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Agriculture

anone to sell Stonyfield to Lactalis for $875 million

The sale of Stonyfield is part of an agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with Danone’s recent acquisition of WhiteWave. Danone and WhiteWave together have big chunks of the yogurt market with brands including Dannon, Oikos, Actimel, Silk, Wallaby and Horizon Organic, which led to concerns from the Justice Department about concentration in the dairy sector. [node:read-more:link]

One Controversial Thing Tractors and iPhones Have in Common

Earlier this year, Apple and Micro­soft marshaled their lobbyists in Lincoln, Neb., far from their usual corridors of political power. Their target was a proposed state law—the first of its kind, if passed—that could have set off a costly chain reaction nationwide. For decades, many electronics manufacturers have profited from a choke hold on repairs to their products. [node:read-more:link]

GM purple rice could cut risk of cancer

A purple rice with the potential to combat cancer, heart disease and diabetes has been genetically developed by scientists in China. The rice gets its purple colouring from the high levels of antioxidant-boosting pigments called anthocyanins, which are also found in blueberries and red cabbage.Reporting their findings in the Molecular Plant journal, lead researcher Dr Yao-Guang Liu revealed that he and his team found a way to "stack" the eight genes needed for anthocyanin production and activate them in rice's "endosperm" - a tissue produced inside the seeds of the rice. [node:read-more:link]

Toledo must nurture urban agriculture

Thomas Jackson aimed to bring fresh produce to Toledo, but he may end up bringing much more. Mr. Jackson’s long battle with the city may prompt it to finally draft regulations for urban farming.Motivated by Mr. Jackson’s court case — he has been fined by the city for keeping mulch on three central-city parcels he owns — a few Toledo citizens are working with city officials to draft what they call a “Right to Grow” ordinance for Toledo City Council to consider.Mr. [node:read-more:link]

After Oranges

We know that the orange is in fact green. The fruit changes to its namesake color when exposed to cool air. Yet, when the temperature drops below 28 degrees for longer than four hours, ice will form within an orange. The peel will show no injury, but the frozen flesh will turn mushy and the orange will fall from the tree, inedible. When the force that makes us can also ruin us, when a lethal irony is at play, we call the story a comedy or a tragedy, depending on the ending. Even if it is just an orange.  [node:read-more:link]

Growing Chickens With One Wing Tied Behind Your Back

Shoppers don’t have to go far to see the latest food trends.Grocery stores are filled with labels like non-GMO, organic and gluten-free.But the shift toward chicken grown without the use of antibiotics is posing some problems for Delmarva poultry growers.“A 1950s disease came back because we were made to change the way we grow chicken,” said Dan Bautista, a poultry health expert and director of the Lasher Laboratory at the University of Delaware’s Carvel Research & Education Center.“If this was the ’90s, we wouldn’t even be talking about necrotic enteritis,” he said at a June 19 commerc [node:read-more:link]

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