American Feast's Sustainable Food Blog
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January 09, 2012
Approval of GE Foods to Allow Wide Use of Agent Orange Herbicide
Over the holidays, the United States Department of Agriculture announced its approval of a novel strain of genetically engineered corn, developed by Monsanto, purportedly being “drought tolerant.”
Despite receiving nearly 45,000 public comments in opposition to this particular genetically engineered (GE) corn variety (and only 23 comments in favor), the Obama administration gave Monsanto the green light to release its newest GE corn variety freely into the environment and American food supply, without any governmental oversight or safety tracking.
“President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack just sent a clear message to the American public that they do not care about our concerns with genetically engineered food and their questionable safety, adverse environmental impacts, and detrimental effects on farmers, especially organic farmers,” says Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst with The Cornucopia Institute.
Change We Can Believe In?
“This is just the latest in a string of approvals of genetically engineered crops, and it is clear that despite campaign promises of change from Obama, he has not had the courage to stand strong against the powerful agribusiness and biotechnology lobbies,” Kastel added.
In addition to its announcement approving Monsanto’s newest GE corn variety, the USDA also opened a 60-day public comment period for two additional petitions – one for Monsanto’s GE soybean containing higher levels of an omega-3 fatty acid, that does not naturally occur in soybeans, and the other from Dow AgroSciences for corn that has been genetically engineered to better resist the poisonous herbicide 2,4-D.
While the USDA attempts to assure the public that 2,4-D is safe, scientists have raised serious concerns about the safety of this herbicide, which was used as a key ingredient in “Agent Orange,” used to defoliate forests and croplands in the Vietnam War.
2,4-D is a chlorophenoxy herbicide, and scientists around the world have reported increased cancer risks in association with its use, especially for soft tissue sarcoma and malignant lymphoma. Four separate studies in the United States reported an association with chlorophenoxy herbicide use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
"The concern is that, just like Monsanto's genetically engineered corn that is resistant to RoundUp™ (glyphosate) herbicide, the approval of a cultivar resistant to 2,4-D will cause an exponential increase in the use of this toxic agrichemical," Kastel stated.
Research by the EPA found that babies born in counties with high rates of 2,4-D application to farm fields were significantly more likely to be born with birth defects of the respiratory and circulatory systems, as well as defects of the musculoskeletal system like clubfoot, fused digits and extra digits. These birth defects were 60% to 90% more likely in counties with higher 2,4-D application rates.
The results also showed a higher likelihood of birth defects in babies conceived in the spring, when herbicide application rates peak.
In its petition, Dow AgroSciences states that 2,4-D is increasingly important for chemical farmers because of the presence of weeds that have developed resistance to glyphosate, as a result of the widespread use of Monsanto’s genetically engineered glyphosate-resistant crops.
When Monsanto introduced glyphosate, it was touted as a safer and less toxic alternative to herbicides like 2,4-D. Now, an emerging body of scientific literature is raising serious concerns about the safety of glyphosate as well.
“The concern that the use of GE crops, which are resistant to particular herbicides, leads to the creation of 'superweeds' is now shown to be valid and serious, as even the chemical companies now recognize and admit this is a problem,” says Kastel.
“In 2012 the USDA is proposing approving a new GE corn variety that is resistant to a different toxic herbicide, escalating the toxic treadmill in chemical-dependent agriculture,” said Jay Feldman, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides. “This is nothing more than a band-aid solution to a serious problem, and will only give rise to more superweeds, more herbicide pollution in our environment, more herbicide poisoning, while likely leading to the need for even more toxic herbicides a couple of years down the line. This foolish circle has to end,” Feldman said.
A Very Real Threat to Organic Farmers
Farm research groups like The Cornucopia Institute are also concerned with the impact of genetically engineered crops on organic farmers, whose organic crops are already at risk of contamination with Monsanto’s unnatural DNA, from pollen drift.
In its Environmental Assessment of the “drought tolerant” Monsanto corn, the USDA conceded that gene flow of corn pollen is likely to occur. It is well-established that corn pollen travels, and pollen from genetically engineered plants will contaminate natural corn plants.
“The irony, of course, is that organic fields and crops are much more drought tolerant, because common sense and field trials show healthy and biologically active organic soil retains moisture much better than tired and depleted soil on conventional monoculture farms, and organic crops are healthier and more robust than conventional crops,” said Charlotte Vallaeys, a researcher at Cornucopia.
“But Monsanto cannot profit from healthy soil and healthy organic crops, while they can profit from genetically engineering, patenting, and owning new life forms,” Vallaeys continued. “It’s unfortunate that the Obama administration is equally misguided by supporting Monsanto and Dow’s petitions and ignoring citizens' demand for an immediate end to approving these genetically engineered crops in our food supply.”
About The Cornucopia Institute
The Cornucopia Institute is dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Through research, advocacy and economic development our goal is to empower farmers both politically and through marketplace initiatives. Its Organic Integrity Project acts as a corporate watchdog assuring that no compromises to the credibility of organic farming methods and the food it produces are made in the pursuit of profit. We will actively resist regulatory rollbacks and the weakening of organic standards to protect and maintain consumer confidence in the organic food label.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site, email Jeff Deasy at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
"We found inadequate, overgrazed pasture adjacent to their milking facility, and we were told by Shamrock employees that the confined cows had not been out in weeks," said Mark A. Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute.
An industrial-scale organic dairy, located south of Phoenix in the desert Southwest, is poised to lose its USDA organic certification. The enforcement action at Shamrock Farms is the result of a USDA investigation into organic livestock management practices that was triggered by a formal complaint from The Cornucopia Institute.
Shamrock operates a massive dairy that was milking approximately 16,000 cows at the time of an inspection by Cornucopia staff in 2008. Between 700 and 1,100 of the cows at the split operation were in the organic milk herd; the remainder were part of a conventional dairy that is part of the same sprawling complex. Shamrock is Arizona's first-ever certified organic dairy.
"We found inadequate, overgrazed pasture adjacent to their milking facility, and we were told by Shamrock employees that the confined cows had not been out in weeks," said Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst for Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog.
Federal organic regulations require that cows be grazed, and the practice has been a contentious issue in the organic arena. A number of factory-scale dairies — some milking thousands of cows each — have been spotlighted by Cornucopia's investigations for skirting the law. Formal complaints to the USDA from the farm policy group have led to similar enforcement actions against other giant dairies that they say are "masquerading as organic."
"As an organic dairy farmer who believes in and follows the law, I am upset that outfits like Shamrock are allegedly cheating and deceiving organic consumers," said John Boere, a Modesto, California dairy producer who ships his milk to Organic Valley, a cooperative of primarily family farmers. "Over the past few years there has been a surplus of organic milk, which injured plenty of farms like mine. Ethical producers like me could have recovered some of our income if certifiers and the USDA had been doing their jobs," added Boere.
Shamrock's organic certifier, Quality Assurance International, has been asked by the USDA to handle the suspension.
"This dairy operation never should have been certified in the first place," Kastel noted, "and it's unacceptable that it took more than three years from the time of our complaint to the announcement of this enforcement action. There's simply no excuse for this level of foot-dragging and procrastination at a USDA administration that proclaimed this the 'age of enforcement.'"
The Wisconsin-based organization has been increasingly critical of the Obama/Vilsack administration at the USDA for failing to live up to its own rhetoric, and high expectations after appointing widely respected industry participants to run the National Organic Program.
"We filed the formal legal complaint against Shamrock towards the end of the Bush administration," said Kastel. “This kind of delay, as consumers apparently were continuing to unknowingly buy fraudulent organic milk, is a grave disservice and abdication of the USDA's congressional mandate to protect the industry from improprieties."
Shamrock Food Company's milk and sour cream products are distributed in the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions and available at such retailers as Walmart.
The Cornucopia Institute
The Cornucopia Institute, with almost 6,000 members, has more organic farmer-members than any other policy group in the country. On the organization's website (www.cornucopia.org) pictures of Shamrock's industrial-scale dairy can be viewed in the photo gallery.
"At a time when conventional and organic dairy producers are all being squeezed by extraordinarily high feed prices, there is no doubt that large corporate-owned, vertically-integrated operations like Shamrock put downward pressure on farm gate prices," said Will Fantle, Cornucopia's Research Director. "If this dairy was indeed violating the law, they have taken profits out of the pockets of hard-working family farmers in the Southwest."
Cornucopia has also produced an online scorecard for consumers rating all organic dairy brands sold in grocery stores around the country for their adherence to the spirit and letter of the federal law and regulations governing organic food and agriculture.
