The Westerly Sun (RI) By Leslie Rovetti/ Sun Staff Writer CHARLESTOWN — On West Beach Road, a local organic farmer, Maxson Hence of Westerly, has established a nonprofit foundation that teaches local teenagers about agriculture and fills their stomach with fresh produce. Among the goals of the AYERSfoundation, newly founded by Hence and his wife,… Read more »
NOTICE: USDA Keeps Organic Stakeholders in the Dark — Incompetence or Corruption?
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 »
N.C. Raw Milk Consumers Go Out of State
Pennsylvania farmers tap into demand for product N.C. law prohibits Carolina Journal Online By Sara Burrows RALEIGH — Selling unpasteurized milk has been illegal in North Carolina for three decades. But that hasn’t stopped growing numbers of families around the state from going to extreme lengths to obtain it. Some travel to South Carolina, where… Read more »
As Drought Persists, Many Scramble to Save Every Drop of Water
Reuters By Carey Gillam (Reuters) – The drought that crippled many communities across the nation last year shows little sign of retreating, and the threat of persistent water scarcity is spurring efforts to preserve every drop. As the drought of 2012 creeps into 2013, experts say the slow-spreading catastrophe presents near-term problems for a key… Read more »
Choose Eggnog Wisely
Raw Milk: Perfect Food or Public Health Threat?
Rapid City Journal By Mary Garrigan Josh Simpson pours raw milk from Black Hills Milk on his cereal every morning and drinks a tall glass of it before he goes to bed each night. The 11-year old Rapid City boy loves the milk’s fresh, creamy taste and his mom, Val, loves that it is a… Read more »
Animal Legal Defense Fund Sues Bay Area Egg Producers For False “Free-Range” Advertising
[Current organic standards state that organic livestock producers must “establish and maintain living conditions which accommodate the health and natural behavior of animals, including year-round access for all animals to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air and direct sunlight suitable to the species [emphasis added].” Evidence gathered by The Cornucopia Institute, including photos… Read more »
Stonyfield Chairman Throws Weight/Commitment behind Proposition 37 in California
Gary Hirshberg Encourages All Organic Stakeholders to Invest in GMO Labeling Cornucopia, WI – At least one chapter in what some in the organic industry described as a “family feud” has been amicably settled after one of the organic industry’s most prominent corporate leaders, Gary Hirshberg, cut a check supporting the campaign to pass California… Read more »
Balancing Environmentalism and Profits Works for Texas Farmers
High Plains Journal By Jennifer M. Latzke Jimmy and Susan Wedel don’t consider themselves “radical environmentalists.” “I’m not a radical environmentalist, I’m a reasonable environmentalist,” Jimmy Wedel said. It’s that “reasonable environmentalism” that has the Wedels farming 3,700 acres of organic crops–including forage corn–near the Texas-New Mexico border in the southern Texas Panhandle. A change… Read more »
Shopping Guide to Avoiding Organic Foods with Carrageenan
Always read ingredient lists carefully. Carrageenan may be present in the final product but not listed on the ingredients label when it is used as a “processing aid,” for example in cream. We recommend contacting the company directly if you would like to confirm whether carrageenan is in the final product. Read more on processing aids here, and… Read more »
