NPR – The Salt by Dan Charles Source: Richard Yuan Most food, if we trace it back far enough, began as a seed. And the business of supplying those seeds to farmers has been transformed over the past half-century. Small-town companies have given way to global giants. A new round of industry consolidation is now… Read more »
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No More Exposés in North Carolina
The New York Times by The Editorial Board Source: Mike Licht Factory farm operators believe that the less Americans know about what goes on behind their closed doors, the better for the industry. That’s because the animals sent through those factories often endure an unimaginable amount of mistreatment and abuse. Cows too sick to walk… Read more »
Earth Has Lost a Third of Arable Land in Past 40 Years, Scientists Say
The Guardian by Oliver Milman Source: CIFOR Experts point to damage caused by erosion and pollution, raising major concerns about degraded soil amid surging global demand for food The world has lost a third of its arable land due to erosion or pollution in the past 40 years, with potentially disastrous consequences as global demand… Read more »
Yes, Bananas May Really Be Going Extinct
Inquisitr by Andrew Galbreath Source: USDA, Lance Cheung The most popular fruit in the world may be in serious danger of extinction. A virulent and incurable strain of the plant-destroying fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense is spreading across the globe and ravaging banana crops in its wake. A study by researchers in the Netherlands appearing… Read more »
Monsanto on Trial for Crimes Against Nature and Humanity
The Ecologist by Pavlos Georgiadis Monsanto was accused of ‘crimes against humanity and the environment’ at COP21 in Paris this week, writes Pavlos Georgiadis. And now the evidence against it is being gathered for presentation at a ‘Monsanto Tribunal’ taking place next October in The Hague. Civil society groups are putting Monsanto on trial for… Read more »
This Is How Much Water You Waste When You Throw Away Food
Smithsonian by Divya Abhat Source: Justin Goring Tossing an apple is like pouring 25 gallons of water down the drain, and the average American does that 17 times a year Food waste is a staggering problem. In 2010, close to 133 billion pounds, or a little over $160 billion worth of food, wound up in… Read more »
California Poised to Set Strictest Antibiotics Standards for Livestock Use in the Nation
Drovers Cattle Network by Natural Resources Defense Council Gov. Jerry Brown Source: Phil Konstantin By the end of the weekend, California Governor Jerry Brown will announce his decision on legislation by Sen. Jerry Hill that sets the strictest limits in the U.S. on the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in meat production. The bill will… Read more »
Organic Is Bee-friendly, Shows New Report
The Organic Center outlines techniques to protect pollinator population PRNewswire by The Organic Center Source: Martin LaBar An important and timely report just released by The Organic Center shows that organic farming practices are effective in maintaining the health and population of important crop pollinators, predominantly bees, which have been declining at an alarming rate… Read more »
Biofuels Are Not a Green Alternative to Fossil Fuels
The Guardian by Andrew Steer and Craig Hanson Source: Peter Blanchard Biofuels and bioenergy take up finite land resources at the cost of food production and carbon storage and doesn’t guarantee carbon emissions cuts Powering cars with corn and burning wood to make electricity might seem like a way to lessen dependence on fossil fuels… Read more »
A Young Generation Sees Greener Pastures In Agriculture
NPR by Jennifer Mitchell Source: In My Backyard Misty Hollow, Sally Hammerman America’s heartland is graying. The average age of a farmer in the U.S. is 58.3 — and that number has been steadily ticking upward for more than 30 years. Overall, fewer young people are choosing a life on the land. But in some… Read more »