"The good news for organic consumers in the Southwest, and elsewhere, is that based on our research 90% of all organic dairy brands are produced with high integrity," Kastel affirmed. "In every market buyers can find organic milk, cheese and yogurt, butter and ice cream that truly respect organic consumers' values and the federal law. Scofflaws like Shamrock are unfortunate aberrations."
Flagrant Violation of the Law
The Cornucopia Institute was formally notified by the USDA that it had completed its investigation of Shamrock's Arizona dairy by referring the 2008 complaint to the operation's certifier, Quality Assurance International (QAI).
"Since Shamrock, based on our allegations, was in flagrant violation of the law, which should have been evident to its certifier, upon initial inspection and on subsequent annual inspections, we question the propriety of the USDA depending on QAI rather than conducting their own investigation," said Fantle.
In the past, when Cornucopia filed formal legal complaints against other industrial dairy operations, such as Aurora Dairy in Colorado, which USDA investigators found was in "willful" violation of federal law, the certifier was also found complicit and was initially earmarked, by the USDA, for suspension.
In 2007, another giant dairy certified by QAI, owned by Case Vander Eyk Jr., in Pixley, California milking 10,000 cows, in a split operation, also lost its organic certification after a Cornucopia investigation and subsequent legal complaint.
"The USDA's job, operating an accreditation program, is to assure that the certifiers are performing their duties properly," said Fantle. "Subcontracting investigations to certifiers, when serious allegations crop up, when the certifier itself could also be responsible, is inappropriate."
The USDA's letter to Cornucopia states that, "QAI issued a Letter of Proposed Suspension to Shamrock" and that the corporation has appealed the action and their milk remains in the market.
"Besides the unacceptable delay, what is outrageous about this notice is its lack of transparency," added Fantle. The USDA has refused, thus far, to release the actual Letter of Proposed Suspension, breaking from tradition.
"Even the Bush administration was willing to inform the public when an enforcement action took place and fully delineate the violations that were confirmed," lamented Kastel.
Although, on at least one occasion, The Cornucopia Institute was forced to sue the Bush USDA in order to compel the release of documents that the public was legally entitled to, it now states it is more disappointed in the Obama administration's approach to openness at the USDA.
"This isn't exactly news, as the mindset of the Obama administration has been well documented in the media, including the New York Times, in terms of their increasing levels of secrecy, after professing, as President Obama took office, its commitment to transparency. This level of secrecy is highly disappointing to find at the National Organic Program (NOP),” said Kastel.
"There wasn't anything positive in terms of governmental openness at the NOP during the Bush years, but now we find that documents that had been previously released are being withheld. What’s more, when the Department now complies with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests most of the documents are so heavily redacted they are rendered useless to the public and media endeavoring to understand whether or not our regulators are properly enforcing the law," Kastel added.
About The Cornucopia Institute
The Cornucopia Institute is dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Through research, advocacy and economic development our goal is to empower farmers both politically and through marketplace initiatives. Its Organic Integrity Project acts as a corporate watchdog assuring that no compromises to the credibility of organic farming methods and the food it produces are made in the pursuit of profit. We will actively resist regulatory rollbacks and the weakening of organic standards to protect and maintain consumer confidence in the organic food label.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site, email Jeff Deasy at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Americans demand for fresh, local food drives growth winter markets
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that the number of winter farmers markets is increasing. According to the updated National Farmers Market Directory, since 2010, the number of winter markets has increased 38%, from 886 to 1,225. These winter markets also account for nearly 17% of the nation's 7,222 operating farmers markets.
"Consumers are looking for more ways to buy locally grown food throughout the year," said Merrigan. "Through winter markets, American farmers are able to meet this need and bring in additional income to support their families and businesses."
Farmers markets operating at least once between November and March are considered winter farmers markets. The top 10 states for these markets are:
Winter Markets in 2011
1. New York 180 (up from 152)
2. California 153 (up from 137)
3. Pennsylvania 78 (up from 35)
4. North Carolina 73 (up from 53)
5. Ohio 50 (up from 34)
6. Maryland 48 (up from 30)
7. Florida 46 (up from 31)
8. Massachusetts 43 (up from 30)
9. Virginia* 40 (up from 21)
10. Michigan* 33 (up from 19)
* New to the top 10 list
Hoop House Technology
The expanded adoption of hoop house technology, which has enabled many smaller growers to extend their production seasons at low cost, has been a contributing factor to the growth of winter farmers markets. Hoop houses have allowed growers to produce locally-grown products for longer time periods and in colder climates.
USDA provides support to farmers markets through numerous programs, including AMS Specialty Crop Block Grants Program and Farmers Market Promotion Program. The agency also sponsors its own indoor farmers market during the winter months at USDA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The market features local products such as fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, eggs, honey, herbs, handmade soaps, baked goods and more.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site, email Jeff Deasy at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Occupy Wall Street Meets & Greets America's Farmers in New York City
In a classic David and Goliath struggle, America’s organic farmers and “seed” farmers are suing Monsanto, et al, to protect their rights to do business
I’d never met Farmer Jim Gerritsen before Sunday, when I attended the Occupy Wall Street Food Justice event held in La Plaza Cultural in Manhattan, but I had been a beneficiary of his organic seed business, Wood Prairie Farm. Last year, I bought organic seed potatoes and potato growing bags from Maine. Guess where that product came from? The family farm of Jim and Megan Gerritsen.
What I didn’t know was that Jim Gerritsen has taken a leadership role in the lawsuit brought by an alliance of organic farmers against the monolithic Monsanto.
All I knew was that the potatoes I grew in that big black bag in the back yard seemed like a miracle every time I pulled up another spade full. But now, I can see that Jim Gerritsen is planting more than seeds in the ground. He’s planting hope for America's food crops, and for all of us.
The Farmers' March with Occupy at La Plaza Cultural Garden
In a classic David and Goliath struggle, America’s organic farmers and “seed” farmers are suing Monsanto, et al, to protect their rights to do business.
It seems impossible to believe, but this one monolithic company has made an aggressive attempt to squelch conventional farming worldwide. How? They have patented their own seed, and if any farmer in the vicinity of a Monsanto seeded farm is caught planting their own saved seed, they are sued for copyright infringement.
Monsanto is huge, aggressive and not afraid to go after small and larger farmers who assert their right to save and plant seed.
So when the Farmers met the Occupy Wall Street people in New York’s La Plaza Cultural, it was all systems go for the farmers as they told their story.
If you’ve ever been anywhere near farming, you know that farmers make an art and a science out of saving back their best seed to plant the next year. Or, they make alliances with seed farmers of their choice to buy the best seed to grow their crops. Young Farmers March with Occupy
And, before I go one step further, I want to plant this fertile idea in your head. The lawyer who worked for Monsanto at the time of this litigation, and who crafted their argument was none other than Clarence Thomas, who now sits on the Supreme Court, having prevailed in a very public battle with a female lawyer who accused him of sexual harassment. You don’t say? What a surprise.
A pig in a black robe is still a pig.
But I digress.
So the intended consequences of this law are thus. Say you are Farmer Brown and you are growing corn. The wind blows seed from a nearby farm into your “bar pit”. You harvest it along with your own crop.
Then Monsanto discovers that this seed which simply was carried on the wind to your place is their “patented” seed, so they sue you for patent infringement.
It can cost lots of money and lots of time to fight this. Many farmers cave, and begin purchasing seed from Monsanto to avoid litigation.
So what’s wrong with that besides the plain bullying tactics the company uses? Isn’t that the American Way? Big dog wins?
The Monsanto seed has been genetically engineered to resist “Roundup”, Monsanto’s signature herbicide. The process is this. The land is sprayed with Roundup before the crop is planted. Then, nothing will grow on the land but the Roundup resistant seed.
So what, you say? This also means no earth worms, no bees, no butterflies, no birds. It means the earth itself is essentially “dead”, and must be fertilized with chemicals from – guess who? Monsanto.
It means the farmer is married to Monsanto until death do them part.
Now this might be all fine and dandy but the crop yields go DOWN, the crop cost goes UP, and the poor farmer is left in the squeeze.
In India, literally thousands of depressed farmers who have been bankrupted by this system have reacted by drinking Roundup themselves. Yes it’s a nerve toxin and yes, it kills humans too.
So a coalition of 84 plaintiffs, organic farmers and seed farmers representing 300,000 people have sued Monsanto.
Jim Garritsen, an organic seed farmer representing the lawsuit, known as Osgata vs Monsanto and owner of Wood Prairie Farm, http://www.woodprairie.com from Bridgewater, Maine, came to New York City to and the Occupy Wall Street Food Event at La Plaza Cultural, December 4, 2011, and here’s what he had to say.
