Dear organic advocates, The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the governing board created by Congress that serves as a protective buffer and reviews all synthetic and non-organic materials proposed by corporate agribusiness and food processing interests before they can be used in organic farming or food production, meets twice a year. For 30 days before… Read more »
Thoughts on an Organic Check-off
By Jim Riddle If an organic check-off is implemented, I am concerned that organic agriculture could be forever relegated to a niche market status, when the larger goal is to change all of agriculture to be ecologically sustainable. Organic should be integrated into all agricultural programs, including research and promotion, rather than being pushed off… Read more »
It is Hard to Trust GM When it is in the Grip of a Few Global Giants
Don’t believe the hype: GM is in the grip of a few firms that profit from selling the chemicals they engineer their seeds to resist The Observer By John Vidal Thirty years ago, genetic engineers hoped new technology would revolutionise world farming and reduce or even eliminate the need for fertilisers and pesticides. It was… Read more »
A Brief History of Parity Pricing and the Present Day Ramifications of the Abandonment of a Par Economy
By Kevin Engelbert, Organic Dairy Farmer, Nichols, NY The basic premise of parity pricing is the belief that the selling price of a product or produce should go up or down in the same amount as the prices of the inputs used in its production. Another way to phrase the idea of parity price: the… Read more »
Climate-Friendly Food and Farming: Why We Need Labels on Factory-Farmed Food
Common Dreams By Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association A growing number of organic consumers, natural health advocates and climate hawks are taking a more comprehensive look at the fundamental causes of global warming. And it’s led them to this sobering conclusion: Our modern energy-, chemical- and GMO-intensive industrial food and farming systems are the… Read more »
USDA Secretary Vilsack Appoints Francis Thicke to National Organic Standards Board
Francis Thicke We haven’t had a working dairy farmer on the NOSB since Kevin Engelbert completed his term and joined the Cornucopia Institute’s Board of Directors. Cornucopia has been highly-critical over the years of some of the legally-questionable appointments by the USDA to serve on the governing board, overseeing organics, that was set up by… Read more »
The GM Lobby and Its ‘Seven Sins Against Science’
The Ecologist By Peter Melchett The pro-GM lobby has sought to take the ‘scientific high-ground’ by positioning itself as the voice of reason and progress, while painting its opponents as unsophisticated ‘anti-science’ luddites. In a scathing response Peter Melchett turns the tables. Powerful forces in Western society have been promoting genetic engineering (now usually genetic… Read more »
Organic Ag Helps Lead the Way Forward
By Nick Maravell John Block’s Op Ed “A Reality Check for Organic Food Dreamers” incorrectly states, “organic farming cannot produce the amount of food that is demanded in today’s world,” and that it “stands in the way of progress.” While most studies show that certain organic crops, such as corn, would have slightly lower yields and… Read more »
In 2012 Food Rights Became Legal Issue — Can a Movement Emerge in 2013?
The Complete Patient By David Gumpert A year ago I summarized the key themes for 2011 as “rising shock events” and “rising stress levels,” thanks to highly public raids on food clubs and farms. I’d say 2012 was the year these shock events played out in a number of ways, primarily legal. The hero in… Read more »
Op-Ed: New Mexico Next in Line to Try for GMO Labeling
Digital Journal By Anne Sewell Santa Fe – While California’s Proposition 37 ballot initiative to label GMO products seems to have failed, a State Senator in New Mexico is next to take the baton in the fight for labeling of genetically modified food products. As was seen with Proposition 37, with Monsanto and Big Pesticide’s… Read more »
