Tag: United States Department of Agriculture

  • Ohio Coops Worth 3.7 Billion

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    Farming co-ops aggregate and market farm products, supply members with the fertilizer and other things they need in order to farm, and provide financial services. Local farming co-ops reach into bigger towns, too, by marketing meat, grain, fruits, vegetables, fiber — and even rock salt — produced by or for member farmers to processors, retailers…

  • GMO Apple Comment Period Opens

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    A final, 30-day public comment period on USDA consideration of opening the United States to the growing and sales of genetically modified apples began Nov. 8 and will conclude on Dec. 9. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking public comment on its environmental assessment and plant risk assessment documents for the…

  • Yet Another Reason to Buy Local

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    This is another reason to be picky about where your meat comes from.  Better yet, stop eating meat altogether: From the Daily Kos: Put down your ham sandwich before you read this one, folks. The US Department of Agriculture is hoping to expand a pilot program replacing half the USDA inspectors in meat plants with…

  • Organizations Urge USDA to Improve Oversight of GM Trials

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    The Environmental Leader reports on efforts by more than 150 organizations to urge the US Department of Agriculture to improve its oversight of experimental trials of gentically engineerd crops: Organic food manufacturer Amy’s Kitchen, Farm Aid, Clif Bar & Company, The Urban Farm, Organic Seed Alliance and the Center for Food Safety are among more…

  • Certified Naturally Grown Label Tailored for Direct-Market Farmers

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    Mary Esch of the Associated Press writes about some organic farmers in the Northeast that are eschewing organic certification by the USDA: Started by a group of organic farmers in New York’s mid-Hudson Valley as a backlash against federal takeover of the organic program in 2002, Certified Naturally Grown has expanded over the past decade…

  • Organic food more expensive because federal government uses your tax dollars to subsidize GMOs, junk food

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    One of the biggest complaints among ordinary families trying to eat healthy is that clean, organic food is simply too expensive, and thus out of reach for the average budget. But eating right does not have to break the bank, especially when you know what to look for and how to shop for it. Here…

  • Cracks in GMO Empire Beginning to Appear

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    When it comes to food policy, Monsanto always seems to be at the fore.  Will Fantle tells us why in EcoWatch: From the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to foreign policy, Congress, state governments, elections and the courts, the feverish politics of genetically modified foods (GMOs) have infected decision making and dramatically tilted policies towards the desires…

  • GM Seafood to be Discussed at 2013 BioMarine Business Convention

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    CANADA – The 2013 BioMarine Business Convention, which will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 9-12 September, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, will focus on Aquaculture and Aquafeed, among the three themes of the event. Aquaculture is the world’s fastest growing source of food production. With the world’s population set to…

  • The Truth About Organic Foods from China

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    The information provided by Dr. Josh Axe in his post  The Truth About Organic Foods from China is disturbing but not surprising.  There has been one scandal after another regarding the substandard quality of products imported from China.  Why should organic foods be any different? As long as shoddy standards, little regulation and rampant corruption exist,…

  • GMO Crops Mean More Herbicide, Not Less

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    By Beth Hoffman: Forbes Over the past 15 years, farmers around the world have planted ever larger tracts of genetically engineered crops. According to the USDA, in 2012 more than 93 percent of soy planted was “herbicide tolerant,” engineered to withstand herbicides (sold by the same companies who patent and sell the seeds).  Likewise, 73 percent of all corn…