A wonderful, long piece in the April 18, 2018 New York Times Magazine explains how changing land and agricultural management can “sip carbon from the air” and put it back in the soil — improving soil health and a farmer’s profit margin, while mitigating climate change. “Can Dirt Save the Earth?” by Moises Velasquez-Manoff starts with […]
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In March 2018 Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, signed into law a bill that will end farming of non-native Atlantic salmon in the state’s marine waters, as reported by NPR’s food blog The Salt. The move follows the failure of a net-pen aquaculture operation that buckled in strong currents (see the Seattle Times photo, right) on […]
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It is now official, the USDA has withdrawn the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule, as of May 13, 2018. This action will close one chapter and begin the next in a long-running conflict withing the organic community, and between it and the USDA. The USDA is justifying its actions primarily by pointing to […]
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Blog by Chuck Benbrook and Don Davis We started our research in 2011 comparing the fatty acid profile of whole milk from cows managed conventionally and on organic farms, and now in our new paper, on grassmilk farms. Our first paper in December 2013 describes how organic management improves the fatty acid levels and quality […]
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Thanks to Mark Keating for sharing these sage words on the ODairy listserv. “Many people blame science for our surplus of farm products. They say that science taught us how to grow two blades of grass where one grew before. I think the trouble is that is exactly what science did not teach us. Instead, […]
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Note — The following comments were submitted by Chuck Benbrook to the AMS/USDA today, in response to the Department’s proposal to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule. I am writing to urge the Department to quickly finalize the OLPP rule, rather than withdraw it. If the USDA continues on its proposed course of […]
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Note: Thanks to Mary-Howell Martens for permission to share with HA readers her reflections from a speaking engagement at a recent Youth Climate Summit. Mary-Howell is an organic grain farmer who also manages an organic feed and seed business in upstate New York, Lakeview Organic Grains. We had an interesting experience this week, speaking to […]
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Out west in Washington State, Stemilt is rapidly expanding the acreage producing organic apples. Its supply of organic apples will be up 55% in 2017, compared to the 2016 crop. Honeycrisp volume will rise 250%, and fuji volume will be up 90%. Today, about 30% of Stemilt’s extensive apple acreage is managed organically. Virtually all […]
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No, this is not a belated April Fools prank, but a real mystery coming out of dairy farms in the Midwest. Over a 35-year career in dairy cow nutrition and health management in Wisconsin, Dieter Harle has witnessed many changes in farm management, cow nutrition, and cow health and longevity. At a presentation March 28, […]
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Despite the mountains of evidence showing that we are loosing the race to preserve the efficacy of medically important antibiotics, sales of these vital drugs to livestock farmers have risen 26% since 2009, according to the latest FDA report on the subject, “Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food Producing Animals”. I first studied […]
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