Incredible Potential for “Ecosystem Revitalizing Agriculture”
Research Shows Organic Practices Build Healthy Soils
Global WIN! Agroecology to replace endosulfan.
Farmer’s Supreme Court Challenge Puts Monsanto Patents at Risk
Professor challenges Environmentalist on GMOs.
Is GMO Farming Poisoning The World’s Drinking Water?
What is GMO? What crops are at risk of being GMO?
Should GMOs be safety tested before hitting the market? Yes says the AMA.
New June 2012 academic report on the risks of GMOs
Read “GMO Myths and Truths” report…
Can organic farming feed the world? Yes it can.
Choosing organic helps you avoid GMOs
What does the organic label really mean?
Even in agricultural economics, organic wins.
Pesticide exposure affects human health at different stages of life.
Ten things you can do to help BEES.
Organic production promotes species diversity.
Organic farming reduces resistance of bacteria to antibiotics.
United Nations study calls for shift towards agroecology as a way to boost food production and improve the situation of the world’s poorest.
Mothers’ pesticide exposure linked to kids’ IQs –
Concerned about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)? There is reason for concern.
Read more . . .
Serving healthy snacks to children is important to providing good nutrition and supporting lifelong healthy eating habits.
The USDA has announced plans to allow commercial planting of Forage Genetics International’s Glyphosate-Tolerant Alfalfa.
Americans are overestimating their daily whole grain consumption.
Are you? Read more…
U. S. Families are buying more organic products.
41% of parents report they are buying more organic foods now than a year ago. Read more . . .
New Pamphlet about ORGANIC:
Educate yourself and others about organic food with this new publication from the University of Minnesota. Read more . . .
NRDC’s 2010 Growing Green Award Winner Fred Kirschenmann: Fresh Thoughts on Food and Farming
Fred Kirschenmann – longtime friend and colleague of Grain Place Foods President David Vetter – was awarded the Natural Resources Defense Council’s 2010 Growing Green Award in the Thought Leader category. He offers plenty of food for thought on food – and farming. Read more . . .
National Survey on Whole Grains Consumption
A national survey shows we’re not consuming enough whole grains. Those who consume the most servings of whole grains have “better diet quality and nutrient intakes.” Read more…
Whole Grains and Blood Pressure
We already know that consuming whole grains, rather than refined, lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Now, a new study suggests that whole grains may also lower blood pressure. Read more
Pesticides & ADHD: Time Magazine
A new study published in the May 18 issue of the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides with cases of ADHD in the U.S. and Canada. Read More…
Tell House to Invest in Organic
Tell the House Agriculture Committee to Invest in Organic Farmers in the 2012 Farm Bill:
WASHINGTON (July 2, 2010) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) today announced amendments to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) for crop production. The final rule adds sulfurous acid to the National List of allowed materials for organic crop production based upon an evaluation and recommendation by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). It also adds an expiration date of October 21, 2012 for the use of tetracycline in organic crop production. Read More…
Organic and Fair Trade Pioneer CHOICE ORGANIC TEAS Adds Non-GMO Project Verification to its Growing List of Distinctions:
Seattle, WA (July 2010) — CHOICE ORGANIC TEAS, the first exclusively organic tea crafter in the United States and the first in the country to introduce Fair Trade Certified™ teas, is now also the first tea company to earn Non-GMO Project Verification. The company’s flagship product line, representing 29 teas, achieved the official verification and will carry the Non-GMO Project Verified seal. They will also appear in the Non-GMO Project’s Shopping Guide website and in distributor online catalogues. Read More…
All Eyes On California Strawberries: 40,000 People Join Scientists To Oppose Methyl Iodide
CIVILEATS (June 22, 2010) – California’s little-known Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) entered the spotlight this month as scientists, farm workers, and activists rallied against the department’s proposal to approve methyl iodide for use in the state’s $2.1 billion strawberry industry.
New MOSES Fact Sheet on Organic Tree Fruit Certification
Whether you are transitioning a currently bearing orchard, planting a new one or renovating an old orchard, there are similar issues you will need to address in order to grow and market organic tree fruit. Read More…
USDA Economic Research Service appeals to Organic Farmers, Companies, Seedspeople, Researchers, and Agency Types for help with GMO research
Cathy Greene, of the USDA Economic Research Service, is working on an urgent issue related to coexistence among organic and conventional producers – particularly with regard to GMOs. Greene needs current information about how successfully organic producers are/aren’t coexisting with the conventional (GMO-using) world. This is tough info to find, particularly since GMO drift is not a decertification-worthy event and there are no prescribed tolerances as there are with, say, spray drift. Can you help?
1. If you’re a producer, have you yourself experienced losses or can you recommend individuals or companies who have lost money or market because of GMO contamination and would be willing to tell their story?
2. If you are a company or organization, do you have any data about money damages related to rejected loads, losing buyers, etc. because of GMO contamination? (food/feed crops or seed production) or do you know anybody collecting or planning to collect information like this?
Contact Greene at 202-694-5541.
Hidden Hazards in Fruits & Vegetables:
By Carolyn Butler – Tuesday, June 1, 2010: Now comes new research that is causing me to rethink my position and wonder whether I should be concentrating on limiting my family’s exposure to the pesticides often found in trace amounts on commercially grown produce. What got me going is a study in last month’s edition of the journal Pediatrics suggesting that even low levels of these chemicals are associated with an increased risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Read More…
USDA Publishes Amendments to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances:
WASHINGTON (July 2, 2010) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) today announced amendments to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) for crop production. The final rule adds sulfurous acid to the National List of allowed materials for organic crop production based upon an evaluation and recommendation by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). It also adds an expiration date of October 21, 2012 for the use of tetracycline in organic crop production. Read More…