“Seed is the ultimate defense against Big Ag. You can farm in an ecologically sound way, in a responsible way, and feed people.
“We are faced with a broken system in this country. We must assert our control.
"This Occupy Movement has become the Conscience of America."
“We farmers stand with you. We need to protect our organic seeds.
“We don’t want the corporations to keep us under their thumb.
“I had never been to New York City before today. But I believe it is important for us to stand together. We brought this lawsuit against Monsanto because organic seed is the basis for agriculture. Healthy seed yields healthy crops and healthy food.
“According to the patent lawyer we have consulted, Monsanto made many mistakes in its pleading. And we believe we will prevail.”
So maybe Clarence Thomas wasn’t any better lawyer than he is Supreme Court Justice where he is widely known as the Do Nothing Judge.
“People need to eat,” continues Mr. Garritsen. “We need to reach out to kids, to get them involved. Lots of rural farmers welcome city kids to come and work on the farms.
“Start your own farm on public property in the city. Our country and our democracy depends on it.”
The crowd of 500 people in the park gave Mr. Garritsen a vigorous round of applause. A number of other impressive speakers continued. Then the participants joined in The Farmers' March to Zuccotti Park and ultimately to Trinity Church for a Communal Supper.
(This article was previously published on Everybody Eats News.)
Linda West Eckhardt
About the Author
Linda West Eckhardt, is an award winning journalist, food writer, and nutritionist. Her more than 20 cookbooks have garnered prizes including the James Beard prize for the best cookbook for a text she wrote with her daughter, Katherine West DeFoyd, entitled Entertaining 101, Doubleday. Their follow-up book, Stylish One Dish Dinners, Doubleday, was also nominated for a James Beard prize. Their next book, The High Protein Cookbook, Clarkson Potter, remains a best seller after 12 years.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
The Farmers' March in NYC to Occupy the Food System!
As Wall Street’s corrupt influence on the economy has grown, the corporate ownership of our food system has hurt the health and livelihood’s of some of our most vulnerable communities.
This Sunday, December 4th food justice activists and occupiers will be travelling from as far as Colorado, Iowa, Maine and Upstate New York to join together for the Occupy Wall Street FARMERS’ MARCH. Through a day of dialogue, musical performances, and a march, farmers and their urban allies working for food justice in their communities will form alliances to fight and expose corporate control of the food supply.
Events throughout the day will call and inspire participants to fight against the corporate manipulation of the agriculture system. An industry that is responsible for using chemical toxins tied to soaring obesity rates, heart disease and diabetes and limiting access to affordable, wholesome food to the country’s poorest citizens.
The event will kick off at 2pm at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden with a musical performance followed by remarks from food justice activists and occupiers. They will share their stories and listen to their peers as they highlight the role of urban-rural solidarity in building a sustainable food system as well as challenges of family-scale farmers in a culture of corporate dominance.
March Begins at 4pm from La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
At 4pm, musicians will be among those leading the Farmers’ March in a colorful parade from La Plaza to Zuccotti Park/Liberty Plaza, the site of a Solidarity Circle at 5pm. Stories of struggle, triumph and ruminations about the role OWS might assume in the food justice movement will help form the circle. The circle will close with a Seed Exchange.
Participants are encouraged to express their dissent creatively, donning fruits hats, wearing burlap sacks, carrying brightly colored signs and moving in time to the beat of the drums. Please join us, farmers, ranchers, farm workers, urban gardeners, foodies and supporters of all kinds in the Occupy Wall Street FARMERS’ MARCH.
Speakers will include:
George Naylor - Iowa farmer and president of the National Family Farm Coalition.
Jim Gerritsen - Maine based farmer who was named one of 20 world visionaries by Utne Reader in 2011 and is the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against Monsanto.
Karen Washington - Founder of City Farms Market and board member at NYC based organization Just Food.
Severine von Tscharner - Food advocate and producer of the film “Green Horns”, profiling young farmer entrepreneurs.
Jalal Sabur - Founding member of the Freedom Food Alliance and advocate working on the alliance of black urban communities with black rural farmers.
Mike Callicrate - Colorado cattle rancher, entrepreneur and rural advocate .
Andrew Faust - World renowned permaculture expert and educator.
O Tannenbaum (photo by Michael S. Richter, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
The season's entrepreneurs have set up shop on the sidewalks, bringing the scent of fresh pine to the sidewalks of the city. Many American families will be concerned that the cutting down of so many pine trees every Christmas is poor practice when it comes to conservation and the environment. Some opt for trees with the roots intact so that they can be replanted.
But our friends at American Farmland Trust assure us that Christmas trees can be farmed and enjoyed by those of an eco-friendly way of mind:
Tis still the season for farming at 21,904 Christmas tree farms throughout the country. Christmas tree farms can help sequester carbon dioxide, prevent erosion, protect water and provide habitat for wildlife; for every tree cut down, two to three seedlings are planted. Some tree farms are taking extra steps by adopting integrated pest management or organic practices to reduce pesticide use and by planting buffers to prevent runoff. Christmas trees have always been cherished for their green branches, and the many environmental benefits of live trees give us another reason to praise “O Tannenbaum.”
And here’s what Dr. Patrick Moore, founder of Greenpeace has to say about it:
I often say that one way to protect the environment is to choose renewable materials and energy wherever possible. Artificial trees are made from non-renewable plastics and petroleum-based products. Although some people claim that these trees last a lifetime, most are thrown away within nine years – and remain in landfill sites for centuries… The growing and production, use of and disposal of real Christmas trees could not be more sustainable and continues a tradition of thousands of years of decorating trees in mid winter and providing a focal point for the community, customer or family during the festive season.
Still thinking of getting an artificial this year to help protect the environment? Think again! Great Britain's Pines and Needle Company cites a study from Holland by J.M. Hekhuis, that found, "Natural trees use ten times less basic materials to produce and five times less energy. Their CO2 emission is four times lower and all waste is reusable."
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Artificial preservatives and genetically modified ingredients have no place in a healthy food system, but some powerful corporations are urging members of the USDA's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to allow them in food labeled organic.
Allowing their use in food labeled organic may sound Orwellian to longtime organic farmers and consumers but, the USDA panel is deeply divided between corporate agribusiness representatives and organic advocates. An upcoming meeting of the panel in Savannah, Georgia could be critical to the survival of sustainable agriculture.
"We think this meeting may well decide the fate of organic food and agriculture in this country," said Mark A. Kastel, Codirector of The Cornucopia Institute, a nonprofit watchdog group which represents family-scale organic farmers and their consumer allies across the U.S.
Corporate Profits vs People’s Health
Under the Bush and Obama administrations, the USDA Secretaries have been criticized for appointing a significant number of corporate representatives, whose primary interest appears to be loosening the federal organic standards, allegedly in pursuit of enhanced profits.
The 15-member NOSB is a citizen panel, set up by Congress, to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on organic policy and rulemaking. Upcoming votes concern the use of genetically modified and synthetic additives that have been petitioned for use in organic foods and drinks, including baby foods and formula.
Infant Formula Made with “Hazardous Pollutant”
Additives being recommended for use in organics include nutritional oils manufactured by Martek Biosciences Corporation, part of the $30 billion multinational conglomerate Royal DSM. These oils, genetically modified to provide isolated omega-3 and omega-6 nutrients DHA and ARA, are derived from algae and soil fungus, and stabilized with a wide variety of synthetic ingredients.
When incorporated in infant formula, these oils are processed with a neurotoxic solvent, n-hexane. A byproduct of gasoline refinement, n-hexane is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a hazardous pollutant. The recommendation to approve Martek’s oils, processed with hexane, has industry observers scratching their head since solvents, commonly used in conventional food production, are expressly forbidden in organic food production.
“What is most egregious about the NOSB push to approve the Martek Biosciences Corporation petition is that these DHA and ARA oils are in no way essential in organics, as claimed by Martek,” states Cornucopia's Kastel. “Other organic manufacturers have successfully used fish oil and egg yolks as legal and natural alternative sources of supplemental DHA.”
"They Are Caving to the Factory Farm Lobby”
Meanwhile, the Livestock Committee of the NOSB, which is refining the standards aimed at ensuring high levels of animal welfare on organic farms, appears to be backing away from adopting strong, enforceable standards for laying hens and other species.
"They are caving to the factory farm lobby, listening to giant vertically integrated egg producers, and ignoring the voice of rank-and-file family farmers," said Tim Koegel, a nationally prominent certified organic farmer producing pastured eggs and chickens. "The NOSB has an opportunity to make organics the true gold standard in terms of animal husbandry but instead might choose to make the organic label a joke."
