Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy By Jim Harkness Eight meatpacking industry groups recently sued to stop implementation of the popular Country of Origin Label (COOL) law (supported by 93 percent of Americans) that was passed back in 2008. Proceeding from the commonsense notion (and economic principle) that in a free market, buyers should have… Read more »
Misgivings About How a Weed Killer Affects the Soil
New York Times By Stephanie Strom ALTON, Iowa — The puny, yellow corn stalks stand like weary sentries on one boundary of Dennis Von Arb’s field here. On a windy day this spring, his neighbor sprayed glyphosate on his fields, and some of the herbicide blew onto Mr. Von Arb’s conventionally grown corn, killing the… Read more »
Women Living Near Pesticide-Treated Fields Have Smaller Babies
Environmental Health News By Lindsey Konkel Women in Northern California farm towns gave birth to smaller babies if they lived within three miles of strawberry fields and other crops treated with the pesticide methyl bromide, according to researchers. “There’s been very little research on residential exposure to methyl bromide. Our study is the first to… Read more »
On the Beauty and Necessity of Genetic Diversity
SeedBroadcastBlog By Kristina Hubbard Yesterday The Washington Post published a piece, titled: “Why perfect-looking produce can be less than ideal.” The author visited with OSA’s Dr. John Navazio to get the seed side of the story. “We still want beautiful food,” Navazio says, “but as we understand the story behind that food, we begin to look… Read more »
Food-Manufacturer Group Sued Over Funds Against GMO Labels
[NOTE: Cornucopia has created an infographic detailing spending on I-522] Seattle Times By Melissa Allison A nonprofit organization backing Initiative 522 has sued the Grocery Manufacturers Association, saying the industry group should be disclosing which member companies are giving money to fight the initiative. I-522 would require labeling of food with genetically engineered ingredients. The… Read more »
Canada Declares Farm Use of Neonicotinoids “Unsustainable”
Beyond Pesticides Last Friday, Health Canada released new measures the agency claims are intended to protect bees from exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. As with recent regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), beekeepers and environmental groups are criticizing the measures as inadequate, not going far enough to protect domesticated honey bees that both… Read more »
How Government Regulators Predicted, And Then Ignored, The Latest GMO Contamination Scandal
ThinkProgress By Aviva Shen Late last month, an export shipment of alfalfa from Washington state was rejected after testing positive for a genetically modified (GM) trait patented by biotech company Monsanto. After a week of testing, state agricultural officials confirmed Friday that the alfalfa did have low-level contamination. This is the second time accidental GM… Read more »
‘Pink Slime’ Returns to School Lunches in 4 More States
Politico By Bill Tomson and Helena Bottemiller Evich Kids are going back to school and so is the ground beef filler dubbed “pink slime.” Thousands of schools across the U.S. rushed last year to stop feeding their students meat that contained the ammonia-treated beef, known by industry as lean finely textured beef. Their action followed… Read more »
Food Co-ops Growing Around Country
Plans in works to add 3 more in Chicago area Chicago Tribune By Amanda Marrazzo When Kathy and Jerry Nash moved from Urbana to Lombard, they noticed something lacking in their new community. In Urbana, shopping at a food co-op was a regular activity, but none existed close to their new home. “We expected there… Read more »
Study Shows Soil Building Benefits of Organic Farming
The Post-Bulletin (MN) By Jean Caspers-Simmet GREENFIELD, Iowa — Farmers switching to organic crops not only reap premium prices, they also build healthy soil and sequester carbon, according to a study at Iowa State University’s Neely-Kinyon Research Farm near Greenfield. Kathleen Delate, ISU agronomy and horticulture professor, outlined the results of the Long-Term Agroecological Research… Read more »
