Henning Combines Political Savvy With Her Love of the Land
Des Moines Register (link no longer available) Written by DAN PILLER Cooper, Ia. – When Chris Henning left Des Moines and a 17-year career with Meredith Corp. in 1991 to farm 145 acres she bought in Greene County near where she had grown up, she took her ideals with her. Some of her attitudes can be […]
For Bob Hill, Growing Bananas Has Certain A ‘Peel’
Morris Plains gardener does what others say is “impossible.” Morris-Plains Patch, New Jersey (link no longer available) By Liz Alterman When Bob Hill set out to grow bananas in the backyard of his Morris Plains home, fellow gardeners thought he was, well, bananas. Having discovered his green thumb as a kindergartner when he was able to […]
The New Geopolitics of Food
From the Middle East to Madagascar, high prices are spawning land grabs and ousting dictators. Welcome to the 21st-century food wars. Foreign Policy BY LESTER R. BROWN In the United States, when world wheat prices rise by 75 percent, as they have over the last year, it means the difference between a $2 loaf of […]
Fields of Watermelon Burst in China Farm Fiasco
Associated Press By ALEXA OLESEN BEIJING (AP) — Watermelons have been bursting by the score in eastern China after farmers gave them overdoses of growth chemicals during wet weather, creating what state media called fields of “land mines.” About 20 farmers around Danyang city in Jiangsu province were affected, losing up to 115 acres (45 […]
Genetically Modified Crops in the Food Supply: The Threat to Your Health
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund by Judith McGeary, Esq. The case against genetically modified (GM) crops has been growing for years. While there are no long-term studies on the health effects of eating food from GM crops, even short-term studies have raised very troubling questions. For example, a panel of scientists in India recently reviewed studies […]
Cutting Food Waste to Feed the World
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Over a billion tonnes squandered each year Rome – Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted, according to an FAO-commissioned study. The document, Global Food Losses and Food Waste, […]
Study: Diet May Help ADHD Kids More Than Drugs
Hyperactivity. Fidgeting. Inattention. Impulsivity. If your child has one or more of these qualities on a regular basis, you may be told that he or she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. If so, they’d be among about 10 percent of children in the United States. Kids with ADHD can be restless and difficult to handle. […]
Another Side of Tilapia, the Perfect Factory Fish
The New York Times By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL AGUA AZUL, Honduras — A common Bible story says Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish, which scholars surmise were tilapia. But at the Aquafinca fish farm here, a modern miracle takes place daily: Tens of thousands of beefy, flapping tilapia are hauled out of […]
NOFA-NY disappointed over USDA decision to move forward with NLGMA
Wayne Post Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York Albany, N.Y. — A marketplace agreement advanced by USDA would give false assurances to consumers about the safety of leafy greens vegetables, and create a bias toward chemical intensive, mono-cultural farming practices, to the detriment of organic farmers, consumers, and the environment. Calling it the wrong […]
WSU Soil Scientist Leads Expert Panel’s Call for ‘Transforming U.S. Agriculture’
IB Times UK (link no longer available) Visit this company: www.wsu.edu PULLMAN, Wash – May 5, 2011 – A group of leading scientists, economists and farmers is calling for a broad shift in federal policies to speed the development of farm practices that are more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. Writing in the journal Science, they […]
The Farmers’ Market Myth
The Atlantic By Barry Estabrook Most people think farmers’ markets are more expensive than supermarkets—but studies don’t always support that conclusion. In fact, they’re often cheaper. It’s getting harder and harder to be an elitist these days. We’re all familiar with the accepted gospel: Only well-heeled food snobs can afford the exorbitant prices charged for […]
Environmental/Food Activists Appeal to USDA Advisory Board to Protect Wild Salmon
Good morning, my name is Buzz Hofford. I’m speaking as a Trustee for PCC Natural Markets, a certified organic chain of nine stores here in the Puget Sound area and the largest consumer – owned natural foods co-op in the country. In addition to representing 47,000 active members, we also serve more than 100,000 customers […]
