2018 Farm Bill May Include “NOSB Reforms” Benefiting Industrial Organics

Cornucopia’s Take: Natural Grocers’ Alan Lewis recently visited Capitol Hill to discuss the upcoming Farm Bill with lawmakers. He shares his experience, insight, and disturbing commentary below about what this may mean for organic food and agriculture. Will Coming “Reforms” at the USDA Spell the End of Organic? LinkedIn by Alan Lewis Source: Douglas Simkin… Read more »

NODPA Responds to Washington Post Article on Fake Organic Milk

Cornucopia’s Take: Ethical family-scale organic dairy farmers are concerned that the Aurora Dairy scandal will tarnish, in the eyes of consumers, the organic milk they produce in accordance with federal organic standards.  Dairy farmer Liz Bawden airs her concerns here. As a consumer, you can find the best organic brands in the grocery store using our… Read more »

Agroecology May be the Big Answer

Cornucopia’s Take: Farm incomes are likely to drop again this year, while concerns about water pollution, soil loss, and soil contamination grow. Cornucopia supports diversified land management, which can help farmers and the environment alike. WHAT WE NEED ARE FARMS THAT SUPPORT FARMERS, CONSUMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Ensia by Andrea Basche and Marcia DeLonge Agroecology… Read more »

A Farmer’s View of the NOSB Meeting in Denver

Cornucopia’s Take: Dave Chapman of Long Wind Farm in Vermont attended the recent National Organic Standards Board meeting. We share his thoughts on events there, and the history leading to them, below. Is healthy soil important? by Dave Chapman Dave Chapman testifies at the NOSB meeting in Denver “Finally, the soul of organics is at… Read more »

Trump Administration Deregulating Environmental Toxins

Cornucopia’s Take: Sonny Perdue appears poised to become the next Secretary of Agriculture. The big pesticide purveyors are salivating over the prospect of deregulating and removing science and health-based restrictions on their favorite poisons. Poisons Are Us The New York Times by Timothy Egan Source: Tracy Ducasse When you bite into a piece of fruit,… Read more »

What’s Up with Organics?

Cornucopia’s Take: John Ikerd is a policy advisor to The Cornucopia Institute and a leading figure in the sustainability revolution. The author of six books and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri, he contends that soil is the “very foundation of authentic organic production.” JohnIkerd.com by John Ikerd John Ikerd How can crops… Read more »

The Case for Soil in Organic Agriculture

Cornucopia’s Take: Organic soil-based farmer Dave Chapman of Long Wind Farm offers this update on keeping the soil in organic. Public comments to the USDA are due by 11:59PM (ET) this Thursday, March 30. The Battle for Soil in Organic Agriculture Long Wind Farm by Dave Chapman Dave Chapman testifies at the spring 2016 NOSB… Read more »

Looking Ahead: How Do Small-Scale Farmers Survive?

Cornucopia’s Take: Tom Willey is a policy advisor for The Cornucopia Institute. He recently gave a speech on labor issues in farming, and shares it with us here. by Tom Willey Tom Willey Courtesy of T&D Willey Farms I did not set out forty-some years ago to be a hippy, organic or alternative farmer of… Read more »

Pesticide Poisoning Our Children Was Out, Now Maybe Back In

Cornucopia’s Take: After five years of study, the EPA found that the commonly used pesticide chlorpyrifos is likely causing lasting harm to our children, in utero. With President Trump’s planned regulatory cuts, it is unclear whether chlorpyrifos manufacturers, Dow Chemical, may be able to override science and continue to peddle their lucrative toxic chemical. Protect… Read more »

Organic Values are Conservative Values

Cornucopia’s Take: Our colleague, Jim Riddle, argues that organic is a naturally conservative growing method, noting that enforcing organic regulations worldwide will help bring business back to U.S. farmers from foreign organic grain importers. Organic farm leader Jim Riddle seeking common ground with Donald Trump, conservatives The Plain Dealer by Debbi Snook Jim Riddle While organic farming… Read more »