Big Organic Cries “Foul!” in Wake of Weekly Story on Earthbound Sale to WhiteWave.

Monterey County Weekly By Mark C. Anderson First born-in-Carmel Valley mom-and-pop Earthbound Farm sold to WhiteWave for $600 million. That was last Monday. I promptly wondered if that was good (organic for everyone!), bad (corporate control of organic giants can’t be healthy) or a bit of both. “Organic going big business and mainstream is bittersweet… Read more »

Nation’s Largest Organic Seed Conference to Take Place in Corvallis, Oregon

Organic Seed Alliance By Cathleen McCluskey Organic Seed Alliance (OSA), with co-hosts Washington State University, Oregon State University, and eOrganic, will hold its 7th Organic Seed Growers Conference in Corvallis, OR, from January 30 – February 1, 2014. The conference begins with a full-day tour of seed enterprises in the Willamette Valley, home to a… Read more »

Gene-Altered Food Fight Rages On as Oregon Takes Lead

Bloomberg.com By Alison Vekshin The battle over genetically modified food labeling that’s drawn almost $85 million in campaign donations in little more than a year is moving to Oregon after industry opponents defeated drives in California and all but certainly in Washington state. Oregon advocates are pushing ahead with a pair of labeling initiatives for the 2014… Read more »

Los Angeles May Become Largest GMO-Free Area in the US

RT.com Los Angeles is considering a ban on the cultivation, sale and distribution of genetically modified organisms, which would make the city the largest GMO-free zone in the US. Los Angeles City Councilmen Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell introduced Friday a motion to curb growth and proliferation of GMO seeds and plants within the city…. Read more »

Combining Education and Agriculture

The Westerly Sun (RI) By Leslie Rovetti/ Sun Staff Writer CHARLESTOWN — On West Beach Road, a local organic farmer, Maxson Hence of Westerly,  has established a nonprofit foundation that teaches local teenagers about agriculture and fills their stomach with fresh produce. Among the goals of the AYERSfoundation, newly founded by Hence and his wife,… Read more »

NOTICE: USDA Keeps Organic Stakeholders in the Dark — Incompetence or Corruption?

Dear organic advocates, The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the governing board created by Congress that serves as a protective buffer and reviews all synthetic and non-organic materials proposed by corporate agribusiness and food processing interests before they can be used in organic farming or food production, meets twice a year. For 30 days before… Read more »

N.C. Raw Milk Consumers Go Out of State

Pennsylvania farmers tap into demand for product N.C. law prohibits Carolina Journal Online By Sara Burrows RALEIGH — Selling unpasteurized milk has been illegal in North Carolina for three decades. But that hasn’t stopped growing numbers of families around the state from going to extreme lengths to obtain it. Some travel to South Carolina, where… Read more »

As Drought Persists, Many Scramble to Save Every Drop of Water

Reuters By Carey Gillam (Reuters) – The drought that crippled many communities across the nation last year shows little sign of retreating, and the threat of persistent water scarcity is spurring efforts to preserve every drop. As the drought of 2012 creeps into 2013, experts say the slow-spreading catastrophe presents near-term problems for a key… Read more »