The U.S. government vows to plant more milkweed while GMOs continue to kill off the magical creature in never-before-seen numbers. Rodale News by Christine Olley Source: Postbear Monarchs are getting massacred. This week, the Obama administration and conservation groups have come together to announce how they are going to save these beautiful creatures. The U.S…. Read more »
Plains, Southwest Headed for Decades-long Droughts, Say Climate Scientists
Agri-Pulse by Philip Brasher Source: Patrick Emerson WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2015 – Imagine the 1930s Dust Bowl going on for decades. Researchers say that’s what the Plains and Southwest could be in for later in this century because of climate change. A new study released Thursday says droughts in the latter half of this century are likely… Read more »
Tell the USDA to Support Stronger Conservation of Biodiversity in Organic Agriculture Systems
[This action alert has been completed. The comment period is now closed.] Comments Due by February 27, 2015 Source: USDA Long held principles of organic farming commonly articulate values and goals that link organic farms with protection of biodiversity. “Organic production” is defined in federal regulations as a “production system that is managed to respond… Read more »
Early Research Links Insecticide, Monarch Butterfly Deaths
MPR News by Dan Gunderson New, local research provides some of the first evidence that a popular group of insecticides might be killing young monarch butterflies. The milkweed plants the butterflies need to survive may also hold neonicotinoid from nearby plants, making the milkweed toxic to monarchs. University of Minnesota entomologist Vera Krischik fed butterflies… Read more »
Washington Study Finds Lower Pesticide Levels in People who Eat Organic Produce
Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health Source: Suzie’s Farm While health-conscious individuals understand the benefits of eating fresh fruits and veggies, they may not be aware of the volume of pesticides they could be ingesting with their vitamin C and fiber. A study from the University of Washington School of Public Health is… Read more »
G.M.O. Apples Are Approved for Growing in the United States
The New York Times by Andrew Pollack Source: Kelly Teague The United States on Friday approved the commercial planting of genetically engineered apples that are resistant to turning brown when sliced or bruised. The developer of the apple, a small Canadian company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits, says it believes the apples will help improve sales… Read more »
Grocery Stores Are Running Out of Organic Milk
Bloomberg Business by Lydia Mulvaney Source: Colleen Proppe About once a week the phone rings at the Dill Pickle Food Co-op in Chicago’s artsy Logan Square neighborhood with the same question: Got milk? Organic, to be exact. “I’ll have people call up and say, hey, I know the truck’s coming on Tuesday, can you put… Read more »
Starbucks Debuts Coconut Milk That Isn’t Coconut Milk
[NOTE: For more information on the inflammatory properties of the food ingredient carrageenan, visit https://www.cornucopia.org/carrageenan] Rebooted Body by Kevin Geary In an attempt to appeal to the non-dairy crowd, Starbucks is bringing “coconut milk” to the masses. After a successful trial run in select cities at the behest of their customers, Starbucks has decided to… Read more »
What Nobody Told Me About Small Farming: I Can’t Make a Living
People say we’re “rich in other ways,” but that doesn’t fix the ugly fact that most farms are unsustainable Salon by Jaclyn Moyer Source: Jay & Melissa Malouin On the radio this morning I heard a story about the growing number of young people choosing to become farmers. The farmers in the story sounded a… Read more »
Our Responsibilities to the Animals We Eat
The Call of the Land by Steven McFadden Source: Socially Responsible Agricultural Project Each year more than nine billion animals go to slaughterhouses in the USA to be killed, processed, and packaged into the beef, pork, lamb and chicken that eventually find their way onto our dinner plates. It is an industrial process on a… Read more »
