[Guest blog by Peter Melchett, the Policy Director of the Soil Association in the U.K.] In the UK, we have just had good news about the growth in organic sales in 2017. The Soil Association’s 2018 Organic Market Report reveals that our organic market is now worth £2.2 billion ($3.1 billion U.S. $), growing by 6% in 2017. […]
Read More, References, Comment »
It is a badly kept secret in Washington, D.C. that the USDA , and the U.S. government as a whole, does more to slow the growth in organic farming than support it. There are several ways that the USDA, other government agencies, and the Congress bring about this unfortunate outcome. #1 Denial of Consumer Health […]
Read More, References, Comment »
What is driving the growth in organic apple production in WA state? First and foremost, consumer demand. Over the last five years or so, most of the fruit buyers for major supermarkets, food companies, restaurants, and exporters have been pushed by their customers to expand the diversity and quality of organic apple offerings. Since Washington […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Part I: A Tipping Point for Organic Apples in the Pacific Northwest? The remarkable growth since 2016 in organic apple production in Washington State has received almost no attention in the media, food industry, and public health communities. I paste in below a recent update from two Washington State University faculty members who follow closely […]
Read More, References, Comment »
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 […]
Read More, References, Comment »
A new opinion piece recounts how a Syngenta-linked PR firm has apparently started a non-profit front-group to challenge Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto. Opposition to the union of these two industry leaders rests in the fear of anti-competitive activity, leading to adverse impacts on farmers in the wake of higher seed prices and limited choices in the genetic […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The pesticide enforcement news today is surreal. Reuters reports on February 15, 2018 that Amazon is paying a $1.2 million fine, because a third-party vendor offering pesticides on Amazon slipped in some foreign-made products not registered by the U.S. EPA. Clearly illegal, clearly a slip up, which Amazon corrected immediately, and forcefully, as clear in […]
Read More, References, Comment »
We launch today a new focus area on Hygeia Analytics – Nutrient Decline. Last week, a Reuters story reported that Brazil was capturing soybean export market share from the U.S., in large part because of the falling levels of protein in US-grown soybeans, and the greater volume and higher quality of non-GM soybeans available from Brazilian […]
Read More, References, Comment »
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 […]
Read More, References, Comment »
We cover today a new estimate of the increase in carbon emissions per year from renewable-fuels-driven land conversion over a five year period (2008-2012) in this “In the News” item. This latest study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison will surely not settle the ongoing debate over whether corn ethanol and soy biodiesel increase or decrease […]
Read More, References, Comment »
