(This Action Alert is Over) Federal Research and Marketing Promotion Programs = Robin Hood in Reverse Call your senators now to tell them to support SA 1083. — Senator Cruz amendment to the Farm Bill This amendment to the Farm Bill allows farmers to voluntarily choose whether or not they pay into Federal “checkoff” programs. … Read more »
Search Results for: Eggs
Eye in the Sky
Cornucopia’s Aerial Photography Investigates Factory Farm Cheating by Will Fantle Chino Valley’s poultry operation in Texas is estimated to confine hundreds of thousands of laying hens in barns that appear to offer little, if any, outdoor access, as required by organic law. Cornucopia has captured hundreds of images of massive “organic” livestock operations in 12 states (and counting)…. Read more »
USDA Offers Sneak Peek of Proposed Rule to Address Organic Fraud
After a long, painful wait, The Cornucopia Institute’s full-court press to compel USDA to address the influx of fraudulent organic imports is finally yielding action. The department held a virtual Town Hall on July 8, unveiling a draft of the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule. Meant to address organic fraud, the proposed rule, which has… Read more »
USDA Enforcement Failures Lead to Fake Organic Imports
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia petitioned the National Organic Program for more rigorous certification, oversight, and testing of imports in July due to the lax enforcement we were then aware of at the U.S. border. Cornucopia has been digging into the import fraud issue for 10 years. USDA’s Office of Inspector General released their critical audit of… Read more »
Trump’s NAFTA Renegotiation May Hurt, Not Help, U.S. Farmers
Cornucopia’s Take: A newly minted North American trade deal could increase U.S. exports and would likely also increase imports. Multinational corporations would benefit immensely, while a fair price for farmers and food sovereignty remain distractions for U.S. negotiators. Family farm groups from three countries slam NAFTA reboot based on TPP Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy… Read more »
Colorado Rancher Jail-bound for Spraying Pesticides to Protect Wife from Mosquitoes
The Denver Post by Bruce Finley 81-year-old James Hopper’s neighbors complained that his mosquito spraying threatened their organic farm An 81-year-old Colorado rancher who waged war on mosquitoes after his wife nearly died from West Nile virus has launched a last-minute fight against going to jail this week for spraying pesticides that wafted over his… Read more »
No Organic Checkoff Coalition Applauds USDA Finalizing Organic Farmers’ Exemption from Commodity Check-offs
No Organic Checkoff Coalition Contact: Kate Mendenhall (585-944-2503) Source: 401kcalculator.org Organic farmers no longer required to pay into programs competing with the organic market WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 6, 2016) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced they will extend the organic farmer exemption from conventional commodity checkoffs to ALL organic farmers, effective February 29, 2016. A… Read more »
Fish Stocks Are Declining Worldwide, and Climate Change Is on the Hook
NPR – The Salt by Clare Leschin-Hoar Source: Philippe Basset For anyone paying attention, it’s no secret there’s a lot of weird stuff going on in the oceans right now. We’ve got a monster El Nino looming in the Pacific. Ocean acidification is prompting hand wringing among oyster lovers. Migrating fish populations have caused tensions… Read more »
Tanya Fields is Tackling Racial & Social Injustice with Urban Farming
Madame Noire by Rachael Devaney For Tanya Fields, urban farming has become the most effective tool to tackle racial, social and economic justice. Tired of the lack of affordable, healthy food in her South Bronx neighborhood, Tanya Fields, executive director of the BLK Projek, recently built Libertad Urban Farm, a 4,500 square foot farm located at… Read more »
Digging America, One Farm at a Time
Want a cheap trip cross country? Work your way as seasonal farm help. Charlotte Observer By Audrey Waggoner A year ago I was finishing up my undergraduate degree in International Studies at the University of South Carolina and trying to figure out just what I was going to do next. So when my boyfriend, Nick… Read more »
