I pray this will be beneficial – non-GMO and no pesticides…
Hunt for Beneficial Microbes Comes Amid Regulatory Scrutiny of Man-Made Chemical Insecticides
Incorporating microscopic organisms such as bacteria and fungi represents a different approach, encouraging helpful bacteria and fungi to live on the plants’ surfaces, helping plants absorb nutrients and providing defenses against bugs and disease.
Microbe-based products face skepticism from some environmentalists. But because they don’t rely on genetic engineering or man-made chemicals, the products can be used in producing organic and natural foods. USDA rules bar organic products from containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, but permit the use of naturally occurring bacteria on organic crops—though the agency reviews such treatments in certifying farms as organic to make sure the products don’t include synthetic substances.
Consumers’ appetite for healthier, more environmentally friendly options has made organics a star in the food industry, driving deals like General Mills Inc. ’s planned $820 million purchase of organic-and-natural foods purveyor Annie’s Inc. A small-but-growing number of food makers also have started culling GMOs from some products.
Biological pesticides, including bacteria-based products, today have annual sales of about $2 billion, or 4% of the $54 billion in global sales of chemical sprays, according to industry estimates.
But consumers and advocacy groups also are raising alarms over the environmental impact of man-made crop chemicals that dominate the market, such as glyphosate, widely sold by Monsanto as Roundup. That could help boost sales of bio-pesticides to $5 billion, or about 10% of the projected market, by the end of the decade, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Cox.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/organic-farms-get-new-weapons-against-pests-1413914796
Chez Froggie 