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Monsanto gets US approval for new GMO seeds

Ag/Outdoor

January 15th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Agriculture business giant Monsanto Co. said Thursday it received approval from the Department of Agriculture for new cotton and soybean seeds designed to be used with a new herbicide formula. Monsanto’s business is built on genetically modified seeds and herbicide. The company’s seeds are designed to increase yield, deter pests and tolerate weed-killing chemicals, particularly the company’s Roundup, a staple for farmers worldwide.

But many weeds have grown resistant to traditional Roundup, so the St. Louis company has developed a new version. The Environmental Protection Agency is still reviewing that new herbicide, which adds an additional ingredient called dicamba. The single active ingredient in traditional Roundup is glyphosate, a chemical patented in the 1970s.