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This is a food and farming nerd's dream. Check this out:
The USDA's Food Environment Atlas
It's an interactive map that can show you, U.S. county by U.S. county: the number of farmers markets, percentage of farmers markets, availability of grocery stores, farm-to-school programs, adult diabetes rates, childhood preschool obesity rates. It's an incredible document. Take a look.
The USDA has also released a report tracking American eating habits over the last century.
The USDA extended its extension for hearing public comments on whether or not, upon appeal by Monsanto, that company's new GE RoundupReady alfalfa should be approved.
Now I know most of you Fair Food Fighters are opposed to GMOs and Monsanto. But have you actually written your comment on this matter? Sure, you've Tweeted about it, forwarded emails, Facebooked, and Dugg it, but have you written your letter? Read more...
Via Jim Riddle at the University of Minnesota's Organic Ecology
A Look at the Newly Released Organic Pasture Rule Webinar by eOrganic
Join us for a Webinar on March 17
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/169941112 Read more...
It's fashionable to smack Obama these days, and while I share the instinct of both my lefty and wingnut pals to shake their heads in confusion at Washington, I remain wowed by one aspect of this presidency: The Obama USDA. His appointment of Tom Vilsack continues to impress me and prove my initital fears wrong.
Two cool pieces of news, if you're a proponent of organic ag and small farming like I am. First, the USDA's National Organic Program announced that it was tightening up organic dairying rules in a way that fortifies pasturing at the expense of feedlot dairies (all eyes are now on the USDA and the obviously non-compliant Aurora Organic Dairy). Read more...
New USDA Rules Establish Strong Organic Standards for Pasture and Livestock Read more...
The president trotted out his proposed $3.8 gabajillion dollar budget this week, and we should note that the USDA's National Organic Program is receiving a 44% increase in funding: A $10.1 million budget, with $2.1 million earmarked specifically "for regulatory review and enforcement and to forge agreements with other countries to help expand exports" (Burlington Free Press). Read more...
Last week, Fair Food Fight petitioned dairy farmers for their take on ABC's piece on dehorning, and it was an excellent discussion. Read the whole thread if you want a nice, strong cup of farmer know-how. Read more...
Check out Our Beginning, the first USDA certified organic daycare in the state of Washington. From King5 in Seattle:
Our Beginning strives to be green and organic. The walls sport chemical free paint, the carpets are all made of natural fibers, and the food going into the tiny bodies is more than 98% organic. The day care's cook makes almost everything on site, from organic apple and celery juice, to the homemade spinach cream spread on whole grain bagels. Read more...
Via Cornucopia Institute: Family farmers from around the country, who produce organic milk, are petitioning president Obama, and the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for the swift adoption of new strict rulemaking that will rein in the abuses of a handful of factory farms they claim are violating both the spirit and letter of the federal organic law.
Read more...
Why do people buy organic food? I don't mean "what reasons do they have?" - there are plenty of articles covering the whys and wherefores of buying organic. I'm talking psychology. Sociology. Why do people make the decision to start buying food that is sometimes hard to track down and is usually more expensive than its conventional counterpart? How did it start as a trend? Read more...
