Cornucopia’s Take: Immigration policies have made farm laborers hard to find. U.S. citizens are largely unwilling to perform the demanding work required to grow and harvest the food we eat, so farmers have turned to the H-2A visa program for help. The paperwork and requirements of the program are increasingly daunting, and farmers are often unable… Read more »
Anti-Organic Propaganda Exposed
Cornucopia’s Take: We often see stories in the news claiming that organic is no better than conventional agriculture. One of these propaganda pieces recently ran in AgDaily. The author, Michelle Miller, styles herself as a homey Iowan farmer, but a look at her work suggests otherwise. For example, she extolls the safety of the U.S…. Read more »
Arkansas Reapproves Dicamba Use Through 2020
Cornucopia’s Take: Two critics of dicamba use on the Arkansas Plant Board have been replaced by appointees who favor the use of dicamba later into the growing season. Even so, agreement has been hard to reach. While the board has decided that dicamba will be allowed for use through 2020, they appear to be working… Read more »
Will Wisconsin’s New Governor Address the Dairy Crisis?
Cornucopia’s Take: As a national farm policy group, we don’t universally track state and local political issues. But in the prime organic agricultural production states, like California and Wisconsin, we do pay attention. As an example, the green-light for “organic” factory dairies in Texas has just six operations in the Longhorn State producing 1.4 times… Read more »
Organic Pork Remains Largely Out of Consumer Reach
Cornucopia’s Take: Conventional pork producers pen their hogs in overcrowded barns, spray them with pesticides, provide the cheapest feed available, and store their considerable manure in giant anaerobic lagoons where it is open to the environment and frequently pollutes local watersheds. These cut corners make conventional pork a very “cheap” meat. In contrast, organic hogs… Read more »
Stop Agribusiness Mergers: 200+ Advocacy Groups Seek Congressional Support for Introduced Legislation
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia was among the 213 farm, food, rural, faith and consumer advocacy organizations to seek Congressional support for a temporary halt to agribusiness mergers as the focus of legislation introduced by Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Mark Pocan. The proposed legislation would set up a commission to determine what impacts agribusiness consolidation has on… Read more »
Register Soon: Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show December 4 – 7 in Kentucky
Acres USA publishes one of the most authoritative magazines, and sponsors an annual conference, addressing the educational needs of ecologically sound agricultural practitioners. They present tools for both agronomic and economic success. Many of this year’s eminently qualified speakers are long-time Cornucopia members. Acres U.S.A. The goal for the Acres U.S.A. 2018 Eco-Ag Conference &… Read more »
Judge in Landmark Roundup Cancer Case Reduced Awarded Damages and Denied Monsanto’s Appeal
Cornucopia’s Take: After consideration, Judge Bolanos opted not to grant Monsanto a new trial regarding DeWayne Johnson’s allegations that their product, Roundup, caused his cancer. However, she lowered the amount of punitive damages awarded to Johnson. Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, is expected to file another appeal. Monsanto trial: judge rejects bid to overturn landmark… Read more »
Unregulated GMOs Hiding in the Food Supply
Cornucopia’s Take: The USDA has determined that no regulation is needed for food genetically engineered using new technologies like CRISPR. Even after the proposed GMO labeling law goes into effect, slated for 2019, companies using these new technologies are exempted from labeling their products as genetically modified (see Cornucopia’s GMO Voting Scorecard to learn how… Read more »
Rural Water Across America Poisoned by Agricultural Runoff
Cornucopia’s Take: Conventional and GMO crop farming and concentrated animal feeding operations create runoff of excess pesticides and fertilizers into watersheds and, ultimately, wells in rural America. The runoff contains nitrates from manure, bacteria from sick animals, and a host of toxic chemicals and antibiotics. Learn more about the crisis below. Sustainable farming practices prevent… Read more »
