Food Safety Bill Update — Senate Debate Underway
Steve Gilman NOFA Policy Coordinator In the Senate it’s well understood that the only safe place for proposed legislation to be for a Floor vote is in the “Manager’s Package”. Because there’s already lengthy and considerable bipartisan negotiation and buy-in at the committee level — the resulting Manager’s Package Bill is good to go for […]
Why Farmers Are Turning To Local Food
OPB News Guy Hand A just released Zagat survey found that 68 percent of restaurant goers say they prefer locally grown food. Sixty percent of those would pay more for that food. That’s good news for the small, but increasing number of farmers and ranchers who grow products for local markets. Guy Hand finds out […]
NY Organic Dairy Initiative Completes 5-Year Project, Will Continue
Madison County Courier (Cortland, NY) The 5-year-old NY Organic Dairy Initiative (NYODI) has helped the state’s 370 organic milk producers (NY is the 2nd largest organic milk producer in the East) learn how to lower costs, enhance production and income, and expand market opportunities. The NYODI project that has had funding support from the NY […]
(ALERT OVER) Act by Nov. 17 on Senate Food Safety Legislation
Call your Senators MONDAY or TUESDAY— Urge their support for the Tester Amendment The Cornucopia Institute It now appears that the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) will be voted on in the Senate during the “lame-duck” session as early as Wednesday, Nov. 17. This bill, as we have noted before, would impose extremely burdensome […]
Coalition Pushes for Amendment to Controversial Senate Food Safety Bill
Over 125 national, state, and grassroots organizations are notifying members of the United States Senate that an amendment proposed by Sen. Jon Tester (MT) and Sen. Kay Hagan (NC), is critical to ensuring that the food safety bill being considered by the Senate does not injure the livelihoods of family-scale farmers and undercut consumers’ opportunity […]
Listing of Certified Organic Operations Now Available from the National Organic Program
Agricultural Marketing Service – USDA AMS No. 226-10 Soo Kim WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2012–The National Organic Program (NOP) made available today a complete listing of organic operations certified by U.S. Department of Agriculture accredited certifying agents during the 2009 certification year. For the first time, the listing, available at http://apps.ams.usda.gov/nop/, can be searched by keywords, […]
What Is Organic? USDA Trying to Define It
AOL News Dave Thier, Contributor If you’ve ever wondered exactly what that “USDA organic” seal actually means, you’re in good company. The U.S. Department of Agriculture itself has been asking the same question ever since it established the National Organic Program in 2002. “Organic” is intended to mean agricultural products produced without hormones, pesticides, artificial […]
Soper Farms Introduces Organic Plan
The Emmetsburg Reporter Democrat by Lori Hall Those curious about Soper Farms’ conversion of 260 acres to organic farming and the marketing of organic food products participated in a pasture walk and supper on Monday afternoon, Nov. 1. The pasture walk, organized by Practical Farmers of Iowa, was held north of Emmetsburg at 310th and […]
Consumer Group Finds Elevated BPA Levels in Range of Foods
Some of the products were labeled ‘BPA free.’ Finding boosts the case for banning the chemical additive in materials that come in contact with food and beverages. LA Times Andrew Zajac WASHINGTON — A consumer advocacy group’s analysis of canned goods has found measurable levels of the chemical additive bisphenol A, or BPA, across a […]
Passion and Some Tense Moments at the USDA National Organic Standards Board Meeting
Agribusiness and the Organic Community Come Together in the End on Most Issues The Cornucopia Institute The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) concluded its four-day semiannual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday with votes and decisions on several issues impacting the organic industry. The meeting began on Monday with a comprehensive progress report by USDA […]
Farmers Markets: Transparency is Our Model
Civil Eats By Stacy Miller of the Farmers Market Coalition On October 15th, the trade publication The Packer reported on an issue of growing concern for farmers market vendors and shoppers: grocery chains are copy-catting farmers markets by using “farmers market” signs outside of their stores. The Wall Street Journal had previously reported on the […]
Conventional vs. Organic: An Ag Secretary Race to Watch
The Atlantic By Joe Fassler In Iowa, the race for Secretary of Agriculture has started attracting national attention. Two starkly different candidates are in a dead heat for the traditionally low-profile post, and the winner will be a bellwether of our national attitudes towards food and agricultural policy. The incumbent is Bill Northey, an establishment […]
