Cornucopia’s Take: A case study developed by The Economist ranked countries according to nutritional challenges, food loss and waste, and sustainable agriculture. Overall, the U.S. ranked 24th—between Uganda and Ethiopia. Cornucopia strongly supports organic and sustainable farming for the health of human beings, wildlife, economic justice for farmers, and...
Congress Agrees with Cornucopia: USDA Undermined Organics and Violated Law The 2018 Farm Bill is one of the biggest pieces of legislation of the year—but getting it off the ground has been a challenge for the divided Congress. With many Farm Bill programs already expired, or set to expire...
New Guide Separates Hydroponic (Soil-less) “Organic” Produce From the Real McCoy A prominent organic industry watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, just released a report on “organic” hydroponics, exposing a rapidly accelerating trend in organic fruit and vegetable production: the shift to growing produce in industrial settings, with nutrients primarily coming...
Dear Friends, WOW! I was blown away by the outpouring of generosity from people who deeply care about the best food and best farms across the country — last week on Giving Tuesday Cornucopia exceeded the one-day fundraising record we set in 2017. Seeing all the online donations come in was...
Cornucopia’s Take: GMO and conventional farmers are increasingly plagued by weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup), and crop yields in some areas of the country are dropping. Monsanto and BASF released genetically modified, dicamba-resistant seed (the new alternative to Roundup) before the attendant...
by Kestrel Burcham, JD Farm and Food Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute Introduction to Organic Livestock and Grazing Requirements How organic livestock are produced is covered by specific regulations—the only such federal regulations concerning a food product that address how the animal was raised and not just the...
Cornucopia’s Take: Fracking wastewater is notoriously polluted with radiation and numerous chemicals, many of which remain under the cloak of industry secrecy. In New Mexico, where water is scarce while oil and gas provide a significant part of the state’s funding, state officials are considering recycling frack water for...
Cornucopia’s Take: Domesticated flowering plants have often been bred for high yields and fruit storage life, but it turns out the resultant flowers may not appeal to pollinators as much as their wild counterparts. Scientists are beginning to consider the quality and taste of the pollen from the perspective...
For a decade and a half, Cornucopia has been at the forefront of the fight to uphold the integrity of local and organic food and agriculture. As a tax-exempt public charity, we rely on the passionate moral and financial support of organic advocates from across the country. Cornucopia is...
Cornucopia’s Take: Marijuana is now legal in several states, and growers are expanding operations as fast as they can. Unfortunately, many of the growers are using toxic insecticides, fungicides, and synthetic fertilizers. Organic farmers in Oregon have come forward to call out the damage to birds and the heavy...
Cornucopia’s Take: Aurora is profiteering on the “organic story.” Consumers think they are supporting environmental stewardship, authentic organic farmers, and respectful treatment of livestock when they invest their food dollars in organic milk. Shipping raw milk from factory farms in Texas and Colorado, and then from coast-to-coast once it’s...
Cornucopia’s Take: Chlorpyrifos is a commonly used organophosphate insecticide in conventional agriculture, linked to lower IQs and levels of gray matter in children exposed prenatally. It was initially approved for use by the EPA based on industry analysis of its safety. When EPA scientists determined the analysis was problematic, EPA...
The Cornucopia Institute, through research and investigations on agriculture and food issues, provides needed information to family farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the good food movement and to the media.
