A disturbing bit of news to go to sleep by

'Monsanto Protection Act': 5 Terrifying Things To Know About The HR 933 Provision

The "Monsanto Protection Act" is the name opponents of the Farmer Assurance Provision have given to this terrifying piece of policy, and it's a fitting moniker given its shocking content.

President Barack Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933, into law on Tuesday that includes language that has food and consumer advocates and organic farmers up in arms over their contention that the so-called "Monsanto Protection Act" is a giveaway to corporations that was passed under the cover of darkness.

I hope he wins

Indiana soybean farmer sees Monsanto lawsuit reach US supreme court: Who controls the rights to the seeds planted in the ground? A 75-year-old farmer takes the agricultural giant to court to find out

The legal saga revolves around Monsanto's aggressive protection of its soybean known as Roundup Ready, which have been genetically engineered to be resistant to its Roundup herbicide or its generic equivalents. When Bowman – or thousands of other farmers just like him – plant Monsanto's seeds in the ground they are obliged to only harvest the resulting crop, not keep any of it back for planting the next year. So each season, the farmer has to buy new Monsanto seeds to plant.

However, farmers are able to buy excess soybeans from local grain elevators, many of which are likely to be Roundup Ready due to the huge dominance Monsanto has in the market. Indeed in Indiana it is believed more than 90% of soybeans for sale as "commodity seeds" could be such beans, each containing the genes Monsanto developed.

Bowman, who has farmed the same stretch of land for most of the past four decades and grew up on a farm, ended up on Monsanto's radar for using such seeds – bought from a local grain elevator, rather than Monsanto – for year after year and replanting part of each crop. He did not do so for his main crop of soybeans, but rather for a smaller "second late season planting" usually planted on a field that had just been harvested for wheat. "We have always had the right to go to an elevator, buy some 'junk grain' and use it for seed if you desire," Bowman said.

To put it mildly, Monsanto disagrees. The firm insists that it maintains patent rights on its genetically modified seeds even if sold by a third party with no restrictions put on its use – even if the seeds are actually only descendants of the original Monsanto seeds. To that end it sued Bowman, eventually winning a legal settlement of some $84,456 (£53,500) against him for infringing the firm's patent rights. Monsanto says that if it allowed Bowman to keep replanting his seeds it would undermine its business model, endangering the expensive research that it uses to produce advanced agricultural products.

Plucky Welsh boy saves father from bull

Abergavenny boy, 10, in tractor saves father from bull

A 10-year-old boy who watched a bull attack his father may have saved his life by driving a tractor at the beast.

Tom Phillips watched as the animal attacked his father Andrew at their farm in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

After driving off the bull, which left Andrew with 10 broken ribs and internal injuries, Tom raised the alarm.

"Andrew only survived because of Tom's amazing reactions," said Tom's mother Amanda. "He's my little hero. I can't tell you how proud I am of him."

The boy had never been allowed to drive the tractor, but had apparently seen how his father worked it. He ran to the tractor cab for safety, then slowly put the tractor into motion and drove off the bull. While I don't normally approve of children and large farm machinery, this was obviously a special case and the boy used his wits to save his father's life. Good for him.