Cornucopia’s Take: Insect mass is declining by 2.5% annually. They pollinate plants, recycle waste, and provide food for many species, and humans cannot live without their various ecosystem services. More insects can be observed on organic farms than conventional or GMO farms. Deforestation, pesticide use, and other changes to ecosystems are thought to be major… Read more »
Search Results for: GMO
National Organic Standards Board Meeting Report — Tucson, April 2018
Expert Advisory Panel Addresses Imports Fraud and Biodiversity Conservation Fraudulent organic imports and the industrial model of production under the organic seal is hurting the profitability of organic family farmers. Two panels focused on options for better oversight. Despite increased documentation of fraud, the National Organic Program is still lacking systems to monitor imports. The… Read more »
From One Biotech Governor of the Year to Another: Welcome to the USDA
Cornucopia’s Take: Tom Vilsack, USDA Secretary during the entire Obama administration, recently met with Sonny Perdue, the Trump administration nominee for Secretary of the USDA. Under the Bush administration the USDA monkey-wrenched the organic program (mostly through numerous delaying tactics in terms of rulemaking and enforcement). But under the Obama/Vilsack administration they perfected the game… Read more »
Tribally Supported Agriculture
By Melody Morrell It is likely you have heard of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), but how about Tribally Supported Agriculture (TSA)? The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) in Minnesota started planting their Wozupi (“garden” in Dakotah) in 2010, providing certified organic, locally grown whole foods to the surrounding community using fair labor practices and environmentally… Read more »
New GE Contamination Reported in Washington State Alfalfa
[Note: Cornucopia has been a plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the USDA’s approval of genetically engineered alfalfa.] The Center for Food Safety An export shipment of alfalfa from Washington State was rejected after the shipment tested positive for contamination from genetically engineered (GE), herbicide-resistant alfalfa. The news follows on the heels of yet another contamination… Read more »
Avocado-Fed Pork? Why Animal Feed Is Going Gourmet
NPR By Twilight Greenway Peanuts, flax, sprouts and avocados: It’s not the menu at a health food deli, but the menu inside some barns. What’s more, many farmers experimenting with these gourmet feeds are growing the ingredients themselves. Take Russ Kremer, the Missouri pig farmer whose operation served as the inspiration for the 2011 Chipotle… Read more »
Breaking News: Corporations Stab Organic Consumers in the Back — Familiar Brands Funding Attack and Consumers Right to GMO Labeling
[This Action Alert is Over] Updated Nov. 6, 2012 Click Image for Larger View Download a PDF Version Source of financial contribution figures: California Secretary of State, available online at http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Measures/Detail.aspx?id=1344799&session=2011 Current as of August 18, 2012 Democratic and Republican administrations, and Congress, have repeatedly ignored the overwhelming majority of Americans who favor labeling genetically… Read more »
Consumers Tasked with Telling Truth from Propaganda
Cornucopia’s Take: As the organic industry continues to grow, Big Ag has an ever-greater stake in casting organics as elitist, foolish, and even dangerous. U.S. Right to Know outs propagandists, helping the public understand the major issues in the food industry. Cornucopia offers scorecards, on the scorecard tab at the top of this page, to… Read more »
GM Salmon’s Global HQ – 1,500m High in the Panamanian Rainforest
Supersized genetically modified salmon grown fast and fat and after years of wrangling, are ready for market – but is the market ready for them? And why is the firm hidden away in Panama? The Guardian By Suzanne Goldenberg It is hard to think of a more unlikely setting for genetic experimentation or for raising… Read more »
Genetically Modified Crops Causing an Increased Use of Harmful Pesticides
Net News Publisher (link no longer available) A new report shows that planting genetically modified (GM) crops is causing an increased use of harmful pesticides in major biotech crop producing countries. The 2008 edition of the Friends of the Earth International “Who Benefits from GM crops?” report series is titled “The Rise in Pesticide Use” and… Read more »