Wolf Richter — Lobbying And Gmo Giant Monsanto Buckles In Europe

The “March Against Monsanto” in 52 countries, an unapproved strain of its genetically modified wheat growing profusely in Oregon, cancelled wheat export orders.... A rough week for Monsanto.

But now it threw in the towel in Europe – where its genetically modified seeds have faced stiff resistance at every twist and turn. Even its deep corporate pockets and mastery of lobbying have failed: “It’s counterproductive to fight against windmills,” its spokesman told the Tageszeitung.

Testosterone Pit
Lobbying And Gmo Giant Monsanto Buckles In Europe
Wolf Richter
(h/t Naked Capitalism)

See also  Don Quijones, Starving The World For Power And Profit: The Global Agribusiness Model (May 5, 2013) 

ASME — Bringing in the harvest with driverless tractors

"This is a giant step from existing technology in that it is truly autonomous and there is no human override in the cab," says Susanne Kinzenbaw Veatch, Kinze vice president and chief marketing officer. "The systems allow one farmer to operate multiple systems at the same time, vastly increasing efficiency."

ASME, May 2012
Bringing in the harvest with driverless tractors
John Kosowatz | Senior Editor

Recall that in the pre-agricultural subsistence age, virtually all labor went in to food production, chiefly through hunting and gathering. In the agricultural age, well over 90% of labor went into agricultural production. In the industrial age, this is down to about 1% in mechanized countries. With automation and robotics, it will soon be well under 1% in the digital age.