Preserving Family-scale Grain Farming by Anne Ross, JD Farm and Food Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute Source: Adobe Stock Over the past few years, imports of organic corn, soybeans, and other grain have soared,...
Cornucopia’s Take: Although AquaBounty, the makers of engineered fast-growing salmon, have refused to tell the public where their product is being sold, their CEO recently bragged to investors that it is being used in the Canadian buyer’s “high-end sashimi lines, not their frozen prepared foods.” Consumers must continue to...
Cornucopia’s Take: Medical cannabis use has brought more attention to the issue of pesticide residues. People with compromised health want to ensure they are not subjected to toxic residues on the plant, and some companies have stepped in to offer effective pesticides in the form of living microorganisms and...
Cornucopia’s Take: In March of 2018, people began to fall ill from E. coli, but the FDA struggled to find the field responsible. It appeared to come from multiple fields of romaine lettuce and none of their existing models could explain the contamination. Research published in 2015 had foreseen...
Cornucopia’s Take: The story below does not describe any illegal behavior, but it clearly demonstrates the industry-friendly conditions at the USDA. Emails brought to the light of day via a Freedom of Information request show working relationships among industry players and USDA staffers, many of whom were industry lobbyists...
Cornucopia’s Take: Congress passed the controversial and weak labeling law for foods with genetically modified organisms in 2016. They set a deadline of July 19, 2018 for USDA to issue labeling rules. The date has come and gone, and the Center for Food Safety has filed a legal complaint in hopes...
Cornucopia’s Take: Farm Bill conferees met this week regarding the impending Farm Bill. You may have already heard that deep cuts to SNAP have been proposed. A lesser-known section of the House’s version of the Farm Bill would remove local communities’ ability to prohibit toxic pesticide spraying around their...
Cornucopia’s Take: If you find yourself in South Jersey, take a trip to the pick-your-own blueberry farms selling heirloom varieties you’ve never conceived of if you’ve only eaten blueberries from the store. Large producers increasingly grow them hydroponically, although Driscoll’s uses the misleading euphemism “container growing.” They grow varieties...
The Spring 2018 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter, is now available online.
Tools for Survival: Weathering the Current Dairy Crisis While Maintaining Organic Integrity September 27 & 28, 2018 2142 Rohrersville Road, Knoxville, Maryland Cornucopia Codirector Mark Kastel will give the keynote speech “The Crisis in the Organic Dairy Movement: History, Analysis, and What Farmers Can Do to Balance the Playing...
Cornucopia’s Take: Current nutritional guidelines suggest limiting high fat dairy in our diets, but more research has been released encouraging the inclusion of full-fat cheese and yogurt in a healthy diet. To avoid pesticide and antibiotic residues, Cornucopia recommends only organic dairy foods. Use our Organic Dairy Scorecard to...
Cornucopia’s Take: With the mergers of the last two years, three companies now control almost two-thirds of the commodity crop seeds and nearly 70% of the agricultural chemicals and pesticides in the world. Four companies now control 85% of the U.S. corn seed market. Senator Booker’s bill, which Cornucopia...
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.
