BAYER’S NEW PLAN
An Herbicide That Works Like Chemotherapy
Monsanto seized the opportunity presented by the rise of Roundup-resistant “superweeds” to develop additional genetically engineered traits so crops like corn could soak up a wide range of herbicides, including 2,4-D, dicamba, glufosinate, and others such as imazamox, isoxaflutole, mesotrione, oxynil, sulfonylurea, and HPPD-inhibiting herbicides.
Farmers continue to struggle with herbicide-resistant weeds. So, Bayer, which bought Monsanto and retired its infamous name in 2018, is getting ready to roll out icafolin-methyl, its first new herbicide in over 30 years, one that the company says has “exceptional safety.” And, yes, they’re genetically engineering crops to tolerate it.
There’s no reason to believe Bayer that icafolin-methyl is safe, but as Claire Robinson of GMWatch conceded, “there’s little to no information available on its possible toxicity to humans or the environment.”
Icafolin-methyl’s mode of action could help us predict how it might impact human health, but what exactly that is is unclear. Robinson found an article published by Bayer scientists that “makes the remarkable admission that even they don’t understand how the herbicide works to kill plants.” They say it’s “probably by binding to ß-tubulins.”
Pharmaceuticals that target ß-tubulins are used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, a disease linked to glyphosate exposure. Will Bayer be poisoning eaters with one herbicide and “treat” them with another? Tubulin binders come with severe side effects, including toxicity to the brain and blood.
Bayer says icafolin-methyl kills weeds but is harmless to people. They told that lie about glyphosate. They expect us to believe them now?
TAKE ACTION
Public Pressure Works: Stop ICE
Our home state of Minnesota is ground zero for immigration enforcement that is becoming more secretive, violent, and unaccountable every day. We all need to blow our whistles and contact Congress now to preserve the remaining shreds of our democracy. Public pressure works and making our voices heard can help protect our neighbors and uphold basic civil rights.
Regardless of anyone’s position on immigration, we should be able to agree this: every human being deserves dignity, humane treatment, and due process under the law.
Without constituents taking action Congress may approve even more funding for these agencies with no meaningful safeguards, allowing abuse, secrecy, and civil rights violations to continue unchecked. Our communities demand accountability, transparency, and an end to policies that spread fear and put lives at risk.
We can’t wait while ICE continues to harm people in our communities. Reckless raids, like those happening in Minneapolis and across the country, are tearing apart families, traumatizing children, and putting lives at risk.
Congress has the power and responsibility to stop this escalation by opposing any bill that adds to ICE’s already massive budget and by demanding an end to violent, unaccountable enforcement operations.
Signing this alert and contacting Congress sends a clear message: our communities refuse to accept abuse, secrecy, and fear as the cost of immigration enforcement. Lawmakers must act now to rein in ICE, end harmful raids, and hold the agency accountable before more people are hurt or killed.
HEALTHY LIVING
Top 5 Organic Food Trends for 2026
Organic Insider, Max Goldberg, Founder:
“As we enter a new year, here are my Top 5 Organic Food Trends for 2026.
Non-UPF Verification Emerges as a Defining Signal
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are now top of mind for consumers, and as such, the single biggest mistake organic brands can make heading into 2026 is dismissing the new Non‑UPF Verified certification, set to officially launch this month.
Recent research shows that how processed a food is now matters more to shoppers than organic, Non-GMO, regenerative or sustainability claims — by a significant margin — and nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers are actively trying to avoid ultra-processed foods. That demand is being reinforced by mounting health evidence, including a 2024 landmark global review linking UPFs to damage across multiple organ systems.
Non-UPF Verified is managed by the same organization behind the Non‑GMO Project, giving it instant credibility and operational maturity.
‘I have not talked to a single brand that doesn’t understand the importance of addressing UPFs, and it is a trend unlike any we have ever seen in our industry,’ said Megan Westgate, CEO of Non-UPF Verified and the Non-GMO Project. ‘There is no certification fatigue when it comes to UPFs, and even for those companies who are not qualifying, they are reformulating or launching new product lines.’”
A Big Move for Nutrient Density: CIVC Introduces New Paradigm for Organic Supply Chains. Pesticide Testing Moves into the Mainstream. Organic School Food is Set to Scale Nationally. Read about Max’s 4 other picks for 2026.
ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE
We Discovered Microbes in Bark ‘Eat’ Climate Gases. This Will Change the Way We Think About Trees
by Luke Jeffrey (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Southern Cross University), Chris Greenig (Professor, Microbiology, Monash University), Damien Maher (Professor in Earth Sciences, Southern Cross University), Pok Man Leung (Research Fellow in Microbiology, Monash University), The Conversation:
“We all know trees are climate heroes. They pull carbon dioxide out of the air, release the oxygen we breathe, and help combat climate change. Now, for the first time, our research has uncovered the hidden world of the tiny organisms living in the bark of trees. We discovered they are quietly helping to purify the air we breathe and remove greenhouse gases.
These microbes ‘eat’, or use, gases like methane and carbon monoxide for energy and survival. Most significantly, they also remove hydrogen, which has a role in super-charging climate change.
What we discovered has changed how we think about trees. Bark was long assumed to be largely biologically inert in relation to climate. But our findings show it hosts active microbial communities that influence key atmospheric gases. This means trees affect the climate in more ways than we previously realized.”
Within every tree species examined, in every forest type and at every stem height, bark microbes consistently removed hydrogen from the air
HEALTH
‘There’s a Dark Side to Floristry’: Are Pesticides Making Workers Seriously Ill – Or Worse?
Louise Donovan writes for The Guardian:
“On a cold morning in December 2024, florist Madeline King was on a buying trip to her local wholesaler when a wave of dizziness nearly knocked her over. As rows of roses seemed to rush past her, she tried to focus. She quickly picked the blooms she needed and left. I’m not doing this any more, she thought.
That month, after eight years, she closed her Minneapolis-based florist. She had started the business aged 22, transforming it from a one-woman show operating out of her dad’s warehouse into a 10-person team, creating extravagant floral displays for weddings and building a loyal social media following.
The dizziness she experienced that day wasn’t new. By that point, King, 30, had spent years battling fatigue, headaches, and nausea. Her brain was foggy. She’d walk into rooms and forget why she was there. Now, she believes her symptoms were a result of pesticide exposure.
‘It was definitely earth-shattering,’ she says over Zoom. ‘To find out that I feel this bad because of my job … is horrible and stressful. And also, why is no one talking about this?’”
LABOR POLITICS
Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators
by Eric Blanc, Claire Sandberg & Wes McEnany, Labor Politics:
“Renee Nicole Good’s murder by an ICE agent in Minneapolis has left millions of Americans wondering how we can stop ICE from terrorizing our communities any further. There are many well-known ICE-fighting tactics that we can and should use, like protests, know-your-rights trainings, and neighborhood watches.
But two recent victories show a promising, relatively underutilized path forward—one that deserves to be pursued further: we can target businesses to break from ICE. ICE relies heavily on the private sector to help carry out its Gestapo-like crusade against immigrants and their allies. Without the logistical, financial, and political support of business, its capacity to terrorize our communities would crumble.
Over the past week, activists around the country successfully pushed Avelo Airlines to stop running deportation charter flights, and workers in Minneapolis pushed a local Hilton affiliate to stop renting rooms to ICE agents.”
If you are looking for ways to help Minneapolis this week, here are a list of organizations that serve our immigrant neighbors:
MINGEI
Beauty in Ordinary Things: Why This Japanese Folk Craft Movement Still Matters 100 Years On
Penny Bailey, The Conversation:
“The influence of mingei continues in contemporary design. Fukasawa Naoto – one of Japan’s most influential designers and the current director of The Japan Folk Crafts Museum – aims to create objects which work so naturally that they seem to disappear into daily life.
He describes this as ‘without thought’ design: things that feel right in the hand, fit their purpose and do not demand attention. His long collaboration with MUJI, known for its pared-back products, shows how closely his work follows the mingei spirit.
This way of thinking sits in sharp contrast to how many goods are made today. A culture of fast buying and quick disposal has left people feeling disconnected from the act of making, from materials and from the things they own. Mingei offers an alternative way of thinking. It invites us to look closely at the objects we use each day – to notice their shape, feel and purpose. It suggests beauty should be part of everyday life, not an escape from it.
Yanagi believed if we change how we see and choose ordinary things, we might also change how we live.”
NEW DATA
Fewer Americans Sign up for Affordable Care Act Health Insurance as Costs Spike
Ali Swenson & Nicky Forster, AP:
“Fewer Americans are signing up for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans this year, new federal data shows, as expiring subsidies and other factors push health expenses too high for many to manage.
Nationally, around 800,000 fewer people have selected plans compared to a similar time last year, marking a 3.5% drop in total enrollment so far. That includes a decrease in both new consumers signing up for ACA plans and existing enrollees re-upping them.
