BREAKING NEWS: Supporters of the food safety legislation HR 2749 sought to push the bill forward without amendments and only 40 minutes of debate. Their effort failed Wednesday afternoon to get the needed 2/3rds vote for this maneuver. To view a short news story on this, click here. Stay tuned for what comes next. This… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) Emergency Organic Rally — Reminders/Directions/The Lay of the Land
Hello all, Just a reminder and some particulars on the emergency rally for organic dairy farmers this coming Thursday, July 16. The rally will be held from 11 AM through noon. The event will take place at the La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds in West Salem, Wisconsin. The fairgrounds are located on County M just north… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) — Want Better Oversight of Genetically Engineered Crops?
Now’s your chance! National Organic Coalition In the waning months of the Bush Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a proposal to completely overhaul regulation of genetically engineered (GE)crops. The plan significantly weakens USDA oversight. The proposed rules would virtually ensure that contamination of organic and conventional crops will become even more frequent,… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) – Manufacturers Must Use Organic Ingredients When Available
Urge the NOSB to remove soy lecithin from the national list, comments due Monday, April 20th UPDATE: Last fall, we urged members of the organic community to write to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in support of the first petition in the history of the USDA’s Organic Program to remove a food ingredient from… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) Critical Pending Food Safety Legislation
SAMPLE LETTER — click here: We Must Tell Congress to also Protect High Quality Organic and Local Food Supporting Viable Federal Oversight over Corporate Agribusiness Local/Organic Farming: Part of the Solution, Not Part of the Problem! 1. HR 875: The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 2. HR 759: The Food and Drug Administration Globalization… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) Mr. Obama, Please Fix Bush’s Katrina-Problem at USDA’s Organic Program
Action Alert Message to Obama: Please Fix the USDA’s Organic Mess Overhaul of Management and Culture Needed Please urge President Obama and new USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to take immediate action to repair the USDA’s increasingly dysfunctional National Organic Program (NOP). Suspect imports of grains, nuts, and vegetables from China and other countries, questionable organic… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) – Demand Change — Reform the USDA’s Organic Program
We need change at the USDA, or the “People’s Department,” as President Lincoln so aptly called this agency. We need new management to create a culture supporting the thousands of ethical organic family farmers, and their consumer allies, who have built the vibrant organic agricultural and foodmarket. The timing is exquisite for the new Obama… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) – Sign the Grassroots Letter Today
Center for Rural Affairs President-elect Barack Obama launched his campaign in Iowa with a promise to create genuine opportunity for rural people and family farmers. Obama proposed changing the failed rural policy of Washington by capping payments to megafarms and enforcing rules against unfair practices by meat packers to strengthen family farms. To revitalize rural… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) – Proposed USDA Rule Could Shut Down Organic Family Farmers
Consumers and Farmers Join Together to Rein in Factory Farms and Protect the Livelihoods of Ethical Farm Families Since the organic community first appealed to the USDA for better clarification and enforcement of regulations requiring organic dairy producers to graze their cattle, nearly 9 years ago, the number of giant industrial dairy operations, with as… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) – Organic Stakeholders Demand Democracy from the USDA
Take Action: New Rules Could Force Organic Family Livestock Farmers Out of Business After eight years of political debate, legal wrangling and protests within the organic community the USDA on October 23 finally published a draft rule intended to clamp down on giant factory farms milking thousands of cows that have been abusing the spirit… Read more »