The proposal for chickens would give animals as little as one square foot of living space. "Like allowing synthetics, this woefully inadequate standard would violate the organic law that requires animals be allowed to exhibit their natural instinctive behaviors," added Koegel. "Hell, those birds will not even be able to fully span their wings, let alone forage outside for insects, seeds and worms."
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Vermont Students Teach Guerrilla Gardening at Occupy Wall Street
Students from Sterling College in Vermont visited with the protestors of Occupy Wall Street to show how easy it is to plant seeds and grow healthy food.almost anywhere.
The young gardeners are passionate on the topic of knowing where our food comes from and rightly concerned about the heavy use of poisonous chemicals in American agriculture.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Our friends at Slow Food USA have sent us their ‘Recipe for Change’
The organization's recipe is as simple to follow as 1- 2- 3 and meant for elected representatives looking to trim the federal budget while we all move toward a healthier and more sustainable food system:
1. Reform subsidies for commodity crops like corn and soy.
2. Protect all funding for nutrition assistance programs (food stamps).
3. Maintain funding for conservation, new farmers, and other programs that support sustainable farming and ranching.
Sounds like a great start for a better future!
To tell elected representatives to support the recipe, go to: Slow Food USA
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Over 20,000 coffee drinkers join former barista Sam Greenblatt’s campaign on Change.org calling on Starbucks to sell at least one brewed fair trade coffee option in each U.S. store every day of October, which is National Fair Trade Month.
Greenblatt, a former Starbucks barista and coffee enthusiast, launched the online petition campaign on Change.org after learning that European Starbucks stores offer 100% fair trade-certified coffee and espresso to customers.
“When I worked as a barista for Starbucks, I admired the company’s commitment to treat employees and customers with fairness and respect,” said Greenblatt, who worked at a Starbucks store in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2006 and 2007. “It’s time for Starbucks to expand that commitment to the farmers who grow Starbucks coffee by offering at least one daily brewed fair trade coffee option in their U.S. stores.”
Americans Want the Same Fair Trade Choices as Europeans
News of the campaign’s success is likely to increase pressure on Starbucks. In just a fews days, thousands of people have joined the campaign, and Greenblatt says he hopes the thousands of signatures from Starbucks customers in the U.S. will prove to the company that Americans want the fair trade-certified choices European customers have.
“Sam has done an impressive job organizing thousands of supporters around an issue he cares deeply about,” said Amanda Kloer, Director of Organizing for Change.org, the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change. “As a former Starbucks barista, he’s in a unique position to call for change within the company. Change.org is about empowering people to fight for the issues that matter to them, and it’s been incredible watching Sam’s campaign take off.”
To learn more about the campaign & petition, go to: Change.org
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
We’ve just received some exciting news from our friends at the Organic Consumers Fund. They have undertaken a campaign to make it the law to label genetically modified organis (GMOs).
For years American families have been unwittingly consuming GMO foods because unlike many countries around the globe, no labeling is required, even though there is scientific evidence that GMOs pose a threat to the health of people and the environment. Contamination of farm fields by by gmo seeds blowing in the wind may be the greatest threat to organic farming in the U.S. today.
Here’s what we’ve learned from our friends at Organic Consuners Fund:
• California is poised to be the first state with mandatory GMO labeling laws through the 2012 California Ballot Initiative process.
• Polls show support to get this initiative on the ballot & voted in. Over 80% of those polled supported mandatory labeling.
• A win for the California Initiative would be a huge blow to biotech and a huge victory for food activists.
• Monsanto and their minions have billions invested in GMOs and they are willing to spend millions to defeat this initiative.
• California is the 8th largest economy in the world. Labeling laws in CA will effect packaging and ingredient decisions nation-wide.
• The bill has been carefully written to ensure that it will not increase costs to consumers or producers.
Have you heard the saying, "As California goes, so goes the nation?" California has the biggest economy in the country and a win in CA would be a huge blow to biotech and a huge victory for food activists everywhere.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Two national surveys indicate that most Americans "constantly" think about food production, yet have little connection to farming or ranching.
Yesterday, the findings of two national surveys about food and how it is grown and raised were released by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). The surveys focused separately on the opinions, attitudes and questions consumers and farmers/ranchers have about the current and future state of how food is grown and raised in the U.S. Results reveal that lack of access to information, as well as no interest or passion for the topic, have divided consumer opinion on the direction of agriculture.
"Americans have a lot of questions about where their food comes from, how it is raised and if it is good for their health long-term," said Bob Stallman, chairman of USFRA and president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "The findings of both surveys indicate there is an opportunity for more dialogue between farmers, ranchers and the American public about how food is grown and raised in the U.S."
• While nearly all Americans agree that food production is important to the success of the country, they are split over whether it is going in the right or wrong direction
• Consumers think about food production constantly, yet know very little about how food is brought to the dinner table
• Overwhelmingly, farmers and ranchers share the same values as consumers on issues related to environmental stewardship and animal care
Additional Consumer Survey Highlights
The purpose of the consumer survey was to ask Americans what additional information they want to learn more about related to how food is grown and raised in the U.S. The survey revealed that consumers have become disconnected from their food, yet think about the subject regularly. According to the survey findings:
• 72% of consumers know nothing or very little about farming or ranching
• 69% of consumers think about food production at least somewhat often
• 70% say purchase decisions are affected by how food is grown and raised, with three-quarters (72%) of Americans saying they think about this topic while purchasing groceries
• 42% or two-in-five Americans say the way that food is grown and raised has improved in the last 10 years, while a slightly smaller group say it has worsened (37%)
• Those who say the way that food is grown and raised has improved cite food safety (22%) and food quality (17%), whereas respondents who said the way food is grown and raised has worsened also cite food safety (21%) and food quality (21%)
• Of all the aspects of how food is grown and raised, Americans are most satisfied with the availability of healthy foods (73%) and food safety standards (66%)
• One in five consumers who say food production has worsened in the last 10 years cite environmental impact as the top area of demise
• 79% of consumers say producing healthy choices for all consumers is very important for farmers and ranchers to consider when planning farming and ranching practices
Consumers also were asked to identify the Top 5 topics they want more information about; responses included:
1. How chemicals are used in farming/ranching
2. How pesticides are used in farming/ranching
3. Food safety standards
4. Effect of government regulations on farming/ranching
5. How antibiotics are used and genetic engineering in crops
Additional Farmer/Rancher Survey Highlights
The goal of the farmer/rancher survey was to identify topics that farmers and ranchers wished Americans had more information about when it comes to food and how it is grown and raised in the U.S. According to the survey, farmers and ranchers said the top misconception they need to overcome as an industry is that a few "bad actors" are representative of the entire industry. Additionally, farmers and ranchers identified the effect of pesticides, antibiotics and fertilizers on food as the most important priorities they should address when communicating with consumers. Additional findings included:
• 86% of farmers/ranchers responded that the average consumer has little to no knowledge about modern farming/ranching
• 58% of respondents in this survey felt consumers have a completely inaccurate perception of farming and ranching
• Nearly all farmers and ranchers say that protecting the environment (99%) and practicing humane animal care (96%) are very or somewhat important goals or practices related to their business
• 80% of farmers/ranchers say that consumers have little to no knowledge about proper care of livestock or poultry
• 83% of farmers/ranchers responded that new ways of improving yields with fewer environmental inputs will have a major impact on farming/ranching in the future
When asked which Top 5 topics were most important to educate consumers about, farmers and ranchers responded:
1. The effect of pesticides, fertilizers and antibiotics on food
2. Where food comes from in general
3. Proper care of livestock and poultry
4. Effect of government regulations on farming/ranching
5. Economic value of agriculture
"We want all Americans to join us to ask questions and regularly get information from farmers and ranchers who are growing and raising their food,” added Stallman.
About the Surveys
The 2011 USFRA Farmer/Rancher Survey was fielded by phone for USFRA by Ketchum Global Research Network and Braun Research between August 6-18, 2011, reaching 1,002 farmers and ranchers nationwide. The base sample has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. The 2011 USFRA Consumer Survey was fielded by phone for USFRA by Ketchum Global Research Network and Braun Research between August 24-31, 2011, reaching 2,417 consumers nationwide. The base sample has a margin of error of +/- 2.0%.
