Here’s a far-out, Digital-Age concept -- even if George Orwell came up with some version of it decades ago: The United States Department of Agriculture has been working on a little-known program called the National Animal Identification System, developed in cahoots with agribusiness trade groups representing the likes of Monsanto and Cargill. It encourages all animal owners and livestock handlers to attach 15-digit numeric codes embedded in microchips and other tags to their furry friends so that they can be monitoried throughout their lives by a central computerized nework.

You probably never think about it, but that head of lettuce in your crisper drawer was once a tiny seed that some farmer had to sow, a few months ago. and

Many in the green community now consider Monsanto a four-letter word. But a decade ago when the company first debuted genetically modified crops, the innovation was embraced as a possible environmental panacea—one that could dramatically reduce the amount of chemicals needed to grow healthy crops and provide nutrition for poor and drought-ridden populations. On the tenth anniversary of this fast-growing biotech sector, the battle over its environmental impacts rages on.