Vermonters Protest Government Ban of Butter Making Classes
Citizens Shake their Cream into Butter at the State Legislature Food Politics by Guest Blogger, Jessica Bernier, Vermont Coalition for Food Sovereignty Our Butter Appreciation day at the Vermont statehouse was great! Our purpose was to openly challenge the Vermont Agency of Agriculture’s interpretation of Act 62 (the Unpasteurized Milk Law) by conducting butter making […]
Francis Thicke and Iowa’s Raw Milk Bill
Blog for Iowa by Paul Deaton Where can legislators across the political spectrum find common ground? It turns out on House File 394, the raw milk bill, which would “allow certain milk and products using milk to be transferred directly by operators of dairy farms.” In Iowa it is illegal for a farmer to sell […]
New Food Dollar Reveals Farmers’ Small Share
Agriculture.com Cheryl Tevis The American farmers’ share of the food dollar is shrinking. A recently released report by USDA states that only 11.6% of every dollar spent on food goes to the farmer.
A New Generation of Farmers – Young, Educated, Energetic
GoodFood World Staff When you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up? A fireman, a ballet dancer, a doctor? Maybe even a farmer? Over the last several generations, somewhere between the ages 5 and 15, farmer fell off the list of careers for most Americans. In 1937, there were more […]
Organic Chickens Have Lower Incidence of Salmonella
Scientists at the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety have published a paper comparing the incidence of Salmonella in organic chickens compared to conventional chickens raised by the same company in the same area. The team also analyzed the antibiotic-resistance status of 70 of the Salmonella isolates. Their findings were remarkable:
The Dry Garden: Teaching Kids How to Grow Food the Farmscape Way
L.A. Times by Emily Green Most people, save Atlantic magazine’s resident contrarian Caitlin Flanagan, agree that school gardens are a good thing. They encourage experimentation, critical thinking and healthful eating. Done right, they raise parental participation in schools. At their best, they’re as cute as a third-grader grubbing for worms. Too often, however, teachers are defeated […]
Long Island Organic Farmers Promote LI Small Farm Summit
LongIslandPress.com By Missy Yates In an unprecedented partnership that demonstrates the growing power of Long Island’s local food movement, three organizations representing the diversity of the local food movement – Slow Food Huntington, Sustainable Long Island and the Long Island Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) – have united to launch […]
Organic Grazing War — an Economic Overview
In the 1980s, farmers and others on the organic food chain worried about free-riders using unsustainable methods, while touting their produce as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ to gain a price premium. In response, Congress passed the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) to harmonize certification and define ‘organic.’ But it was soon apparent agribusiness was deploying […]
Wendell Berry Receives Humanities Medal from Obama
Courier-Journal Written by James R. Carroll WASHINGTON — Kentucky author Wendell Berry was honored at the White House Wednesday for his writings and conservation advocacy, receiving the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama. Berry, 76, a Port Royal novelist, essayist, poet, farmer and activist, shook hands with Obama, and the two whispered to one […]
(ALERT OVER) Taking Food Out of the Mouths of Babes
EWG Action Fund The budget legislation passed by House Republicans in the wee hours of February 19 (no Democrats voted for it) would slash $747 million — about 10 percent — from the 2011 budget for the Special Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants and Children. It’s commonly known as “WIC.” Created in 1974, WIC […]
Maine Town Passes Landmark Local Food Ordinance
Sedgwick becomes first town in Maine to adopt protections Food For Maine’s Future SEDGWICK, MAINE – On Saturday, March 5, residents of a small coastal town in Maine voted unanimously to adopt the Local Food and Self-Governance Ordinance, setting a precedent for other towns looking to preserve small-scale farming and food processing. Sedgwick, located on […]
Eco-Farming Can Double Food Production in 10 Years, Says New UN Report
SRFood.org GENEVA – Small-scale farmers can double food production within 10 years in critical regions by using ecological methods, a new UN report* shows. Based on an extensive review of the recent scientific literature, the study calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a way to boost food production and improve the situation of the poorest. “To […]