About U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), established in 2010 and headquartered in Chesterfield, Mo., currently represents more than 50 of the top farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners. The Alliance includes prominent agricultural groups at the national, regional and state levels that have collaborated to lead the dialogue about their commitment to continuous improvement and best production practices. For more information on the Alliance, affiliates and partners and the movement to lead the conversation with Americans about today's agriculture, visit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Farmers-Ranchers-Alliance/103189669746931
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
The Other Inconvenient Truth: How Agriculture is Changing the Face of Our Planet
In this TEDx video, Institute on the Environment director Jonathan Foley offers a striking view of the impact of agriculture on Earth’s landscape and proposes a strategy for creating a future in which we can produce sufficient food while protecting the planet.
Jonathan Foley is the director of the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of the Minnesota, where he is a professor and McKnight Presidential Chair in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. He also leads the IonE’s Global Landscapes Initiative.
Foley’s work focuses on complex global environmental systems and their interactions with human societies. He and his students have contributed to our understanding of global-scale ecological processes, global patterns of land use, the behavior of the planet’s climate and water cycles, and the sustainability of our biosphere. This work has led him to be a regular advisor to large corporations, NGOs and governments around the world.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
In a previous post, we gave you a link to a shopper’s guide from Oceans Alive which helps you choose fish with the lowest amount of pollutants.
Now the Environmental Working Group has come out with a similar guide for produce buyers. This list will guide you to the fruits and vegetables that contain the lowest levels of pesticides and which ones you should buy organic.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced loans and grants for more than 500 agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations.
"This funding is an important part of the Obama Administration's plan to help the nation's farmers, agricultural producers and rural small businesses conserve natural resources, create more green jobs and lead us on the path to becoming an energy independent nation," Vilsack said.
The grants and loan guarantees are being provided through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a 2008 Farm Bill initiative. REAP offers funds for farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy-efficiency improvements. These federal funds leverage other funding sources for small businesses. In all, USDA announced today more than $27 million in energy grants and guaranteed loans for projects.
Converting Waste to Watts
The REAP program is helping many agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy consumption. For example, in Kirkwood, Pennsylvania, Jay Clifford Sensenig was selected to receive a $309,733 grant to install a co-op digester system that will process annually more than 16,800 tons of dairy, hog and chicken manure from four farms into methane gas, creating more than 879,000 kilowatts per year of electricity. In addition, the digester system is designed to accept and process food waste. The host farm uses 232,000 kilowatts annually; the excess energy produced from the digester will be sold to the local utility.
In Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, United Cooperative was selected to receive a $448,500 grant to help with the installation cost of 33 ethanol flex-fuel dispensers and 17 biodiesel dispensers. United Cooperative is a full-service cooperative that offers feed, grain, agronomy and energy products to south-central Wisconsin farmers and consumers.
Solar & Geothermal in the Mix
The REAP program is also funding several other types of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. For example, in Windham, N.H., the Pugliese Contracting Corporation was selected to receive a $99,500 loan guarantee and a $49,875 grant to purchase and install a 30 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system and a geothermal heating and cooling system in its 8,000-square-foot operations center. Once installed, the system will reduce energy purchased from the grid by 63%. The geothermal system will provide 100% of the business's heating and cooling needs.
Funding of each award is contingent upon the recipient meeting the conditions of the grant or loan agreement. Grants can finance up to 25% of a project's cost, not to exceed $500,000 for renewables, $250,000 for efficiency.
About USDA Rural Development
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure and facility programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an existing portfolio of more than $155 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
We once published a photo of a duck who keeps strawberries free of pests on an organic farm in the Catskills region of New York State. At Heidi's farm in Corrales, New Mexico a flock of native Rio Grande turkeys do the same amongst the hedge rows of raspberies. No need for poisonous pesticides!
It’s the combination of hard work and best practices on the part of Heidi and her brother Doug that make the incomparable organic jams of Heidi’s Raspberry Farm possible. It all starts with hand-picked, fresh fruit, and making their mouth-watering and nutrtious jams begins with a meticulous approach to sustainable methods on their farm in Corrales, New Mexico.
Corrales is a unique agricultural village farmed by families who have been living there for generations. Located on the Western bank of the Rio Grande, the land has been tilled since 500 A.D. Back then the ancestors of the present day Pueblo Indians reaped harvests in the fertile valley. Subsequent populations of Spanish, French and Italian families settled there to raise grapes, apples, livestock, and now, gloriously healthy raspberries!
Stewards of the Land
Having grown up in this special place Heidi and Doug are dedicated stewards of the land and keepers of a healthy environment. They are truly “walking the walk” when it comes to best practices for preserving the sustainability of their farmland and the health of their community. Doug has converted the farm to a drip irrigation system that makes the most efficient use of precious water. He provides hives in the field for the honeybees that pollinate the delicate raspberry blossoms.
Heidi, Maker of the Best Raspberry Jam We've Ever Tasted!
They’ve been selling organic raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and cut flowers at the local farmers markets in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Corrales and Albuquerque for several years now. By personally selling their delicious fare Heidi and Doug have made a lot of wonderful friends. They’ve also built a loyal following of appreciative customers who keep coming back for more of their amazing jams!
If you'd like to order some of Heidi's incredible raspberry jams click on any of the following:
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Once again, our friends at Organic Valley are proud to be a sponsor of Harvest Fest. It is a great opportunity to show kids farming as it ought to be, during a full day of family fun.
Starting at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 1st , the day will be non-stop celebration of food and farming heritage, hosted by the Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, New York, features live music, hayrides, farm Olympics, raffles and giveaways, food and farming workshops, and a farmers market highlighting delicious local products.
Highlights of Harvest Fest 2011:
* Live music featuring Dan Zanes & Friends, Spuyten Duyvil, and the all-kid band Outer Child
* Theatrical performances by Story Pirates
* Children's workshops on cooking, gardening, bees and honey and more!
* Adult workshops on cooking and gardening led by Stone Barns Center farmers, Blue Hill chefs and special guests!
* Farmers Market featuring local purveyors with delicious seasonal fare.
* Hayrides around the property for visitors of all ages.
* Demonstrations and interpretation by farmers in Stone Barns Center's fields & pastures.
* An opportunity to show off your farmer skills at Stone Barns Center's farm Olympics.
A wide selection of seasonal food and beverages, including Stone Barns Center's famous Berkshire pig roast, will be available for cash purchase all day at the Farmers Market.
Meet Organic Valley Farm Friends
Local Organic Valley farmer-owners will encourage you to sample many of the lip-smacking, healthy Organic Valley products they’ve so carefully created, like NY Fresh Milk. They’ll be making butter, too, so go take a turn at the churn! You’ll definitely want to sign up for the raffle that could win you, among other things, A YEAR OF FREE ORGANIC VALLEY PRODUCT!
Before the festivities begin, there’s a special treat for Organic Valley Farm Friends. Two lucky Farm Friends could win a very special package consisting of:
• Two tickets to Harvest Fest and 10 raffle tickets (a $170.00 value!)
• Stone Barns Center “Seedling” membership ($75 value) will give the winners early access to popular events like Harvest Fest and Sheep Shearing Day, a 10% discount on Stone Barns programs, onsite benefits such as free parking, and more.
• Winner can pick up tickets at will on October 1st.
Harvest a Great Day!
8th Annual Harvest Fest, October 1, 2011, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Stone Barns Center, Pocantico Hills, New York. (Tickets $15 - $35)
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is a non-profit farm and education center located 25 miles north of Manhattan. The Center operates an 80-acre, four-season farm and is working on broader initiatives to create a healthy and sustainable food system. Proceeds from Harvest Fest support education programs for students and beginning farmers.
Proceeds from Harvest Fest support Stone Barn’s year-round education programs for students and beginning farmers.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Most taxpayers in the United States are probably unaware that they’ve been paying for a big helping hand to immensely wealthy biotech corporations such as Monsanto. But according to U.S. embassy cables published by Wikileaks, the taxpayer-funded U.S. diplomatic corps has been working hard to get foreign countries to approve genetically engineered (GE) crops, especially in Europe.
France and six other countries in Europe (Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece) currently have a ban on the growing of GM crops, a ban based on safety concerns.
U.S. diplomats have made efforts to influence the biotech policies of developed countries such as Egypt and Turkey, but France continues to stand out as a high-profile target. There is widespread popular resistance to genetically engineered food in France, and a French farmers movement militantly opposed to GE crops.
According to a U.S. diplomatic cable from 2007:
Monsanto, Dupont/Pioneer, Dow Agro-Sciences…raised concerns about security conditions, i.e., increasing acts of vandalism, particularly in light of an expected regulation which could require French farmers to make public the location of their biotech plots. The three companies emphasized their concerns about the security of their information, property and staff, due to the annual destruction of two thirds of biotech test plots in France, demonstrations and attacks on their buildings and on a silo containing GM corn harvested in 2006 (Reftel). Consequently, the companies loose (sic) money and data, while staff morale suffers.
