Monsanto donating $350K to colleges to resolve more lawsuits over genetically modified wheat

Monsanto says it will pay about $350,000 to settle class action lawsuits brought by farmers in seven states over genetically modified wheat.

The St. Louis company said Wednesday it will make donations of $50,000 to agricultural schools at land grant colleges in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. It will also reimburse the plaintiffs' and their counsel for a portion of the costs associated with the case.

The lawsuits relate to the discovery of genetically modified wheat on a farm in Oregon in May 2013. The wheat had not been approved, and after the discovery, Japan and South Korea temporarily suspended some wheat orders. The European Union called for tougher testing of shipments from the U.S.