Modern Farmer by Tara Lohan Albert Straus sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s bright green. For a dairy farmer in parched California, this is a welcomed sight. Straus runs an organic dairy and creamery in Marin County, just north of San Francisco and up until a few weeks ago things… Read more »
Minnesota Farm Uses Conservation to Make Each Acre Count
USDA NRCS by Julie MacSwain Credit: USDA NRCS When studying abroad in France and Spain, Sarah Woutat developed a love for organic farming after working on farms in both countries. The love was so strong, she retired from her New York City life working for an environmental publishing business and returned to farming. After an apprenticeship… Read more »
Pesticides Make the Life of Earthworms Miserable
Science Daily Source: University of Southern Denmark Credit: Rob Hille Pesticides are sprayed on crops to help them grow, but the effect on earthworms living in the soil under the plants is devastating, new research reveals: The worms only grow to half their normal weight and they do not reproduce as well as worms in… Read more »
Bycatch Catastrophe: The Amount of Fish the U.S. Wastes Will Make Your Head Spin
Rodale News by Leah Zerbe There’s no doubt that eating the right seafood helps saturate your brain in healthy fats, possibly helping to ward off everything from Alzheimer’s to birth defects. It’s also true that fishing is a vital part of the way of life in coastal communities in the United States, bringing not just… Read more »
New Report: Widely-Used Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments Are Unnecessary in Most Cases
eNews Park Forest Source: CommonDreams.org Credit: USDA NRCS Study Reveals that Costs Outweigh Benefits of Toxic Insecticides Implicated in Bee Kills WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–March 24 – Center for Food Safety today released a scientific literature review which reveals that neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments offer little benefit, do not increase crop yields, and cause widespread environmental and economic damage. In… Read more »
ACLU Challenges Idaho ‘Ag Gag’ Law, Saying It Violates Free Speech And Freedom Of The Press
Huff Post – Food for Thought by Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho, March 17 (Reuters) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho on Monday asked a federal judge to strike down a state law it says violates constitutional rights to free speech by banning the documentation of animal abuse at livestock operations. The law in… Read more »
Denver Law Professors File Second Legal Challenge to ‘Ag-Gag’ Laws
Food Safety News by Dan Flynn Credit: Tiom A pair of constitutional law professors from the University of Denver has given themselves two shots at overturning so-called state “ag-gag” laws. Among the common features of “ag-gag” laws is a prohibition against taking pictures or making videos without permission, sanctions for not being truthful in a… Read more »
How Can Organic Farming Feed the World?
Soil Association Organic and other agro-ecological farming systems can help the world feed itself, but as well as changing our farming systems, we need to eat differently, feed our livestock differently, and waste less food. There is already enough food produced today for everyone to have the nourishment they need, and yet nearly 1 billion… Read more »
Voracious Worm Evolves to Eat Biotech Corn Engineered to Kill It
Wired by Brandon Keim Credit: Tom Hlavaty One of agricultural biotechnology’s great success stories may become a cautionary tale of how short-sighted mismanagement can squander the benefits of genetic modification. After years of predicting it would happen — and after years of having their suggestions largely ignored by companies, farmers and regulators — scientists have… Read more »
Roundup Weedkiller Linked To Global Epidemic of Fatal Kidney Disease
GreenMedInfo by Sayer Ji The mystery of what is causing thousands to die each year from a fatal kidney disease may now be solved, with evidence pointing to the world’s most heavily used herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) as the primary culprit. A new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Healthproposes a link… Read more »
