In the last week or two I have seen many references in the media, which show a dramatic shift in positive trends regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). Today I saw that Hellman's Mayonnaise is the latest brand going non-GMO, and that Chipotle is the first national food chain that is going non-GMO.

Oregon's fight over whether to label products with genetically-engineered ingredients continues, following a close vote in November, echoing similar conversations on the international stage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent decision to certify a company’s process to develop corn free of genetically modified organisms is being wrongly interpreted in that the agency has broad authority to establish standards for GMO or non-GMO labeling of food. The USDA’s decision actually spotlights the limitations currently facing the agency, and the need for congressional action on this issue.

The consumer is already using genetically modified and genetically engineered products in their daily life. So, wouldn't it be nice if the end user were also someone who could have a say about what this technology was used for?“

Saturday is the first day people can alert county officials about violations of the ban on growing genetically altered crops.

On Friday, Federal Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke partially dismissed a lawsuit brought by commercial alfalfa farmers seeking to overturn a Jackson County ordinance that banned the use of GMO seed stock (“It is a county violation for any person or entity to propagate, cultivate, raise, or grow genetically engineered plants within Jackson County.”).

Wall’s preference of avoiding GMOs contributes to a market for non-GMO labeled food that’s predicted to reach $264 billion in 2017, according to a 2013 article by FoodNavigator-USA, a publication that covers the North American food and beverage industries.

Jim Mead, owner of Delta Grains, a seed and grain brokerage business near Jonesboro, was part of the vanguard in seed technology. In the 1980s, he was an integral part of Eagle Seed Co. in Weiner, a small but innovative company that developed new rice and soybean varieties. Now, he views the seed business from both sides.

After a long scan of the organic-vegetable cooler, Penelope Wall added several items to her cart.

"Oh my gosh!" Wall said. "I'm about to spend $5 on a bag of baby cucumbers."

She pinched one of the bright green gherkins and added, "But they look really crunchy and I'm excited to eat one."

Wall picked her way through City Market's eclectic-but-lightly-stocked produce section on a Sunday afternoon in May. The Burlington mother of two toddlers, who were napping at home, said she tries to shop organic and local. Her reasons include the desire to get the freshest food possible, to support community agriculture and to avoid genetically modified organisms.

Medford, OR - Family farmers and other supporters of Jackson County’s precedent-setting ban on genetically engineered (GE) crop cultivation are celebrating a federal court ruling upholding the legality of Jackson County’s ordinance. The ban passed last year with the backing of over 150 family farms threatened by contamination from GE crops, also known as GMOs, and bipartisan support from 66% of county voters. The win came despite almost $1 million in opposition spending by Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta and other chemical corporations heavily invested in GE crops. The ruling released this afternoon by Federal District Court Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke was a resounding victory for Our Family Farms Coalition (OFFC) and Center for Food Safety (CFS), which intervened in the case to defend the ban along with two local family farmers. Lawyers with Center for Food Safety and the Earthrise Law Center based at Lewis and Clark Law School jointly represented the intervening parties.

Magistrate Judge Clarke rejected a legal challenge by two GE growers, backed by Monsanto and other GE interests, claiming that the Jackson County GE crop ban violated Oregon’s Right to Farm Act. The court, however, held that Jackson County’s ban was allowed under Oregon’s Right to Farm Act since it was intended to “protect against damage to commercial agriculture products, and therefore it falls into the exception to the Right to Farm Act.” The Court also relied on the fact that Oregon’s Legislature clearly intended to exempt the Jackson County ban when it adopted a general pre-emption bill aimed at GE crops during the 2013 special legislative session.