Cornucopia Institute Requests Full USDA Investigation of Alleged Organic Violations at Texas Factory Dairy Farm
July 21, 2006

Cornucopia Institute Requests Full USDA Investigation of Alleged Organic Violations at Texas Factory Dairy Farm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mark Kastel, 608-625-2000 CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: The Cornucopia Institute has filed a formal legal complaint with the USDA requesting a full investigation into allegations of multiple violations of federal organic regulations at the Aurora Organic Dairy, located near Dublin, Texas. With a herd of 3000—5000 animals,...

Is Organic Food the Real Deal?
July 17, 2006

Is Organic Food the Real Deal?

The USDA has strict rules regulating who can use the label, but a Dallas Morning News analysis found those standards aren’t always enforced. By PAULA LAVIGNE The Dallas Morning News (this link is no longer available) More and more shoppers are forking out extra money for organic foods to avoid...

Dairy Scorecard Released
July 17, 2006

Dairy Scorecard Released

Now Available!—“Maintaining the Integrity of Organic Milk,” The Cornucopia Institute’s national survey of organic products in the dairy case. The report and scorecard showcase ethical family farm producers and expose factory farm producers and brands that threaten to take over organic dairying. See which brands and dairy products are...

Possible Benefits Boost Organic Beef
July 14, 2006

Possible Benefits Boost Organic Beef

By LESTER ALDRICH Wall Street Journal Natural and organic beef is gaining in popularity among U.S. consumers, even though such beef costs more and university meat scientists say there is little evidence to prove it is healthier or safer. The philosophy behind organic beef is “to provide conditions that...

Genetically Engineered Alfalfa Threatens Organics
July 10, 2006

Genetically Engineered Alfalfa Threatens Organics

Alfalfa is a prime forage crop for organic livestock farmers. It’s drought resistant, has a high nutritional value, and grows well in areas of the U.S. where dairy and beef livestock are important. Alfalfa is the third most valuable and fourth most widely grown crop in the U.S. A...

Organic Family Dairy Operations Wary as Corporations Move In
July 5, 2006

Organic Family Dairy Operations Wary as Corporations Move In

By Steve Karnowski Associated Press Lansing State Journal JORDAN, Minn. – The cows on Pam and Jeff Riesgraf’s farm chomped happily on lush green grass on a sunny afternoon. Their milk would soon find its way to grocery stores, where organic dairy products are a hot item. The Riesgraf...

University of Minnesota to Host 1st International Conference on Animals in Organic Production
June 22, 2006

University of Minnesota to Host 1st International Conference on Animals in Organic Production

From August 23-25, 2006, the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus will be the international epicenter for organic livestock producers and researchers, when the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) holds the first-ever international conference on organic livestock. Leading organic livestock researchers and producers from throughout the world...

Got Organic? Demand Lifts Vt. dairies
June 19, 2006

Got Organic? Demand Lifts Vt. dairies

Boston Globe By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff TROY, Vt. — For the first time in decades, dairy farmer Dexter Randall could pay all his bills on time. Wooed by signing bonuses and the prospect of doubling his earnings, the burly 60-year-old switched to organic milk over the past year....

Twins Theory May Make You Have a Cow
June 9, 2006

Twins Theory May Make You Have a Cow

Chicago Tribune (link no longer available) Julie Deardorff Cow’s milk, routinely overhyped as an answer to obesity and osteoporosis, might have a potent impact on your family after all. Women who consume dairy products are five times more likely to have twins than those who don’t, possibly because of synthetic...

Organic-Milk Fight Takes Aim at Grazing Time
June 7, 2006

Organic-Milk Fight Takes Aim at Grazing Time

Seattle Times By Melissa Allison, business reporter Anyone reading the label of an organic milk, butter or cheese container might get the impression the cows behind those products spend much of their time in verdant pastures. The labels often portray cows grazing on grassland, and studies show that consumers...

Mass Natural
June 5, 2006

Mass Natural

The Way We Live Now The New York Times By MICHAEL POLLAN “Elitist” is just about the nastiest name you can call someone, or something, in America these days, a finely-honed term of derision in the culture wars, and “elitist” has stuck to organic food in this country like...

USDA Weighs Label for Beef From Cattle Fed Only Grass
June 2, 2006

USDA Weighs Label for Beef From Cattle Fed Only Grass

Farmers contend their product is a cut above feedlot animals in health and taste; some experts doubt claims By Matthew Chayes Washington Bureau Chicago Tribune (link no longer available) MIDDLETOWN, Md. — The image that schoolchildren conjure up when they imagine how animals live probably looks a little like Eric...

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