Wal-Mart has joined an alliance of other Fortune 500 companies seeking to make agriculture more sustainable, Reuters reports.

In a move to further expand its seed trait business, Monsanto has announced the development and commercialization of linolenic soybeans. This new technology, announced in early September, will help overcome the serious trans-fat health problems that are facing the food industry.

In late October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a favorable re-registration for atrazine, which paves the way for its continued use by no-tillers. “This decision confirms what extensive scientific studies have shown — that atrazine meets the most stringent regulatory safety standards,’ says Mike Mack, president of Syngenta Crop Protection, an atrazine producer.

Back in 1997, a number of Michigan farmers found high levels of white mold disease in their soybeans. This was especially true in fields planted with Roundup Ready soybeans where weeds were controlled with Roundup Ultra herbicide.

With government officials from the European Union objecting to the use of no-till and forest land as no-till carbon sinks, the U.S. recently made concessions in this area for reducing carbon dioxide losses into the atmosphere. This action took place during a recent meeting of worldwide government officials seeking approval of the international Kyoto Protocol treaty to curb climate change.