Scrambled Eggs: Report Spotlights “Systemic” Abuses in Organic Egg Production
Family Farmers Face Unfair Competition from “Organic” Factory Farms CORNUCOPIA, WI — An independent report has been released that focuses on widespread abuses in organic egg production, primarily by large industrial agribusinesses. The study profiles the exemplary management practices employed by many family-scale organic farmers engaged in egg production, while spotlighting abuses at so-called factory […]
Organic Egg Business Being Hijacked by Corporate Agribusinesses — Help Reverse this Scandal!
[This Action Alert is Over]Meeting October 25-28, 2010 in Madison, Wisconsin Attend or mail in your proxy letter ASAP!Imagine 80,000 laying hens in a single building, crowded in confinement conditions, on “farms” with hundreds of thousands or a million birds. Is that organic? How about a tiny enclosed concrete porch, accessible by only 3%-5% of […]
USDA Deals Blow to U.S. Organic Hop Industry
American Organic Hop Grower Association Organic beer may never truly be organic if the USDA has its way. Earlier this month, the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Handling Committee recommended the continued use of non-organic hops in beer labeled organic by denying a petition by the American Organic Hop Grower Association (AOHGA) to remove […]
Court lets part of organic-milk case proceed
[Cornucopia’s initial review of this mixed decision leaves standing the core-complaint enabling consumers to go after Aurora and the retailers for misrepresenting their product as “organic.” The court’s decision that the Organic Foods Production Act has purview over organic marketing only illustrates how important it is for the USDA to carry out the intent of […]
(ALERT OVER) Senate Food Safety Legislation Vote Pending!!
Call your Senators TODAY — Urge their support for the Tester Amendment The Cornucopia Institute We have learned that the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) may be voted on in the Senate on Thursday, September 16. This bill, as we have noted before, would impose extremely burdensome and unnecessary requirements on the thousands of […]
Organic Egg Report and Scorecard
The accompanying organic egg scorecard rates companies that market name-brand and private-label organic “shell” eggs based on 22 criteria that are important to organic consumers. The scorecard showcases ethical family farms, and their brands, and exposes factory farm producers and brands in grocery store coolers that threaten to take over organic livestock agriculture.
Fears led to crackdown on egg safety in Maine
Des Moines Register (link no longer available) By Philip Brasher Washington, D.C. – Maine officials worried so much about a salmonella outbreak from Jack DeCoster’s egg operations that they forced him to take steps to stop the contamination, including hiring a staff veterinarian. Contrast that with the situation in Iowa, which doesn’t have its own standards […]
Farmer sells grass-fed beef locally
Statesville Record & Landmark (link no longer available) By Bethany Fuller Sam Dobson whistled while he walked onto one of the grass fields where he grazes beef cattle. “Come on,” he yelled to the grass-fed herd at the bottom of the hill. The Angus and Hereford cattle seemed to think about coming up for a moment […]
Southern Oregon family revives hops crop
Capital Press (link no longer available) By Greg Stiles ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — Even amid the euphoria of their second-straight harvest, the owners of Alpha Beta Hops realize they still are in the experimental phase of their hop-growing careers. Steve and Rebecca Pierce, along with their son, Spencer, are discovering the ins and outs of organic […]
Many avoid factory farms by buying local
They know, trust those who provide the food Cincinnati Inquirer By Polly Campbell The responses to this summer’s well-publicized accounts of eggs making people sick range from a demand for more and better government inspections to increased attention to handling and cooking food at home. And some consumers have adopted the strategy of avoiding food […]
As Concerns about Food Safety and GMOs Intensify, Retailers Launch First National Non-GMO Month
Non-GMO Project Upland, CA — This October, more than 580 natural food stores nationwide will take part in the first ever Non-GMO Month, celebrating consumers’ right to choose food and products that do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Organized by the non-profit Non-GMO Project, the event coincides with the launch of the “Non-GMO Project […]
What is Organic Food?
And Why Should I Care? This is the title of a presentation by Jim Riddle and Bud Markhart, of the University of Minnesota. The two explain that unlike marketing claims such as “natural,” “sustainable,” “green,” or “local,” the word “organic” is defined in Federal law and regulated through an extensive certification process, from field to […]
