ChemChina Clinches U.S. Security Nod for Syngenta Purchase

China National Chemical Corp. received approval from U.S. national security officials for its takeover of Swiss agrochemical and seeds company Syngenta AG, seen as the biggest regulatory hurdle that the $43 billion acquisition faces. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. has cleared the transaction, the companies said in a statement Monday.

Garden Q&A: What organic means; what are the moth-looking insects in…

I was in the grocery store and started wondering, what am I really getting when I buy organic fruits and vegetables? What makes one onion organic, and another not? The United States Department of Agriculture answers your question this way: "Organic agriculture produces products using methods that preserve the environment and avoid most synthetic materials, such as pesticides and antibiotics," and "a are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives." The key words in that rather long definition are "according to federal guidelines."

Psychology Around the Net: August 20, 2016

According to Amy Kipp, a couples and family therapist in San Antonio, "Working through the ups and downs of a big project helps you hone your communication skills [] The sense of accomplishment and teamwork that results from a challenging shared experience strengthens a couple's bond. Thus, it seems working on this project is a way to strengthen our relationship.

Trump team talks trade, labor with U.S. farm groups

Advisers to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pledged to U.S. agricultural groups that he will give growers and states a say on national farm policy should he be elected, two association leaders said on Friday. Eleven groups representing farmers, seed companies and other players in the sector met for the first time with Trump's top agricultural advisers in Washington on Monday to make recommendations on policy, following a similar meeting with representatives of rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in June.

Martin Shkreli Weighs in on EpiPen Scandal, Calls Drug Makers ‘Vultures’

A growing chorus is calling on the Mylan pharmaceutical company to justify its price hikes on EpiPens, a potentially life-saving medication for children and others facing fatal allergies that has little real competition. In 2007, a two-pack of the epinephrine-filled devices went for $56.64 wholesale, according to data gathered by Connecture, a health insurance data specialist.

We Need To Keep Ringing the Bell’: An Interview with Dolores Huerta

In 1965, Huerta helped organize the United Farm Workers' national grape boycott, which caused grape growers in California to sign a three-year collective bargaining agreement, raised the consciousness of the nation about deplorable working conditions for farm workers, and launched a movement to improve those conditions that continues to this day. Huerta, eighty-six, has been engaged in the struggle for justice for most of her life.

USDA aids Maine organic farmers, helps vets learn farming

Rep. Chellie Pingree says a pair of United States Department of Agriculture grants will help Maine's young farmers learn their craft. One is a grant of nearly $600,000 to Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport to expand the farm's organic dairy farmer training program.

Author explores impact of mothers on household finances

Children are not only expensive - they can turn the financial lives of many mothers, especially single moms, upside down, complicating financial planning or making it harder to keep up with the bills that go along with parenting. Washington, D.C.-based author Kimberly Palmer said she began wondering why men get magazines and books on investing and getting rich while women are targeted for lectures on pinching pennies at the grocery store and saving $10 on their next sweater purchase.

Global warming divides Americans more than abortion

In this Sunday, July 24, 2016, file photo, climate change activists carry signs as they march during a protest in downtown in Philadelphia a day before the start of the Democratic National Convention. Matthew Nisbet, a communications professor at Northeastern University, says the split with science is most visible and strident when it comes to climate change because the nature of the global problem requires communal joint action, and “for conservatives that's especially difficult to accept.” He and other experts say climate change is more about tribalism, or who we identify with politically and socially.

Cutter Healy to depart for 2nd mission to West Arctic

Petty Officer 2nd Class James A. Bowell directs Cutter Healy's man basket onto the ice off the Chukchi Sea, north of the Arctic Circle July 12. During Cutter Healy's first of three missions during their West Arctic Summer Deployment, a team of 46 researchers from the University of Alaska-Anchorage and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration studied the Chukchi Sea ecosystem. SEWARD, Alaska - Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Healy is set to depart Tuesday on a second Artic mission after mooring in Seward to disembark 46 researchers from the University of Alaska-Anchorage and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from its first mission.