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 natural chemicals. These biopesticides are often… Read more »
Search Results for: gmo
America’s Mad Cow Crisis
[Don’t panic. Go organic! Organic farmers are legally prohibited from feeding animal byproducts to livestock. This is the accepted pathway for the prion disease in humans, new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or “Mad Cow”. — Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst, The Cornucopia Institute] by John Stauber Americans might remember that when the first mad cow was… Read more »
Scientist Speaks Out About Pesticide Companies’ Criticism of Study
Cornucopia’s Take: As has become the industry standard when any research uncovers pesticide harm to pollinators, Syngenta and Bayer have accused the authors of bias, despite providing funding for this particular study. Lead study researcher Dr. Ben Woodcock noted that both Syngenta and Bayer have put out “statistically flawed” studies in recent years. In response to… Read more »
Real Organic Milk Being Dumped, Cheap Industrial “Organic” Dominates Big Box Stores
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia has been filing formal complaints about Aurora Dairy, and several other giant certified “organic” operations in the west, for over 10 years. The USDA has sometimes refused to investigate their alleged lack of grazing and confinement conditions, even when Cornucopia provided aerial images of ungrazed, sometimes hayed, pasture. When the USDA has… Read more »
North Carolina Lawmakers Seek to Protect CAFOs
Cornucopia’s Take: Big Ag seeks legislation to minimize so-called “nuisance lawsuits” brought forth by neighbors of huge factory farms who are finding their wells, air, health, and property values adversely affected by pollution from the facilities. N.C. BILL TO SHIELD CAFOS’ LIABILITY WOULD CURB LEGAL RIGHTS FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS EWG (original article contains all images)… Read more »
Concerns Over Use of Glyphosate-based Herbicides and Risks Associated with Exposures: a Consensus Statement
BioMed Central by John Peterson Myers, Michael N. Antoniou, Bruce Blumberg, Lynn Carroll, Theo Colborn, Lorne G. Everett, Michael Hansen, Philip J. Landrigan, Bruce P. Lanphear, Robin Mesnage, Laura N. Vandenberg, Frederick S. vom Saal, Wade V. Welshons and Charles M. Benbrook Environmental Health 2016, DOI: 10.1186/s12940-016-0117-0 Source: Pam Link, Flickr Background This Statement of Concern is directed to scientists, physicians, and regulatory officials around the world. We highlight changes in the scope and magnitude of risks to humans and… 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 »
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 »
