Local News | Number of farms in state grows, report finds | Seattle ...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:22:15 -0800

Woe is the family farmer. They've got it tougher than just about anyone, what with their tanking profits and all the faceless agri-conglomerates gobbling up their land.

Clearer definition of 'organic' meat, milk - SFGate

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:57:54 -0800

Washington - — What makes milk or meat organic? After a drawn-out debate, the Agriculture Department has significantly narrowed the definition to livestock that spend a third of the year grazing on pasture.

The Great Grocery Smackdown - Magazine - The Atlantic

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:10:41 -0800

Will Walmart, not Whole Foods, save the small farm and make America healthy?

Supreme Court Grants Monsanto’s Petition for Review

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:49:39 -0800

Yesterday the Lincoln Star Journal reported that the U.S. Supreme Court granted Monsanto Co.’s petition for review of a federal district court order that stopped planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa in 2007, pending completion of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Entrepreneurs Keep the Local Food Movement Hot - BusinessWeek

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:32:54 -0800

Local food businesses play a much more critical role in economic development than commonly thought, a new report shows

Amid Monsanto's antitrust troubles, another study questions the health ...

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:58:21 -0800

In the past few months, we’ve learned that its much-vaunted technologies don’t really increase yields after all; and aren’t really all that promising for adapting to climate change.

Why We Should All Eat More Organic Food

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:54:32 -0800

Why The Organic Label Isn't Good Enough

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:05:20 -0800

Environmentalists, sustainable agriculture advocate and farmers have all been stressing the same thing for years: Buy Organic. But earlier this week, a fiasco involving one of the largest organic cattle producers in the country proves that just looking for the 'USDA Organic' label won't protect you from foods manufactured with questionable practices, pesticides, hormones, and other nasty stuff.

Food safety experts say they won't eat these 7 foods

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:04:50 -0800

Want to know the foods that the “food safety experts” won’t eat? Prevention Magazine decided to ask. They posed the question, “What foods do you avoid?” to the people whose work is to uncover what's safe to eat – or not. Here's what they said:

How Safe Is Your Chicken Dinner? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:25:53 -0800

A new study by Consumer Reports has found that two out of three whole broiler chickens are contaminated with illness-inducing bacteria, while certain types of organic chicken posed the lowest risk.

Is Your Eco-Label Lying?

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:25:13 -0800

EcolLabel_300x200.jpg

YOUR SHAMPOO BOTTLE is covered with labels proclaiming that its contents are all natural, cruelty free, and biodegradable, but is that actually true? There are more than 300 eco-labels out there, and not all are created equal. Official-looking seals created by industry groups can be misleading. Reassuring claims may be based solely on the manufacturer's word. And some feel-good terms are so broad as to be meaningless. Below, we peel back some common eco-labels and rate them: Green means clean, yellow is okay, and red means buyer beware.

What's in Your Canned Food? BPA Ban Debated At Public Hearing

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:46:29 -0800

A Wisconsin bill that would make it illegal to make or sell infant bottles or cups for children under 5 that contain bisphenol A, or BPA, was debated at a public hearing at the state Capitol Tuesday.

Many Farmers Growing Genetically Engineered Corn Not Complying with Key Environmental Requirements

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:45:55 -0800

One out of every four farmers who plants genetically engineered (GE) corn is failing to comply with at least one important insect-resistance management requirement. That increases the likelihood that pesticide-resistant bugs will threaten the future of biotech crops and some of their non-biotech neighbors. That finding comes in a report released today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to not renew registrations of the GE corn varieties unless compliance rates improve.

Coming Clean: Natural Cosmetics / Organic Body Care Campaign

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:45:30 -0800

On November 5, 2009, the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) passed a recommendation for "Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products." The recommendation urges the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to make sure that any use of the word "organic" on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA organic standards.

Full fat milk could be linked to low BMI, study

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:40:42 -0800

Children who consumed full fat milk regularly had a lower body mass index (BMI) compared to those who seldom or never drank milk, claims a Swedish study.