Lawmakers Tell Vilsack Not to OK Biotech Crop
Des Moines Register Blog post by Philip Brasher Six Democratic senators and 50 House member are urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack not to approve the commercialization of Monsanto Co.’s genetically modified alfalfa. The Supreme Court this week cleared the way for Vilsack too permit the sale of the biotech seed again by lifting a judge’s […]
Many Cattle Farmers Return to Tradition of Grass-Fed Beef
TriCities.com By Mac McLean -Bristol Herald Courier Saltville, VA. — About 250 head of cattle followed Will Clark as he drove an old white pickup truck across a 1,300-acre farm his family owns between Saltville and Hungry Mother State Park. “I’m the fifth generation of Clark to be here,” he said before stepping out of […]
Poison Gases in the Field
Report documents on-the-ground dangers of methyl iodide-type fumigant pesticides Pesticide Action Network SISQUOC, CA — Pesticide Action Network and local community members today released a new report documenting high levels of pesticide drift in the California community of Sisquoc. Poison Gases in the Field: Pesticides put California families in danger presents results of community air […]
Supreme Court Ruling in Monsanto Case Leaves Ban on Planting of Roundup Ready Alfalfa in Place in First-Ever Case on a Genetically-Engineered Crop
The Center for Food Safety (The Cornucopia Institute was one of the plaintiffs in the alfalfa legal case brought by the Center for Food Safety. We are sharing the information below from the Center for Food Safety to provide a broader view of the Supreme Court decision on Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa seeds.) Washington, DC […]
Monsanto Wins as Court Backs Alfalfa Seed Planting (Update2)
Bloomburg Businessweek By Greg Stohr (Updates with reaction starting in eighth paragraph.) (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Supreme Court, ruling in favor of Monsanto Co., overturned a judge’s ban on the planting of alfalfa seeds engineered to be resistant to the company’s Roundup herbicide. The 7-1 ruling shifts the focus of the environmental dispute to the […]
Banks Profit While Our Farmers Fail
When banks call in farm loans at the first opportunity, it destroys families, communities, and regional economies. Other Words By Lisa Griffith Bruce Drinkman is a successful organic dairy farmer who milks 50 cows with his wife, Mari, near Glenwood City, Wisconsin. Despite his 34 years of experience, the two-year drop in milk prices and […]
Connell Organic Farmer Using ‘Beetle Banks’
The Seattle Times By KEVIN MCCULLEN, Tri-City Herald CONNELL, Franklin County — Organic farmer Brad Bailie is a believer in bugs. Strips of blooming plants in a maze of colors — from blue bachelor buttons to white yarrow — dot his 600-acre farm north of Connell. They border fields of potatoes, onions, shallots, primitive heritage […]
U.S. Bans Inspector of Organic Farmers in China After Audit
The Wall Street Journal By SCOTT KILMAN The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday it was banning an organic-food inspection group from operating in China nearly two years after the department proposed the ban. According to the USDA, which certifies private organizations to inspect organic farms, a nonprofit Lincoln, Neb., group called Organic Crop Improvement […]
Trees, Farms Do Mix
The combination of farming and forests, known as agroforestry, represents a new farming niche — one that’s especially vital and vibrant in Missouri. ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH By Georgina Gustin When most people think of farmland, they think of open fields lined with long, neat crop rows. But some farmers and researchers picture something else: trees. […]
Chefs Move to Schools: A Nutritious Program Kids Can Sink Their Teeth Into
The Washington Post By Jane Black It was nearly midnight on a bitter January night when a group of Washington’s most celebrated chefs assembled around a long table at downtown hotspot Brasserie Beck to debrief one another on their recent White House mission. Enlisted by the first lady’s office in her war against childhood obesity, […]
Watchdog Calls on USDA to Boost Transparency in Organic Governance
Secretary Vilsack Asked to Balance Public’s Interest with Corporate Involvement CORNUCOPIA, WI: In a move to protect the growing organic industry from undue corporate influence, a leading organic watchdog group released a letter, dated June 7, calling on the USDA to collaborate with the organic community on pending appointments to the National Organic Standards Board […]
Proposed Amendments Slowing Food Safety Legislation in Congress
[This Action Alert is Over] Still Time for you to Act Cornucopia, the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, and other groups have sent out several alerts regarding the food safety bills in Congress. We are continuing to monitor the situation with S. 510, the Senate’s version of the bill. As written, this bill would impose […]
