Why Does Superior Food Production Generate Inferior Income? [This article was previously published in the fall issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.] by Linley Dixon, PhD Linley Dixon Our diverse, small-acre vegetable farm was in its fourth year of production. Despite what appeared to be a successful venture — a thriving farmer’s market stand,… Read more »
Search Results for: regenerative agriculture
See No Evil
Organic Industry Bigwigs Dispute What Cornucopia’s Aerial Photos Reveal by Mark A. Kastel MBA Poultry, marketing under the trade name Smart Chicken, maintains 40 barns near Tecumseh, NE. On the day this photograph was taken, all had fencing but with gates open, freshly mowed grass, doors closed, and no sign of birds ever being outside…. Read more »
Start-Ups Rise to Close a Gap for Farmers
The New York Times by Stephanie Strom Credit: Havilah McGrath, McGrath Farm WELLESLEY, Mass. — In spite of the surging demand for locally and regionally grown foods over the last few years, there is a chasm separating small and midsize farmers from their local markets. But a growing number of small businesses are springing up… Read more »
Weeding out Monsanto
The fight is on to keep Monsanto alfalfa out of Canada The Briar Patch By Cathy Holtslander You might have missed it, but this spring thousands of people across Canada came out to 38 rallies organized by farmers and their supporters. In addition to these April 9 rallies, people inundated their MPs with letters and… Read more »
Local Food Movement Growing Ranks of Younger Farmers
Nonprofits, government initiatives hope to cultivate demographic shift Chicago Tribune By Naomi Nix Nick Batchelder and his wife moved to Chicago at the start of the economic recession, hoping their years of experience in ecology and construction would land them jobs. After months of scouring the Internet for openings and pumping their contacts for leads,… Read more »
Big Tech Seeks to Stop Nebraska ‘Right to Repair’ Bill
Cornucopia’s Take: Tractors now house high tech software that farmers are not allowed to access, although costly software issues may ground a tractor during the growing season. Farmers and small electronics technicians are backing a bill to allow the public access to software, parts, and repair instructions. John Deere and Apple unsurprisingly maintain that they,… Read more »
Trump Supports Taxes on Foreign Food
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia will earnestly engage with the Trump administration pick for USDA Secretary, Sonny Perdue, once he is confirmed and other agency appointments are made. It remains unclear how Trump’s support for tarrifs, under the guise of food safety, will sit with consumers. Leaked Audio: Trump Cares About Food Safety But Only If the Food… Read more »
DNA Nip and Tuck Likely to Escape Labeling
Cornucopia’s Take: Although CRISPR technology is more precise than previous attempts at gene modification, scientists still do not have enough knowledge to determine whether there will be unintended consequences within the organism or the ecosystem it inhabits. It is shockingly easy to wield the power of gene editing: the equipment to perform CRISPR edits is… Read more »
Unsafe at any Dose? Diagnosing Chemical Safety Failures, from DDT to BPA
[Cornucopia has re-posted this article for its sole merit, which does not imply endorsement of the author’s opinions expressed elsewhere.] Independent Science News by Jonathan Latham, PhD Source: Nerissa’s Ring Piecemeal, and at long last, chemical manufacturers have begun removing the endocrine-disrupting plastic bisphenol-A (BPA) from products they sell. Sunoco no longer sells BPA for products that… Read more »
Warning Signs: How Pesticides Harm the Young Brain
The Nation by Susan Freinkel The pathbreaking CHAMACOS study has detected developmental problems in children born to mothers who toiled in California’s treated fields—but will anything change? This story was produced by the Food & Environment Reporting Network, an independent nonprofit news organization. Driving along Highway 101 through California’s Salinas Valley, it’s hard to miss the… Read more »