A report by Mike Ludwig of Truthout says, "Several cables describe 'biotechnology outreach programs' in countries across the globe, including African, Asian and South American countries where Western biotech agriculture had yet to gain a foothold. In some cables American diplomats ask the State Department for funds to send U.S. biotech experts and trade industry representatives to target countries for discussions with high-profile politicians and agricultural officials."
The nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists states on its web site:
So far, scientists have identified a number of ways in which genetically engineered organisms could potentially adversely impact both human health and the environment…In addition to posing risks of harm that we can envision and attempt to assess, genetic engineering may also pose risks that we simply do not know enough to identify.
GE Foods Are Not the Answer to World Hunger
As for the claim that GM foods are needed to feed a hungry world, Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program has concluded "...that GE (genetic engineering) has done little to increase overall crop yields." And a major study conducted at the University of Kansas has found that the controversial technology actually reduces crop yields.
In May of 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks."
Require the Labeling of GM Foods
Many people are unaware that they are regularly consuming GM foods because they are not labeled as such. Giant agribusinesses do not want the labeling of GM foods because consumers don’t want to buy them. They are even opposed to the labeling of foods as GM-free. (GM foods are prohibited from being used in food that carries the USDA’s organic label.)
As Elise Pearlstein, producer of the Oscar nominated film Food Inc. has said, "It's outrageous that genetically modified foods don't need to be labeled...Whatever your position, you should have the right to make informed choices, and we don't."
More than 30 countries have mandatory labeling of GMO's, including all the European Union countries, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Why not the U.S.? Because the Big Biotech industry doesn't want such labeling. As one biotech executive put it, “If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.”
To view tips from the Organic Consumers Association on avoiding GM foods, go to: Non-GMO Shopping Guide
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Szarek Farms is a great example of the old maxim, "necessity is the mother of invention". A small greenhouse grower in Central New York, the husband and wife team of Denise and Bernie Szarek cultivates tomatoes, peppers, fruits and herbs. The tomatoes are grown hydroponically using coir, an organic material made from coconut husk fiber. They do not use pesticides on their family farm.
Here's what The Nibble had to say about their delicious salsas, "Like sweet fruit salsa? Like adorable pygmy goats? Here’s the salsa for you. The line has four mascots: pygmy goat triplets and their canine 'brother' Baylee. Together, they dish out nice, sweet-and-spicy salsas."
Some years back the family found itself with an overabundance of culled tomatoes and needed a way to turn them into a value-added product. With some updates to some tried and true family recipes, and the help of the adroit folks at Nelson Farms near Morrisville, New York, the "Old Goat Foods" product line was born. The flavorful ingredients include the farm fresh tomatoes, onions, and habanero peppers. Apples, peaches and pears fresh from local orchards are added to the mix.
Spike, Vinca and Violet are the three pygmy goats who make up Szarek Farms’ “quality control team”. The family knows the tomatoes are ready to be picked when they see the “quality control team” being chased out of the greenhouses, by the “Old Goat” himself, (husband Bernie), after an unauthorized taste testing,
The goats are triplets and the Szareks have matched each salsa to their personalities. Spike is the big brother of the three; strong willed, stubborn and prideful of the fiery Spike’s Hot Fruit Salsa. Violet is the mild-mannered, good-natured middle “kid” for whom Violet’s Medium Fruit Salsa is named. (Miss Violet, also has a very tasty tomato-basil jam.) Vinca is a gentle baby boy and Vinca’s Sweet Fruit Salsa is a favorite with human “kids” because it’s not spicy at all!
Baylee is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi who helps keep the “quality control team” from wreaking too much havoc. He's also the newest member of the Szarek Farms family to introduce his own product. Baylee's Drunk'n Raisin Sauce was developed from a recipe used by Denise’s Grandma Tucker. She would serve it over the family’s Easter Ham or over spice cake. The Szarek’s have added just “a little” rum to give it some “zip”. It makes a delicious glaze over a grilled center cut pork chop.
The Nibble says, “…our favorite (Old Goat) product is the magnificent Drunk’n Raisin Sauce. Redolent of rum and raisins (dark and gold) in a buttery orange base, this is the product we’ll buy by the case for house gifts and stocking stuffers."
If you’d like to purchase some of the delicious products from Szarek Farms go to:
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
With the news that 1,000 farmers markets have just been added to the USDA’s list we have to assume that there are many thousands of folks who will now have easy access to a local farmers matket for the first time.
Farmers markets are fun places to explore and it seems that every time we speak to a farmer we learn something new about our food. Some of the offerings at our local market have become must buys on each visitt, with those funny looking, but oh-so-delicious heirloom tomatoes taking center stage for us this time of year.
We want everyone to have as much fun as we do at our local farmers market, especially people new to the scene. We were very pleased when our friend Amelia Winslow sent us her tips for beginners. Here’s some of her advice for newcomers:
1. Stick with what you know. If you’re new to the market or to cooking, skip the exotic fruits & veggies and go for produce you’re familiar with. You’ll be much less overwhelmed if you focus on carrots and tomatoes rather than kholrabi & ramps (yes, those are real vegetables).
2. Limit the number of items you buy. It’s easy to go nuts when you see all this beautiful produce, but overbuying will lead to wasted food, wasted time thinking about what to do with the food, and of course wasted money. Instead, stick to 2-3 veggies and 2-3 fruits per week, plus one kind of fresh herb and one kind of citrus fruit to use for dressings and sauces.
3. Do some meal planning before you go. This isn’t always possible, but when you remember or have time, plan a couple of meals before you shop, so you can buy the specific produce you need to make those meals. I usually buy a few veggies I can use for salads and hot meals, plus a few veggies and fruits for snacking.
4. Prep produce when you get home. If you can’t do it right when you get home, plan a time within a day or so when you can wash and chop lettuce (here’s how I do it), wash and cut veggies for snacking, and wash some fruit (most fruits are better prepped right before eating, but you can always wash cherries & grapes, wash and slice strawberries, melons, & oranges). Having a fridge full of ready-to-go veggies and fruits makes it much more likely that you’ll reach for these healthy items when you’re hungry for a snack or ready to make a meal.
5. Keep it simple. No need to reach into the depths of your recipe collection or biggest cookbook to figure out what to make for dinner. During summer especially, produce is so good that it’s best eaten in it’s simplest form. Salads can simply be a platter of tomato chunks drizzled with olive oil or a bowl of sliced cucumbers with salt, lime juice, and hot sauce. Snacks can be melon wedges, snap peas with hummus, or berries topped with yogurt. For a main dish, toss pasta with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes (like in this recipe), or lightly saute greens to serve with fried eggs (like this). The great thing about summer is that good food is plentiful, and the time and effort needed to make something tasty is minimal.
Simple preparation of fresh, seasonal foods, who can argue with that?
Amelia Winslow
Amelia has a website that’s full of great info and recipes for thoughtful home cooks. To have a look, go to: Eating Made Easy
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Despite a tough economy that has American families making ever more purchasing decisions based on price, more than 1,000 new farmers markets were added across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2011 National Farmers Market Directory.
Last year, the USDA reported that 6,132 farmers markets were operating across the country. The new report indicates a total of 7,175 now operate in the U.S., an increase of 17.0%, meaning more farmers are marketing their products directly to consumers than ever before.
“The remarkable growth in farmers markets is an excellent indicator of the staying power of local and regional foods,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.
She added, “These outlets provide economic benefits for producers to grow their businesses and also to communities by providing increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods. In short, they are a critical ingredient in our nation’s food system.”
The Directory reveals that several states have experienced rapid growth in farmers markets since 2010, reflecting a growing interest outside of the Far West and Northeast states, where the popularity of farmers markets is more well-established. Alaska and Texas ranked at the top for most growth in farmers markets at 46% and 38%, respectively.
