By Arran Stephens, Nature’s Path Foods Dear President Obama, As a Canadian citizen, as an idealist, as the CEO of North America’s largest organic breakfast foods company, independent, strong and family owned—with plants in Wisconsin, Washington and BC employing hundreds of wonderful team members, I want to let you know that when my family and… Read more »
No Seeds, No Independent Research
Los Angeles Times By Doug Gurian-Sherman Soybeans, corn, cotton and canola — most of the acres planted in these crops in the United States are genetically altered. “Transgenic” seeds can save farmers time and reduce the use of some insecticides, but herbicide use is higher, and respected experts argue that some genetically engineered crops may… Read more »
Buffett, Gates and The Story of Enough
The Huffington Post by Woody Tasch “When is enough enough?” Bernie Sanders asked during his filibuster against the Lame Duck tax bill in December. During the speech, he referred to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, two of the world’s richest three people. (If you haven’t been paying attention, they’ve been pushed down to the number… Read more »
Coexistence of Alfalfa Unrealistic
[The following letter was sent to USDA Secretary Vilsack by Chuck Noble, a Bellvue, WA farmer.] Dear Secretary Vilsack — Conventional and genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa coexistence is not possible nor practical. Here are some reasons: The USDA should realize that not all crops can coexist nor should all crops be genetically engineered. A monopoly… Read more »
A Look Inside the ‘Raw’ Milk Underground
Nicole Bode visits an unpasteurized milk club. DNAinfo By Nicole Bode MANHATTAN — It didn’t look like a batch of groceries that could get someone in trouble. I inspected the cardboard box full of two half-gallons of milk, two cartons of eggs and a white plastic bag with some chicken livers inside. All of the… Read more »
5 Myths about hunger in America
Washington Post By Robert Egger No one goes hungry in America. 1. Hunger is supposed to happen in other places – in distant countries where droughts or storms or famine compel us to donate money and oblige our government to send relief workers and food aid. In reality, hunger also hits much closer to home…. Read more »
Farmers Markets: Transparency is Our Model
Civil Eats By Stacy Miller of the Farmers Market Coalition On October 15th, the trade publication The Packer reported on an issue of growing concern for farmers market vendors and shoppers: grocery chains are copy-catting farmers markets by using “farmers market” signs outside of their stores. The Wall Street Journal had previously reported on the… Read more »
Local, Organic Farms Are the Future
Litchfield County Times By Cynthia Rabinowitz “Math Lessons For Locavores,” an Op-Ed by Stephen Budiansky in the Aug. 20 New York Times, missed the mark, I believe, on eating locally. Using facts and figures, Mr. Budiansky refuted the claim that eating locally is beneficial. But, by limiting his observations to only one issue, that of… Read more »
The Deadstock Dilemma: Our Toxic Meat Waste
The Atlantic By James McWilliams For all the environmental angst being expressed over livestock, we rarely mention its counterpart: deadstock. Most of a slaughtered farm animal cannot be transformed into edible flesh. About 60 percent of it — offal, bones, tendons, blood, and plasma — becomes abattoir waste and, as such, has to be either… Read more »
Local food initiatives can help to reconnect consumers to the land
Farm and Dairy by Wendee Zadanski Recently, at the farmers market, a woman rushed over to me excitedly, seeking out the vendor with the fresh eggs that her friend had told her about. “She told me the yolks were deep yellow, and the eggs were the best she had ever tasted! How does he grow… Read more »
