The Salt Lake Tribune
By Dawn House

Without knowing how much the state will save, Utah is eliminating its nationally recognized organic certification program that has provided small farmers and processors a niche market.

State officials say private inspection companies can fill the void. But farmers worry that private labels will not have the clout with consumers that the Utah state seal does, and hiring outside firms will be a costly burden to local businesses. One entrepreneur said the state refused to accept her certification application on Jan. 13, forcing her to hire a California firm that cost her more than $7,000 in additional expenses. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

Western Livestock Journal

Producers hungry for a niche may have gotten a boost last week when USDA published its final standards for a naturally raised marketing claim in the Federal Register. The full text of the document outlines the different areas of public concern, including a broad review of the comments received and how the Agricultural Marketing Service interpreted those comments in the new standard.

Those who pushed hardest for a well-defined claim are taking issue with the new standards, however. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

Obama Administration Challenged to Clean up Bush’s Organic Mess

Mark Kastel
The Cornucopia Institute

While former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack testified before Congress during confirmation hearings, a controversy was bubbling in the organic food and farming industry concerning his appointment.

For the last eight years, Bush administration officials at the USDA have been widely criticized for “monkeywrenching” the National Organic Program. They have been accused of not enforcing the law and, among other improprieties, allowing giant factory farms to produce organic milk, meat, and eggs.

Understandably, the industry viewed Barack Obama’s election as a likely turning point. I am still optimistic that when Mr. Obama talked about “change” during his campaign, that he included a shift away from corporate agribusiness domination at the USDA. Read Full Article »

Posted in Opinion/Editorial

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

Chicago Tribune
George Naylor, National Family Farm Coalition

I’m sorely disappointed in George McGovern and Marshall Matz’s disturbing commentary piece, “Agriculture’s next big challenge” (Jan. 4), which makes a failed argument to continue with business as usual for industrial agriculture. Our current fossil-fuel based system has led to severe degradation of the land, while encouraging giant livestock feedlots and factory farms that severely degrade air and water quality.

Industrial agriculture has also given us diets loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and cheap fast food. No wonder obesity, particularly among low-income Americans, is now an epidemic.

How can McGovern and Matz ignore the broken social system throughout American farm communities and not perceive the human tragedy industrial, Green Revolution agriculture will bring to Asia, Africa, and Latin America? As a corn farmer from a family farm tradition, I would hope that my country through the new Obama administration would champion a vision of family farm agriculture based on food sovereignty principles, where everyone has access to economic opportunity in rural areas and to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food. Read Full Article »

Posted in Opinion/Editorial