The Top 10 list for growth includes:
1. Alaska (35 markets, up 46%)
2. Texas (166 markets, up 38%)
3. Colorado (130 markets, up 38%)
4. New Mexico (80 markets, up 38%)
5. Indiana (171markets, up 37%)
6. Oklahoma (61 markets, up 32%)
7. South Dakota (29 markets, up 32%)
8. Pennsylvania (266 markets, up 31%)
9. Ohio (278 markets, up 31%)
10. Michigan (349 markets, up 30%)
The Top 10 states for number of recorded farmers markets in 2011 were spread across the country:
1. California (729 markets)
2. New York (520)
3. Michigan (349)
4. Illinois (305)
5. Ohio (278)
6. Pennsylvania (266)
7. Massachusetts (255)
8. Iowa (237)
9. Wisconsin (231)
10. North Carolina (217)
Customers with Various Incomes
Nearly 12% of the famers markets reported at are able to accept SNAP (formerly known as food stamp) benefits, a % increase since 2010. SNAP redemptions in 2010 totaled $7.5 million at all certified farmers market and direct-to-consumer food retail establishments. Program participants made 453,711 purchases at farmers markets and direct farm marketing outlets nationwide, with an average purchase amount of $16.69.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Founder Marina Marchese and the rest of the folks at Red Bee are passionate about the culinary delights of honey. Their philosophy is that every bottle of their artisanal honey is a gourmet food and can be tasted and evaluated much like wine, each one having a unique flavor profile determined by the kind of flowers visited by the bees.
The essence of a honey is dictated by the terroir, the unique combination of geographic location, climate, soil and temperature that gives each honey its complex composition and individual personality. As in winemaking, terroir dramatically affects the flavor profiles of the honeys produced.
There is just no comparison between the homogenous, processed honey common to supermarket shelves and honey crafted by a true artisan. Here is an excerpt from Marina's terrific book, Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper, on her journey to becoming one of the country's finest food artisans:
It can be said that honey is only as good as the beekeepers that harvest it. Artisanal honeys are those produced by individuals using traditional methods and thus preserving the integrity of their products. With artisanal honey, quality and character are highlighted, rather than quantity and consistency. Beekeepers have to make many decisions regarding the management of their honeybees during a single season. Timing is everything, so colonies have to be at their peak strength and available to forage the fields at the exact time of the nectar flow. Beekeepers must select appropriate field locations for their honeybees and know when the nectar flow begins, when to add and remove honey shallows, and the best procedure to use to extract the honey.
(Excerpted with permission from Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper by C. Marina Marchese, published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2009.)
Red Bee Farm
Marina's Red Bee is a boutique honeybee farm located in the historical Bradley Tool section of Weston, Connecticut. The company’s charming red cottages were once the home of ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, who partnered Mikhail Baryshnikov. Working there they are inspired to create the purest artisanal honeys and sustainable products. Using old world techniques, their products are handmade in small batches using only plant-based ingredients to insure the finest quality. They never use pesticides, alcohol, paraffin waxes, petroleum or preservatives.
Red Bee's organic gardens produce culinary and medicinal herbs, vegetables and flowers for cutting. They make their organic, free range chicken eggs available locally. Red Bee Honeybee products have been a spectacular success at the New Canaan Farmers Market each summer for the last 8 years.
Red Bee Founder Marina Marchese (photo: jeffbeckerphoto.com)
Marina Marchese is a second generation Italian sharing her love of crafting artisanal products. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, Marina traveled to Europe and Asia as an illustrator and product designer. Her unique sense of style and love of color was defined in designs that have graced the cover of WWD and greeting cards sold worldwide by UNICEF including children's products, books and magazines.
Her own Red Bee® cards were recognized by The National Honey Board after appearing in Victoria Magazine and on the cover of American Bee Journal. Marina’s love of honeybees and painting has led her to the ancient technique of painting with beeswax, made popular by the Etruscans. (The portrait at the top of this item is one of her paintings in beeswax.)
(Photo Reprinted with permission from Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.)
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
If more evidence was needed about the dangers of industrialized agriculture, with its densely packed animals and toxic waste, this week’s recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey by agribiusiness giant Cargill should satisfy the remaining skeptics. Ironically, for years many Americans, including yours truly, have purchased turkey burgers as a healthy choice for their families.
In light of the massive recall Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, released this statement:
Last night’s announcement by Cargill of a recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey products is just the latest example of why we need strong regulatory and public health programs in place to protect consumers.
People have been getting sick with Salmonella for several months, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments struggled to identify a likely source of the contamination. Budget cuts have hampered the ability of federal and state health agencies to effectively protect public health, and this outbreak and recall offer compelling proof that there are human costs to budget cuts to critical public health programs.
The illnesses that triggered this recall were caused by an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg, which makes the illnesses more serious and harder to treat. This once again points to the public health crisis that is being caused by the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production.
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that meat and poultry have been recalled because of contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and it’s not even the first time a Cargill meat plant has had this problem. Until the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production stops, consumers will be faced with the additional threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Because it covers several months of production at a very large plant, this recall covers a huge amount of product sold across the country, just the latest example of the tremendous impact that just one large plant can have on national public safety when something goes wrong.
As Congress gets ready to debate funding for federal agencies, this recall is a timely reminder of how vital public health programs like meat and poultry inspection and foodborne illness surveillance are to all of us.
To protect our families from the dangers of over centralized farmer we can make choices that make a difference. We can support local farmers by buying from them directly through community supported agriculture (CSAs) and at farmers markets, raise protein-rich beans in our gardens, and all the while spread the word that purchasing food from industrial farms comes at a price, one that can prove fatal.
About Food & Water Watch
The nonprofit organization works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainable. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, it helps people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping shared resources under public control.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Along with farmers markets, farm-to-table dining is one of our favorite trends. So kudos to pioneers like Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill in Greenwich Village and thank you to all those joining the movement to serve the freshest, healthiest and most flavorfull food to be found.
That would of course be the freshly harvested produce and other foods raised on local, sustainble farms, made convenient to we urban dwellers, for whom enjoying the talent of a great restaurant chef is far easier than visiting a a great farm.
Blenheim Hill Farm
We’ve just learned that Smörgås Chef Restaurant Group has launched Blenheim Hill Farm-a 150-acre eco-farm located about 150 miles north of Manhattan in New York's Catskill Mountains. The farm will supply the group's Smörgås Chef restaurants and Crepes du Nord creperie and wine bar with naturally grown produce and meats.
Featuring large maple tree forests, rolling pastures and a large spring-fed lake, the farm will produce hydroponic salads, legumes, and heirloom tomatoes-grown year-round in a state-of-the-art greenhouse-as well as herbs, mushrooms, fruit and lingonberries, a Scandinavian staple. The farm will also supply eggs, chicken, beef, pork, and lamb. Heritage animal breeds that produce improved flavor and composition will be pasture-raised to promote animal welfare and proper meat production processes.
A Model for Small-Scale Local Farming
"Our mission is to develop a financially viable model for small-scale local farming, while remaining good stewards of the land and its resources," said Morten Sohlberg, who founded Smörgås Chef Restaurant Group and Blenheim Hill Farm with his wife, Min Ye. "We will adopt, develop and promote innovative ideas and new agricultural technologies that will invigorate a disappearing segment of small businesses in America-the small, sustainable commercial farm."
Mr. Sohlberg and Ms. Ye are not traditional farmers. The entrepreneurial duo-who founded Sessions.edu, the world's largest online design school with over 10,000 students from over 140 countries-have diverse professional backgrounds that span fine cuisine, design, finance, business administration and education.
Mr. Sohlberg, who oversees the creative aspects of Smörgås Chef Restaurant Group's operations, was born and raised in Norway. He has worked as a designer in Milan and an educator at Parsons School of Design. He is as guest lecturer at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York-one of the most acclaimed cooking schools in the nation.
Ms. Ye, who manages Smörgås Chef's financial, operational and business development activities, is a native of China. She worked as a Wall Street investment banker for several years before attending the French Culinary Institute in SOHO, where she obtained her certificate in La Technique training in French classic cuisine.
Diversity Breeds Innovation
"Collectively, we speak over a dozen languages," said Ms. Ye. "It is our varied and non-traditional experience that will help us innovate, compete and thrive as a new breed of farmers. In addition, we will be aided by top experts in the field of sustainable farming and agriculture who will assist us in further developing our vision."
"We are looking forward to the next step, which include providing advanced educational training programs on the farm for agriculture students at various upstate universities," said Mr. Sohlberg, who noted that maple syrup from Blenheim Hill Farm has already been introduced into the group's restaurants.
To learn more about the latest from these dynamic eco-entrepreneurs, go to: Blenheim Hill Farm
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Though millions of Americans find themselves in belt-tightening times, a new poll has found that most still buy organic foods whenever possible.
In a new survey conducted by Thomson Reuters and National Public Radio, 58% percent of Americans say they choose organic over conventional when they have the opportunity. In a sign that the preference for organics is a trend that is here to stay, 63% of respondents under the age of 35 prefer organic foods, as do 64% of those with a bachelor's degree or more.
Avoiding Toxins & Supporting Local Farms
Among those who prefer organic foods, 36% said they do so to support local farmer's markets and 34% said they wanted to avoid exposure to toxins in non-organic foods. Complete survey results are available here: http://www.factsforhealthcare.com/pressroom/NPR_report_OrganicFoods.pdf
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there were 6,132 farmers markets as of 2010, up from 1,755 in 1994.
