more

The growing movement in Vermont to halt the spread of genetically modified organisms took another step forward last week. The Vermont House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would mandate manufacturers of genetically engineered seeds to label their products as such. "The Farmers' Right-to-Know Act," H-777, legally defines GE seeds as different from conventional seeds and requires biotech companies to report their annual sales to the state Agency of Agriculture.... Read more

"In response to concerns raised by our customers over the use of genetically modified (GM) foods and to comply with government regulations, we have decided to remove, as far as practicable, GM soy and maize from all food products served in our restaurant."

By now you may have heard about the industry-sponsored trips for Vermont lawmakers to visit Monsanto's state-of-the-art facilities that develop genetically modified organisms. Several weeks ago about 40 lawmakers, as well as farmers, state regulators and other interested folks made the six-hour trip to Mystic, Connecticut, where they spent two days touring the company's biotech labs and talking to the scientists who tinker with the fundamental building blocks of the nation's food supply.... Read more

It's been half a decade since the pollen dust of genetically engineered crops first began blowing across Vermont's farmlands. It's been just five months since the Agency of Agriculture got a handle on how many farms are producing it. And only now is the state trying to set boundaries on where the wind may carry it.... Read more

"We're working on a 'conspiracy of goodwill.'" That's how Vermont Agriculture Commissioner Steve Kerr described his recent meeting-of-the-minds with CropLife America, a trade and lobbying group that represents 83 manufacturers of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). Kerr is urging state lawmakers to accept a deal with the biotech firms whereby they would voluntarily reveal the quantity of genetically-engineered seed sold in Vermont each year.... Read more