Petition to Obama Red-Flags “Agent Orange” GMO Corn Approval

Citizens Call for Mandatory Labeling of GMO Foods CORNUCOPIA, WIS.—The Cornucopia Institute has submitted a petition signed by more than 14,000 individuals to President Obama calling for a slow down in the approval process for Dow AgroSciences’ new genetically engineered (GE) corn variety that is resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D. The herbicide was a key […]

Newsletter – Spring 2012

Our hardcopy newsletter for Spring 2012 is now available online. Download it at: www.cornucopia.org/CultivatorSpring2012.pdf. In it you’ll find:

Farmers Determined to Defend Right to Grow Food

Appeal Filed in Family Farmers V. Monsanto Case NEW YORK – Family farmers have filed a Notice of Appeal  challenging Judge Naomi Buchwald’s February 24th ruling dismissing Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto.  The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Manhattan will hear the farmers’ appeal, seeking […]

Sustainable Farming Can Feed the World?

The New York Times, Opinion By MARK BITTMAN The oldest and most common dig against organic agriculture is that it cannot feed the world’s citizens; this, however, is a supposition, not a fact. And industrial agriculture isn’t working perfectly, either: the global food price index is at a record high, and our agricultural system is […]

FDA Must Act to Remove Antibiotics From Animal Feed: Judge

Reuters New York – A federal judge on Thursday ordered regulators to start proceedings to withdraw approval for the use of common antibiotics in animal feed, citing concerns that overuse is endangering human health by creating antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”. U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore Katz ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin proceedings unless makers […]

Got Omega-3? Not So Much

USA Today By Kim Painter Getting plenty of heart-healthy omega-3 fats used to mean eating fish or taking supplements. But grocery aisles these days are packed with food labels boasting of omega-3 content. You can buy milk, eggs, yogurt, cereal, orange juice, butter substitutes, mayonnaise and other products that carry the claim. Behind the boom: […]

Can Reforming the Farm Bill Help Change U.S. Agriculture?

Yale Environment 360 by Jim Robbins For decades, farm bills in the U.S. Congress have supported large-scale agriculture. But with the 2012 Farm Bill now up for debate, advocates say seismic shifts in the way the nation views food production may lead to new policies that tilt more toward local, sustainable agriculture. More than ever, […]

Dairy Farmers Increasingly Taking Advantage of Cross-Breeding

Farmers Guardian By Chloe Palmer Cross-breeding has become something of a trend in the dairy industry. But what does it involve and what is the best way to go about it? Chloe Palmer takes an in-depth look at the issue. Those farmers who champion the merits of a grass-based seasonal calving system are increasingly taking […]

Changes to Chicken Inspections Pose Threat to Quality Control, Public Safety, Union Says

Let Them Eat Chicken . com (this link no longer available) On January 27, 2012, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed a new inspection system for young poultry slaughter plants. The proposed rule places emphasis on quantity and quickness over quality. The current poultry inspection process allows for a line speed of 91 chickens […]

GMO Drought-Tolerant Corn Over-Promises: Plant Scientist

Reuters By Carey Gillam CHICAGO (Reuters) – Utilizing biotech “drought-tolerant” corn to boost global food production would be a less-effective tactic than planting conventional corn and improving agronomic practices, a veteran plant scientist said on Tuesday. “The technology has gotten a tremendous amount of attention. We think undue attention,” said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist […]

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Crops Tied to Butterfly Decline

Triple Pundit By RP Siegel The great American satirist, H.L. Mencken once said, “For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” He might have been talking about biotechnology in general or Monsanto’s approach to controlling weeds using their Roundup Ready crops. But then again, it depends on which problem […]

CSA Owner Says Organic Farming Was in Her Blood

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Jan Uebelherr Mary Ann Ihm grew up on a farm in Grant County, became a teacher, but couldn’t shake one dream. She envisioned what she calls “a holistic learning environment,” one with food elements as well the spiritual. They belong together, she thinks. Ihm taught elementary school for 13 years in […]