Organic Dairy Farmers’ Rally — USDA Secretary Asked to Vigorously Enforce Organic Laws

Vilsack: Changes Being Made at National Organic Program West Salem, WI: An estimated 150-200 organic dairy farmers, and their supporters, from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa held a “demonstration” at the La Crosse County Fair on Thursday. Their goal was to convince Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to take immediate and aggressive enforcement action against a… Read more »

Message to Obama: Please Fix the USDA’s Organic Mess Overhaul of Management and Culture Needed

Washington Post investigative story a scathing indictment of Bush Administration tenure at the National Organic Program Cornucopia, WI – President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack are being urged 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… Read more »

Profit over Organics: Nation’s Largest Dairy Marketer Sets Up Competing Market Category

Dean Foods Creates “Natural” Dairy Products Using Conventional Milk BOULDER, CO: A division of Dean Foods, the organic industry’s largest namebrand manufacturer, rocked the organic world this week when it was reported that the agribusiness giant intended to create an entirely new, lower-priced, product category, “natural dairy,” aimed squarely at pirating away organic customers. If… Read more »

Mark Kastel’s Recent Radio/Video Interview With Michael James

Mark Kastel’s recent radio/video interview with Michael James, host of the live radio show broadcast from Chicago’s venerable Heartland Cafe, provides a glimpse into the fight against the corporate takeover of organic agriculture.  Kastel was in Chicago for a speech at the annual Green Festival with 20,000 participants at Navy Pier.  Michael James is a… Read more »

View the Organic Soy Scorecard: Find your favorite organic soy food brands and see how they rate

New Soy Participants – Vitasoy and Nasoya

Please note that Vitasoy and Nasoya have now fully participated in the Cornucopia organic soy research project and have received a three-been and four-bean rating, respectively. Please visit the scorecard (https://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/) to see how your favorite soy brand rates. Is it manufactured with questionable soybeans from China, soybeans that might have contributed to burning down… Read more »

USDA Report Indicates American Organic Farmers Being Sold Out

Domestic Producers Hurt by Growing Corporate Imports On the heels of the release of The Cornucopia Institute’s study exposing the import-dependent organic soy industry, a report by the United States Department of Agriculture substantiates Cornucopia’s findings. Using different research methods, the two reports reach similar conclusions: organic manufacturers and farmers are facing escalating competition from… Read more »

Scandal Fuels Meltdown in Organic Dairy Industry

Farmers Seek Justice from Obama, USDA; Consumers Headed Back to Court St. Louis, MO – A slowdown in the sales of organic milk and dairy products, attributed in recent articles by the New York Times and other media outlets to the weakened economy, has organic dairy farmers from coast to coast at or near financial… Read more »

National Organic Standards Board Votes on Soy Lecithin De-Listing

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), at its recent May meeting, had its first ever opportunity to remove a conventional food ingredient from the “National List.” The National List includes minor food ingredients of which manufacturers may use conventional versions if the organic version is commercially unavailable. Soy lecithin, used in foods such as chocolate,… Read more »