The new data released Monday evening by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is only a snapshot of a continuously changing pool of enrollees. It includes sign-ups through Jan. 3 in states that use Healthcare.gov for ACA plans and through Dec. 27 for states that have their own ACA marketplaces. In most states, the period for shopping for plans continues through Jan. 15 for plans that start in February.
But even though it’s early, the data builds on fears that expiring enhanced tax credits could cause a dip in enrollment and force many Americans to make tough decisions to delay buying health insurance, look for alternatives or forgo it entirely.
Experts warn that the number of people who have signed up for plans may still drop even further, as enrollees get their first bill in January and some choose to cancel.”
Read how health care costs are at the center of a fight in Congress
BAN TOXIC PFAS
Forever Chemicals May Increase Liver Disease Risk in Adolescents by as Much as 3-Fold
Press Release, Keck School of Medicine of USC:
“‘These findings suggest that PFAS exposures, genetics and lifestyle factors work together to influence who has greater risk of developing MASLD as a function of your life stage,’ said Max Aung, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine. ‘Understanding gene and environment interactions can help advance precision environmental health for MASLD.’
Li noted that this study is the first to examine PFAS and MASLD in children using gold-standard diagnostic criteria, and the first to explore how genetic and lifestyle factors may interact with PFAS exposure. MASLD also became more common as adolescents grew older, adding to evidence that puberty and early adulthood may increase susceptibility to environmental exposures.
The study builds on recent USC research showing that, for adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery to manage obesity, a PFAS known as PFHpA is linked to more severe liver disease, including inflammation and scarring of connective tissue called fibrosis.
Taken together, the two studies show that PFAS exposures not only disrupt liver biology but also translate into real liver disease risk in youth.”
TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State Legislators to Ban PFAS Pesticides!
SUPPORT OCA & RI
Stand Against Bayer’s Toxic Pesticides and ICE’s Abuses
Bayer’s got a new plan to poison us all – literally.
They’re rolling out a new toxic pesticide, icafolin-methyl, and genetically engineering crops to tolerate it.
But we can’t trust Bayer’s claims of “exceptional safety” when their own scientists admit they don’t fully understand how it works.
Meanwhile, ICE is ripping families apart, traumatizing children, and putting lives at risk with reckless raids and enforcement operations.
We can’t let them continue to operate with impunity. Our civil rights are being eroded. That’s why we need your help now.
We’re working to hold corporations and government agencies accountable for their actions, and we need your support.
Will you donate today to help us: Expose the truth about Bayer’s toxic pesticides and their impact on human health and the environment, advocate for policy changes to hold government agencies accountable and help build a movement for a safer, more just world, where corporations and government agencies prioritize people over profits.
Every donation counts.
Together, we can make a difference.
Please give what you can today.
Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization
NEW STUDY
Exercise May Be Just As Effective at Relieving Depression As Medication and Therapy
Erica Sweeney, Everyday Health:
“Movement is medicine: It can strengthen your bones and muscles, help your heart, and boost your brain power.
Now, a new study provides more evidence that exercise can also reduce symptoms of depression, perhaps as much as talk therapy or antidepressants.
‘Exercise provides an option for people experiencing depressive symptoms, along with pharmacological and psychological treatments, which should be offered to people to allow them to choose the best option in consultation with their health professional,’ says the study’s lead author, Andrew Clegg, PhD, a professor of health services research at the University of Lancashire in England.
The review found that light and moderate-intensity exercise may be more beneficial than vigorous exercise, Clegg says. It also found that, unlike antidepressants, exercise for depression rarely led to unpleasant side effects.”
LITTLE BYTES
Other Essential Reading and Videos for the Week
Photos: Kew Gardens’ Top 10 Newly Named Plants and Fungi for 2025
Wild Pigs Turned ‘Neon Blue’ in California, Triggering Warnings
EPA No Longer Considering Lives Saved in Pollution Rules, Only Cost to Business
Agricultural and Industrial Chemicals Exhibit Antimicrobial Activity Against Human Gut Bacteria
4 Ways Soaking Oats Overnight Improves Nutrient Absorption
Why Pleasure Is the Key to Self-Improvement
California Pesticide Agency Could Loosen Restrictions on Most Toxic Rat Poisons
US FDA Requests Removal of Suicide Warnings From Weight-Loss Drugs
Some Food Preservatives Linked To Higher Cancer, Diabetes Risk