The Washington State Department of Ecology has once again denied the use of the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid on coastal shellfish beds, as reported in the Seattle Times. A association of oyster growers based out of Willapa Bay in southwest Washington have been fighting since 2015 to be allowed to use imidacloprid to combat an infestation of burrowing shrimp, […]
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Thanks to Peter Melchett for his provocative blog on why, across the EU, the government, farmers, food industry, and consumers are all pulling in the mostly same direction to grow the volume and quality of home-grown organic food. Lessons learned from the efforts of many individuals, companies, and organizations in the EU are worth heeding […]
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[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. […]
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It is now official, the USDA has withdrawn the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule, as of May 13, 2018.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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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 […]
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In the latest in the ongoing saga of the new dicamba-tolerant crops and their herbicides that won’t stay where they are sprayed, a document review investigation by the St-Louis Post Dispatch reveals that Monsanto’s own science played a key role in how the use restrictions were set. EPA had originally proposed a larger, more comprehensive, […]
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We have all seen the signs on the gasoline pumps proudly proclaiming “Contains Ethanol.” The U.S. gas supply includes this biofuel derived from corn due a bill passed in 2007, the Renewable Fuel Standard. It mandates that the nation’s gasoline contains a certain portion of corn-based ethanol, courtesy of America’s heartland. At the time, politicians […]
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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 […]
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On February 6, 2018, the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) sent a senior scientist, Dr. Jennifer Sass, to Capitol Hill to testify before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology during a hearing called “In Defense of Scientific Integrity: Examining the IARC Monograph Programme and Glyphosate Review.” IARC’s “reputation and integrity” have been under […]
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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 […]
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