National Organic Standards Board Adopts Pasture Guidance But USDA Staff Rejects Changes and Asks for Further Review
August 24, 2005

National Organic Standards Board Adopts Pasture Guidance But USDA Staff Rejects Changes and Asks for Further Review

The Cornucopia Institute’s Senior Farm Policy Analyst Mark Kastel journeyed to Washington, D.C. for the August 15-17 meeting of the National Organic Standards Board. He was there to push for final adoption of the proposed pasture guidance for dairy cows and ruminants that would close loopholes being used by...

Pasture Guidance Language Adopted by the NOSB
August 24, 2005

Pasture Guidance Language Adopted by the NOSB

The following is the exact language that the National Organic Standards Board adopted on August 16 as guidance requirements for pasture and dairy cows and other ruminants.

Groups Endorse Organic Pasture Guidance
August 17, 2005

Groups Endorse Organic Pasture Guidance

NOSB Adopts Guidance Policy at August 16 Meeting Twenty-nine groups and organizations have endorsed the proposed pasture guidance document for dairy cows and other ruminants and have urged the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) to adopt it at its August 15-17 meeting in Washington, D.C . On August 16,...

Berry Farmer’s Suit Stuns Organic Goliaths
August 11, 2005

Berry Farmer’s Suit Stuns Organic Goliaths

Lax labeling claim gains steam in court By Andrew Martin Tribune national correspondent August 11, 2005 HARTFORD, Maine — Arthur Harvey, an organic blueberry farmer, lives in a 168-year-old house with an outhouse out back and a solar panel on the roof, which he uses to power his computer....

Antibiotic Abuse
August 9, 2005

Antibiotic Abuse

Editorial The Boston Globe August 8, 2005 THE GREAT, life-saving medical advance of the 20th century was the discovery of antibiotics. Now, in the 21st century, the effectiveness of these miracle drugs is being undercut by their misuse in both people and animals.

Organic Farming Just as Productive as Conventional
July 15, 2005

Organic Farming Just as Productive as Conventional

Uses 30% Less Energy and Water Organic production produces the same corn and soybean yields as conventional farming, but consumes 30 percent less energy and uses no pesticides, according to a revealing new study. David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and agriculture, concluded that the 22-year Rodale...

Cornucopia Shares Pasture Survey Results With NOSB
June 10, 2005

Cornucopia Shares Pasture Survey Results With NOSB

To: National Organic Standards Board c/o Arthur Neil Room 4008–South Building 1400 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC, 20250-0001 From: The Cornucopia Institute Re: Support of the NOSB’s draft pasture guidance document Date: May 20, 2005 Dear NOSB Members, On behalf of The Cornucopia Institute, our Board of Directors, staff,...

Organic Community Sends Clear Signal to “Renegade” Factory Farms
March 4, 2005

Organic Community Sends Clear Signal to “Renegade” Factory Farms

WASHINGTON, DC: Organic dairy farmers from throughout the country descended on the nation’s capital last week in a show of solidarity requesting a USDA crackdown on large industrial dairy farms producing “organic” milk. The farmers present, along with over 8000 submitted comments from consumers and other organic producers, prompted...

Panel Seeks To Put Organic Loophole Out To Pasture
March 2, 2005

Panel Seeks To Put Organic Loophole Out To Pasture

Wed, Mar. 02, 2005 By Andrew Martin Chicago Tribune WASHINGTON – (KRT) – Henry Perkins, an organic dairy farmer from Maine, brought a sign to Washington that read “Let Them Eat Grass.” On Wednesday, after two days of debate, a federal advisory panel on the organic industry took Perkins’...

Dean/Horizon Feedlot Dairy Accused of Masquerading as an Organic Farm
February 16, 2005

Dean/Horizon Feedlot Dairy Accused of Masquerading as an Organic Farm

CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: The Cornucopia Institute filed two formal complaints today with the USDA’s Office of Compliance asking them to initiate investigations into alleged violations of the federal organic law by factory farms operating in Idaho and California. At issue are fundamental organic livestock management practices that require ruminants, including...

Organic Manure Hits the Fan in Washington
February 5, 2005

Organic Manure Hits the Fan in Washington

CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: The Cornucopia Institute, on January 10th, filed a formal complaint with the USDA’s National Organic Program asking them to initiate an investigation into alleged violations of the federal organic law by a factory farm operating in Colorado. At issue is whether it is legal to confine cows...

USDA Feels the Heat in Response to Organic Pasture Controversy
January 12, 2005

USDA Feels the Heat in Response to Organic Pasture Controversy

CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN:The USDA’s National Organic Program immediately responded to sharp criticism from the organic community alleging that, through complacency, they were allowing large factory farms to produce organic milk while skirting the legal requirement that the cows have access to pasture as a fundamental part of their feed source.The...

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