FDA Cites Dirty Equipment in Deadly Cantaloupe Outbreak
USA TODAY By Elizabeth Weise Federal health officials say they found listeria throughout the packing facility of the Colorado farm whose cantaloupe have so far caused 25 deaths and more than 125 illnesses. In a report released Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration cited multiple problems at the Jensen Farms facility in Holly, Colo., some […]
Appalachian Harvest Looking for More Growers
The Kingsport Times-News Kingsport, TN Appalachian Harvest, a project of Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), needs growers for organically-grown fruits, vegetables and herbs. According to ASD Executive Director Kathlyn Terry, the project has three times the demand for its organic produce than farmers to provide the supply. Located in a 15,000-square-foot facility in Duffield, Va., Appalachian […]
State Department: Biotech Labeling Would Scare Consumers
The Des Moines Register by Philip Brasher The Obama administration shows no sign of changing the government’s position on labeling of biotech foods despite a renewed effort by consumer advocacy groups and environmental organizations require manufacturers to disclose the use of genetically engineered ingredients. Jose Fernandez, the State Department’s assistant secretary for economic, energy and […]
Jim Gerritsen: Organic Food Champion
by Staff, Utne Reader Jim Gerritsen was chosen as an Utne Reader visionary in 2011. Each year Utne Reader puts forward its selection of world visionaries—people who don’t just concoct great ideas but also act on them. Jim Gerritsen runs a small organic farm in Maine. In addition to doing his daily chores, he spearheads […]
Major Agribusinesses Competing with Organics on the Cheap, “Natural” Food Products with Toxic Chemicals and GMOs Deceiving Consumers
Become an expert in 4 minutes (YouTube video): https://www.youtube.com/user/CornucopiaInstitute CORNUCOPIA, WIS: A revelatory report released by The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog, has stirred controversy in the natural foods marketing arena by highlighting abusive marketing practices by some of the nation’s largest breakfast cereal manufacturers. In some cases, companies such as Kellogg’s, Quaker Oats […]
Genetically Modified Canola Goes Wild
‘Feral’ plants found growing along roads from North Dakota to Manitoba The Vancouver Sun By Margaret Munro, Postmedia News Genetically modified canola has escaped from the farm and is thriving in the wild across North Dakota, according to a study that indicates there are plenty of novel man-made genes crossing the Canada-U.S. border. GM canola […]
ACTION ALERT: USDA Proposed Rule for “Animal Disease Traceability”
[This Action Alert is Over] Your comments needed today! Having dropped the plans for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), USDA is back again for Round Two. The agency has proposed a rule that would require livestock producers, related businesses, and state livestock agencies to incur significant expense tracking animals that cross state lines—with few […]
USDA Agrees to Lengthen Public Comment Period On Animal ID Rule — Farmer/Rancher Groups Appealed to Vilsack for Extension
For more information, contact: Judith McGeary, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, 512-484-8821 Bill Bullard, R-CALF USA, 406-252-2516 Mark Kastel, The Cornucopia Institute, 608-625-2000 USDA Extends Deadline for Public Comments on New Animal ID Rule Non-Profits Representing Farmers and Ranchers Appealed to Vilsack, Applaud Decision WASHINGTON, DC (October 7, 2011): The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) […]
NOFA Celebrates Four Decades of Organic Farming and Advocacy
Brattleboro Reformer – Brattleboro, VT By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN WESTMINSTER — About 40 years ago a group of farmers got together, high in a field in Westminster West, to pool their resources and buy some compost. The compost was made in Pennsylvania, by an Amish company that produced a chemical-free product known as “organic.” While the […]
Rule Change Could Prompt Increase In Organic Hops
CBS News (link no longer available) (AP) TOPPENISH, Wash. — Call it a hops revolution. Northwest farmers have begun planting new varieties of the key flavor ingredient in beer and working with researchers to develop ways to grow the crop without pesticides. The movement stems from a federal decision last year requiring brewers who label their […]
Market Watch: In Ojai, Hot Chiles and a Warm Story
The chair of Cornucopia’s board Steve Sprinkel is profiled in this story, along with his wife Olivia Chase. Los Angeles Times By David Karp Reporting from Ojai— Most native-born French recoil from chiles as if from snakes, but in the Basque country of the Pyrenees foothills, five miles from the Spanish border, the citizens of […]
Monsanto Spent $1.7 Million Lobbying Gov’t in 2Q
CNBC WASHINGTON – Monsanto Co. spent $1.71 million in the second quarter to lobby the federal government, according to a disclosure report. That’s much less than the $2.18 million Monsanto spent a year earlier but slightly more than the $1.44 million it spent during previous quarter. The world’s largest seed company lobbied Congress and the […]
