Lexington Clipper Herald
by Robert Pore, World-Herald News Service

GILTNER – More than 20 years ago, Paul Huenefeld knew he was on to something good.

Back in the 1980s, Huenefeld decided to convert his five-generation farming operation to an organic operation.

And it all had to do with Huenefeld deciding that it wasn’t safe for his kids to play in the same soil that he planted his crops.

“One thing that traveled around in my mind was I had a couple of small children at that time (1980s) and they would come out and bring lunch to me in the field,” he said. “I would not let them play in the dirt, and I realized that we were growing food for the world, but yet it wasn’t safe for your own kids to play in the ground that we grew our food in.” Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

The Sacramento Bee
By Stuart Leavenworth

Along with local farmers and foodies of all stripes, I spent part of an afternoon Tuesday in a Yolo County walnut grove with Alice Waters, the chef of Chez Panisse.

It was an emotional gathering for Waters and many in the crowd. More than three decades ago, Waters’ drive to supply her Berkeley restaurant with fresh, local produce led her to Yolo County and other counties that ring the Bay Area. There she encouraged the growth of organic agriculture and, in turn, farmers influenced the foods that she served.

“She was the wild woman who drove around in her truck, looking for vegetables,” recalls Paul Mueller of Full Belly Farm, an organic operation in the Capay Valley. “No one knew anything about her.” Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

New York Times
By KIM SEVERSON

Erin Axelrod, who graduated from Barnard College last week with an urban studies degree, will not be fighting over the bathroom with her five roommates on the Upper West Side this summer. Instead she will be living in a tent, using an outdoor composting toilet and harvesting vegetables on an organic farm near Petaluma, Calif.

As the sole intern at a boutique dairy in upstate New York, Gina Runfola, an English and creative writing student, has traded poetry books for sheep.

And Jamie Katz, an English major at Kenyon College in Ohio, is planting peach trees at Holly Tree Farm in Virginia.

These three are part of a new wave of liberal arts students who are heading to farms as interns this summer, in search of both work, even if it might pay next to nothing, and social change. Read Full Article »

Posted in Media/News

Hexane contamination of soy protein and soy products

Posted in Video Gallery

By Institute for Responsible Technology

LOS ANGELES — This week, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.” They called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies, and labeling.

AAEM’s position paper stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.” Read Full Article »

Posted in Opinion/Editorial