Last month, voters in Washington state rejected labeling biotechnology crops, known as "genetically modified organisms" or GMOs. The issue, however, isn't going away. Here are three bits of GMO news and information since the labelling initiative was turned down.

Bees and Bt Corn

As a beekeeper, I ran across this one in my winter reading.

During the campaign, advocates of labeling claimed some GMOs harmed bees, especially those with bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt. Seattle Times science reporter Sandi Doughton noted "The natural insecticide Bt, produced by GE corn and cotton, was an obvious suspect when honeybee colonies in the U.S. and other countries began to collapse in the mid-2000s." Some biotechnology crops, including corn and cotton, have Bt inserted to resist pests.

Doughton went on to note that studies demonstrate no impact from Bt on bees. She and others might be surprised to find out, however, that not only is Bt not harmful to bees, it is recommended as a treatment to help bees.

One threat bees face is from wax moths which destroy honeycomb. The treatment suggested to get rid of the moths is to apply Bt. Michael Bush, a nationally known advocate of natural beekeeping, recommends applying Bt on the hive, noting "it can be sprayed on infested combs even with the bees on them," noting Bt "seems to have no ill effects on the bees."

Most scientists agree that the increase in the number of hives that die during the winter is due to the combination of many small factors. Rather than being a threat to bees, Bt is actually a tool to fight one of those factors.

Study Attacking GMO Corn Retracted

GMO opponents also claimed that another form of biotechnology corn caused tumors in rats. Some relied on a study from early 2013 which had been widely criticized for its poor technique. Last week, the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology finally retracted the study, questioning the small number and type of animals used in the study. That and other issues, the journal argued, means “no definitive conclusions can be reached” based on that study.

The authors and GMO opponents claim the study is being suppressed by Monsanto. The conclusions of the study were, however, widely criticized and at odds with the findings of every major science organization including the USDA, FDA, World Health Organization, European Science Advisor, National Academy of Sciences and many others, making it much more difficult to blame it all on Monsanto.

There is a strong dose of anti-corporatism among GMO opponents and it is the go-to argument when the science doesn't work out the way they want. This is just one more example of that process at work.

Why America Is The World's Top Cotton Exporter

Frequently we hear that America can't compete with other countries in agriculture or other areas of the economy. Thanks in part to genetic modification, however, the United States is the world's largest exporter of cotton.

In a fantastic series on the path of a t-shirt as it is manufactured in a global market, NPR's Planet Money notes that 90 percent of US cotton is genetically modified to increase yields. As the piece notes, since the 1950s yields per acre have almost tripled in the United States. The Mississippi farmer interviewed in the story produces enough cotton on 4,000 acres to create 9 million t-shirts. A dramatic example of the environmental ethic of doing more with less.

The whole series is worth watching because it demonstrates how complex the production of a single t-shirt really is. You can even buy the t-shirt they designed and produced.

The Planet Money series is a warning to those who believe politicians can guide the economy. It is difficult to understand the process of creating one of the most simple products that can be created in an economy. Consider what it takes to produce all the elements of an iPhone. Then consider the legislature or Congress trying to guide that process.