The Huffington Post Green
by Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale, Inc. and book author

I demand organic. It’s that simple. I know, you’re thinking, “Of course you demand organic. You wrote the Organic Manifesto and grew up on an organic farm.” True, but, even if I didn’t, I would demand organic and so should you. In lieu of giving you my big speech about how organics can feed the planet and make us safer, I will focus on one very good reason why I demand organic: GMOs. Genetically Modified Organisms, or, as the FDA says, foods that have undergone genetic modification, meaning they’ve been engineered and altered at the genetic level “using any technique, new or traditional.”

Choosing organic is the only way, right now, that I can make sure I am not feeding my family potentially dangerous biotech ingredients. And although the food manufacturers have done a tobacco-industry-worthy job of trying to convince us that GMOs are safe, the truth is that the science is starting to say otherwise. Read Full Article »

Two agricultural events are happening this weekend that we encourage you to attend if you are able.

2012 Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference

Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) will host their annual conference January 12-14, 2012 at the Scheman Building, Iowa State University campus, in Ames, Iowa. Read Full Article »

NEWS RELEASE from the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA)

They require at least a 40¢ a gallon increase in their milk price to stay in business

A remarkable turn-around in demand for organic dairy products in 2011 has resulted in shortages on supermarket shelves, but organic dairy family farmers find themselves not being able to increase production because they can’t pay their bills. Sales of organic milk and packaged dairy product are at an all-time high and there is more organic milk being produced by family farms than ever before, but organic dairy farmers are leaving the industry because they are not being paid enough to cover the increased cost of feed, fuel and family expenses. Farmers require a fair share of the retail dollar. Currently, retailers and farmers receive the same amount for each ½ gallon of organic milk sold.

“For the last year we have been telling the processors that we are losing money,” says Liz Bawden, NODPA President and New York organic dairy farmer, “Now the milk buyers need more milk and we can’t afford to buy the feed to increase production. Some dairy farmers are going out of business. We require at least a 40¢ a gallon increase to be able to pay our bills and stay in business.” Read Full Article »

Non-GMO Report
By Ken Roseboro

Hans Herren, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized scientist specializing in sustainable agriculture. He is president of the Millennium Institute, a non-profit development research and service organization dedicated to sustainable development. Dr. Herren co-chaired the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science & Technology (IAASTD), an initiative sponsored by the World Bank and United Nations in partnership with the World Health Organization that assessed global agriculture and recommended agroecological solutions to world hunger. Read Full Article »

Agent Orange Herbicide Ingredient Would be Widely Used

USDA seeks comments for Monsanto and Dow genetically engineered crops

Cornucopia, WI – Over the holidays, the United States Department of Agriculture announced its approval of a novel strain of genetically engineered corn, developed by Monsanto, purportedly being “drought tolerant.”

Despite receiving nearly 45,000 public comments in opposition to this particular genetically engineered (GE) corn variety (and only 23 comments in favor), the Obama administration gave Monsanto the green light to release its newest  GE corn variety freely into the environment and American food supply, without any governmental oversight or safety tracking.

“President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack just sent a clear message to the American public that they do not care about our concerns with genetically engineered food and their questionable safety, adverse environmental impacts, and detrimental effects on farmers, especially organic farmers,” says Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst with The Cornucopia Institute.

“This is just the latest in a string of approvals of genetically engineered crops, Read Full Article »