Philadelphia Inquirer By Alfred Lubrano One in an occasional series. Eyeing a potato at Frederick Douglass Christian School in Chester one day in the fall, a first grader called it a “tomato.” Another said he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen one before. “How do you spell ‘nasty?’ ” asked Ja’Niyah Van, 6, tasting a baked… Read more »
Search Results for: GMO
China Faces a New Worry: Heavy Metals in the Food
Studies Warn of Produce Grown in ‘Hot Spot’ Soil; Pingyang’s Ill Farmers Wall Street Journal By Nicholas Zamiska and Jane Spencer NANNING, China — For nearly two decades, Lai Mandai regularly ate and sold beans, cabbage and watermelons grown on a plot of land a short walk from a lead smelting plant in her village…. Read more »
Amber Fields of Bland
The New York Times By Dan Barber Tarrytown, N.Y. THERE’S invariably something risky, if not risible, about allowing Congress to decide what’s for dinner. Bad decisions about agriculture have defined government policy for the last century; 70 percent of our nation’s farms have been lost to bankruptcy or consolidation, creating an agricultural economy that looks… Read more »
Spring 2018 NOSB Meeting – Webinar: Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Cornucopia staff members attended the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) pre-meeting webinar today, where the NOSB heard comments from the public. Cornucopia’s notes from this meeting are below. You can also view our notes from the Thursday webinar. Thirteen NOSB members present: (note: environmentalist and handler NOSB positions have not been filled) The NOSB at… Read more »
Microbes in the Soil and in Our Guts
Cornucopia’s Take: Please enjoy this review of The Hidden Half of Nature by David Montgomery and Anne Biklé. Given the science and practical work of microbes in soil, it is clear that soil is crucial to our health. Our friend Fred Kirschenmann suggested this book. The scientists whose garden unlocked the secret to good health The… Read more »
Chefs Collaborative on a Sustainable Mission
Connecting to Southern Agriculture in Charleston [Previously printed in Acres USA] By Julie Ann Fineman Co-authored by J. Lee Glenn Photography courtesy of Julie Ann Fineman Around the world people are waking up to the negative impacts of our industrialized food system as alarming stories continue to flood the news: a loss of biodiversity, degraded… Read more »
The Elders of Organic Farming
New York Times By Carol Pogash BIG SUR, Calif. — Among the sleek guests who meditate and do Downward Facing Dog here at the Esalen Institute, the farmers appeared to be out of place. They wore baggy jeans, suspenders and work boots and had long ago let their hair go gray. For nearly a week,… Read more »
Ractopamine: The Meat Additive on Your Plate That’s Banned Almost Everywhere But America
[Note: Don’t panic, go organic! This additive is not allowed in organic foods.] The asthma drug-like growth additive has enjoyed stealth use in the US food supply for a decade despite being widely banned overseas. AlterNet By By Martha Rosenberg Have you ever heard of ractopamine? Neither have most US food consumers though it is … Read more »
Full and Fair Farm Bill NOW
The Rural Coalition The undersigned 243 groups from all parts of the country have joined together today to demand that Congress develop and pass a full and fair Farm Bill this summer, without further delay. A full and fair Farm Bill must include farm, food and nutrition, conservation and rural economic development programs and commodity… Read more »
Is Biodynamic Farming for Real?
Cornucopia’s Take: Biodynamic farmers are sometimes accused of being unscientific, and Demeter, their certifying agent, has now begun collecting topsoil samples from their biodynamic farms for further study. Biodynamic farmers must follow federal organic rules as well as additional practices, including off-farm input restrictions. Biodynamic farming is on the rise – but how effective is… Read more »
