Cornucopia’s Take: Ethical family-scale organic dairy farmers are concerned that the Aurora Dairy scandal will tarnish, in the eyes of consumers, the organic milk they produce in accordance with federal organic standards. Dairy farmer Liz Bawden airs her concerns here. As a consumer, you can find the best organic brands in the grocery store using our… Read more »
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Keep Organics Rooted in Nutritious Soil
[The comment period for this issue is now closed.] Comment to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) by March 30 When food grown without soil (hydroponic) is allowed to carry the organic label, the environmental and health benefits that underpin organic farming are lost, and legitimate, soil-based farmers who steward the land are unfairly undercut… Read more »
Island Province Going Organic
Cornucopia’s Take: A small province on the south Pacific island of Vanuatu is banning junk foods, in favor of their rich farming heritage. A local leader says, “there is no need to eat imported food when we have so much local food grown organically on our islands.” He has also witnessed health effects in other… Read more »
A REAL Apple a Day
Why to Purchase Local and Organic This Fall [This article was previously published in the fall issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.] by Linley Dixon, PhD Farm and Food Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute Source: Adobe Stock Fall, in most regions of the U.S., means an abundance of local apples. They’re likely not as… Read more »
Growing Detroit, One Tree at a Time
Food Tank by Sarah Small The Greening of Detroit was founded to reforest Detroit and return the city to a state of environmental integrity filled with trees, green spaces, urban farms, and parks. The organization has dedicated itself to providing the community with the means and skills to protect their green spaces and grow their own… Read more »
How to Plant Out Seedlings: Eight Tips for New Gardeners
Soil Association by Jess Gotham Source: Susy Morris It’s time to talk about seedlings. The Soil Association’s head of horticulture Ben Raskin’s follow-up workshop on care of new plants was very informative, as he explained what needs to be done once seeds have germinated. I felt rather guilty when I thought about my ‘mystery beans’… Read more »
Study Puts a Price on the Help that Nature Provides Agriculture
Washington State University News by Sylvia Kantor, College of Agricultural, Human & Natural Resource Sciences Source: Fair Share Farm in Kearney, MO PULLMAN, Wash. – A team of international scientists has shown that assigning a dollar value to the benefits nature provides agriculture improves the bottom line for farmers while protecting the environment. The study confirms… Read more »
WhiteWave Consumes Organic Salad-Greens Distributor Earthbound
Massive corporate consolidation continues in the organic sector (Commentary by the Cornucopia Institute’s Mark Kastel) WhiteWave CEO, and former Dean Foods CEO, Gregg Engles knows as much about vegetables as he knew about dairy when he orchestrated a global feeding frenzy in that market to build Dean Foods. The end result was the destruction of… Read more »
Cover Crops Survey Analysis
Cover crops can slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests, and bring a host of other benefits to farms across the country. North Central SARE Cover crops can slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests, and bring a host of other… Read more »
Loss of Just 1 Pollinator Species Harms Plants
The work adds weight to the argument that society should be more active in protecting pollinators and rethinking policies around pesticides Scientific American By Josh Howgego and Nature magazine Removing even a single bee species from an ecosystem has serious effects on plant reproduction, a field study has shown. Wild bee populations are declining severely… Read more »
