by Jack Lazor Butterworks Farm in Westfield, Vermont Source: Butterworks Farm One hundred per cent grass fed dairy products (aka “grass milk”) has been a relatively recent arrival to the dairy section of most natural foods outlets. The health benefits of 100% grass fed dairy have long been espoused by The Weston A. Price Foundation and… Read more »
Biodiversity, GMOs, Gene Drives and the Militarized Mind
Common Dreams by Vandana Shiva Source: Dee Davee Easyflow A recent report from the National Academy of Science of The United States, titled “Gene Drives on the Horizon: Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values,” warns: “One possible goal of release of a gene-drive modified organism is to cause the extinction of the… Read more »
My Love Affair with Soil
by Jack Lazor of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, Vermont Butterworks Farm Cattle on Pasture We celebrate forty years on our farm this summer. Four decades of Earth stewardship has taught us many lessons—some easy and obvious, others more difficult and involved. Originally, we bought our farm because we wanted to be self-sufficient homesteaders producing everything… Read more »
Agrarian Elders Alarmed by Direction of Organic Agriculture, Share Concerns With the NOSB
[This letter was sent to all members of the National Organic Standards Board on April 15, 2016, prior to the recent NOSB meeting. Read more about the Agrarian Elders here.] Source: Adam McLane Dear NOSB Members, As Agrarian Elders we want to tell you how concerned we are about the organic farming movement losing connection… Read more »
Children Should Have a Safe Environment to Play
[This piece by Nico D’Orazio, age 10, was originally published in Maryland’s Montgomery Gazette. The paper has since closed, so no link is available. Nico’s parents shared this with us, we found wisdom in Nico’s words and wanted to share them with you.] Drawing by Nico D’Orazio by Nick D’Orazio I watched on CNN “Why Are All… Read more »
U.S. Organic Dairy Politics by Bruce A. Scholten
UK Soil Association’s Organic Farming magazine, Autumn 2015 by Tim Harrap MPhil Published by Palgrave Macmillan With the title U.S. Organic Dairy Politics you might think Bruce Scholten’s new book was too parochial to be of interest to non-US readers interested in organic dairy farming systems. Far from it, this book highlights the social, economic… Read more »
Farmer John Writes about Farm Monogamy
Angelic Organics: A Community Supported Agriculture Farm by Farmer John I LOVE YOU (Neighbor’s farm is in the background; maybe it loves the neighbor?) Source: Angelic Organics I was driving along one of our fields the other day, and a gleam of light caught my eye. I backed up and spotted what looked like plastic… Read more »
Jim Riddle on Minnesota Sen. Klobuchar’s GMO Labeling Vote
by James Riddle Blue Fruit Farm Board Member, Right to Know Minnesota Jim Riddle On March 1, 2016, Sen. Amy Klobuchar voted with the Republican majority on the Senate Agriculture Committee to prohibit the mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients by States or by the Federal government. This is a major betrayal… Read more »
Ethan Allen would be Smiling
by Paris Reidhead Ethan Allen statue, Montpelier, VT Source: Mark Goebel In the News Notes section of the Winter 2015-16 issue of The Natural Farmer, I read the headline: “U.S. Court of Appeals Tough on GMO Labeling Challengers”. The Natural Farmer, edited by Jack Kittredge, is the quarterly newspaper of the Northeast Organic Farming Association…. Read more »
The Food Movement is Small? Not from Where We Sit, It Isn’t.
The Washington Post by Chellie Pingree and Anna Lappé Source: USDA In her latest column for The Washington Post, “The surprising truth about the ‘food movement,’ ” Tamar Haspel argues that the number of people who really care about where their food comes from, how it is grown and its impact on our health and the… Read more »