"There appears to be a generational difference in preference for organic foods," said Raymond Fabius, M.D., chief medical officer at the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. "The strong, positive sentiment among young people indicates they are more concerned with exposure to toxins and place a higher premium on supporting local markets. It stands to reason that, by expanding the network of farmer's markets, we could see a further groundswell around the support for organic foods."
Unique & Conscious Food Choice
"This month's poll gives us some insight into what is going through consumers' minds when they're making the choice of what they will feed themselves and their families," said Scott Hensley, NPR health correspondent and blogger. "We find it especially intriguing that a very small percentage of respondents are choosing organic foods based on taste. This makes organic vs. conventional a really unique case where food decisions are being made consciously by consumers."
The figures in the poll are based on 3,014 participants interviewed from May 2-13, 2011. The margin of error is 1.8%.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Call for GMO-Free Labeling of Foods Whenever We Shop
Organic Farm (photo by Tana Butler, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
“If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.” – a Biotech Executive
For years American Feast has called for the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods because we believe consumers should be allowed a clear choice on the consumption of food we believe to be dangerous to human health and the environment.
The most prominent, nonprofit food safety organizations agree with us, as do many socially responsible businesses. We are not alone. Most Americans would like to know whether they are eating food from genetically modified organisms (GMO). A poll by CBS said that 87% of Americans want labeling and that 57% would not buy foods with GMO. More than 30 countries have mandatory labeling of GMO's, including all the European Union countries, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Of course, the Big Biotech industry, with many millions of dollars available for advertising, public relations, lobbying and campaign contributions, is fiercely opposed. As a president of a Monsanto subsidiary put it, “If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.”
The Revolving Door
According to Andrew Kimbrell, director of the Center for Food Safety, there has been a revolving door between the biotech companies producing GMO food and the FDA, which approves these foods. In Kimbrell's book, “Your Right to Know, Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food”, he writes about how Michael Taylor went directly from working as an attorney on Monsanto's behalf to becoming the FDA's deputy commissioner for food policy. Under his watch, rBGH (a GMO growth hormone for cows) was approved and studies indicating that rBGH posed health risks were virtually ignored. Eventually, large companies, including Walmart, banned it from their own brands of milk.
There are dozens of other individuals like Taylor, that alternate working for biotech companies and holding high positions in the FDA and other federal agencies pushing through GMO products without thoroughly evaluating their health risks. These officials regularly ignore warnings from scientists within the FDA that caution about placing GMO foods in our food chain without more testing.
Has Big Biotech Made a Single Credible Claim for GMO Foods?
Over the years we have published articles supported by research from independent scientists around the world that have refuted virtually every claim Big Biotech has made about the benefits of genetically engineered crops and animals. GE crops do not increase farm yields and have been shown to decrease them. They are not known to be safe to eat. They have caused severe consequences to the health of animals tested. Yet the industry continues running a grand experiment on human beings, mostly unaware they are consuming GE foods.
Here's Our Solution
There is a short term alternative. Companies, especially food producers and food retailers, can make “GMO-Free” labels on products and store shelves pervasive in the marketplace. A similar strategy has already enjoyed success with “Hormone Free” labels on dairy products. It did take a costly legal battle pitted against Big Biotech for companies like Ben & Jerry’s to establish their right to labels their products as such. (Note: The hormone in question was recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone or rBGH, now easily avoided!)
It is way past time that consumers were given a clear choice on what they purchase to feed their families.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Fresh Radishes (photo by Xenia Antunes, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
American Farmland Trust holds the annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets™ contest to raise national awareness about the importance of buying fresh food from local farms and saving the farmland where it's grown. Market shoppers will vote to support their favorite farmers market starting June 1st at 12:00 PM until midnight on August 31, 2011. Participants can vote for as many participating farmers markets as they choose, but can only vote for each market once.
At the end of the contest, one small, medium, large, and boutique, farmers market will win the title of “America’s Favorite Farmers Market” for 2011. The reward for the winning market in each category will be a shipment of No Farms No Food® totebags, a feature article on the award winning foodsite Epicurious.com, and other prizes from our partners and sponsors.
The categories are based on the number of vendors the farmers market has. Here is how the voting is going in my home state of New York:
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
It’s been a year since we started watching BP’s oil spew into the Gulf day after day. Although that’s been plugged and cleanup is underway, a more insidious form of pollution continues without containment, with much longer term consequences. You might think I’m talking about Fukushima’s nuclear catastrophe. Actually, the pollution I’m referring to about can outlast even thousands of years of active nuclear waste.
Watch this two-minute video Cap the Gene Spill, directed by Alex Bogusky, to find out how genes from genetically modified crops self-propagate and permanently alter the gene pool—for all future generations.
Alex is described by Fast Company as “the Elvis of advertising,” a “pop-culture Houdini,” and the “daddy of 21st-century advertising.” He designed the Truth Campaign for tobacco, brought the king to Burger King, was crowned “Creative Director of the Decade” by Adweek, and was a partner at a $1.5 billion company that Advertising Age named “Agency of the Decade,”…and then he walked away. Alex realized he could no longer speak his truth.
Now, under his own banner of The Fearless Revolution, he’s harnessing the power of truth to create “an educated and empowered consumer,” who will act as “a sudden and powerful counterbalance to corporate power.”
Alex and I would like you to know the truth about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Enjoy this first in a series of videos, appropriately released on Earth Day.
After viewing, please consider making a donation to our Institute for Responsible Technology, which works everyday to help cap the gene spill. Your donation will be doubled this month by a generous matching grant from Nutiva.
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book, Seeds of Deception, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on the topic. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been introduced. Mr. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Long ago in southern Arizona, the Hohokam people tapped the waters of the San Pedro River to irrigate their food crops. Today, so does third generation rancher Mike Mercer. Though Mercer runs a modern cattle operation—with tractors and center pivot irrigation rigs—you might say he’s gone “native.”
Eyes squinting in the mid-morning sun, Mercer jabs his boot at a clump of emerging grass. “Plains lovegrass is my favorite,” he says. “I’d like to grow more of that.”
Mercer’s ranch is nestled in the shadow of the Galiuro Mountains near the tiny town of Mammoth.
“There were Hohokam camps on all these buttes overlooking the river,” said Mercer. Below the most prominent of these buttes— Sombrero Butte—Mercer, like the Hohokam before him, is raising a crop on the river’s floodplain.
His 75-acre field is “greening up” with 14 native grasses, including Arizona cottontop, sacaton and plains bristlegrass.
Conserving Water and Growing Food in the Desert
Mercer began planting the native grass seed in the spring of 2008, purchased with financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. The Conservancy helped secured the financing.
The switch to native grass—after years of growing non-native sudangrass and sorghum grain—has been a big win for Mercer, and for the environment.
He estimates he uses about half the water that his father did. The perennial grass, once established, is low maintenance: No need for annual plowing, re-seeding or harvesting, except for occasional baling of some of the grass for feeding elsewhere on the ranch.
Using hay from these native grasses creates a new seed source in the grazed uplands, as the cattle spread the seed through their manure.
“We’re saving millions of gallons of water on this grass, and we are cutting our use of equipment and fuel,” says Mercer, whose family has ranched here since the 1920s.
Mike Mercer, Arizona Rancher
The Land Responds
The switch to native grass wasn’t risk free. The first year, coming off a decade of drought, “the grass didn’t look that great. I was sweating it. But I decided to plant some more last year, and so far this year, it’s really taking off.”
The land is responding in kind. “Since we planted this I’m seeing less run-off of water, because the grasses are helping the ground soak it up. I figure if times get tough again and there isn’t enough water in the river to irrigate, this seed will just go dormant and then sprout when the moisture is available again.”
Mercer learned of the Partners program through Rob Burton, the Conservancy’s former Lower San Pedro preserve manager. Rob had planted the grasses at the preserve, restoring what were once catfish ponds.
“We’re pleased at how well this has worked out,” says Kris Randall, state coordinator for the Arizona Partners program. “Grasslands are a declining plant community in Arizona. We are interested in providing financial and technical assistance to private landowners who want to do restoration projects.”
Dan Wolgast, who now manages some of the Conservancy’s properties, echoes the benefits of native grasses. “We’ve had some successes and challenges, but this grass is helping us control weeds. It’s very adaptable to unpredictable weather systems, and it’s a good thing for the river because it improves the health of the floodplain,” says Wolgast.
Seeding the Future
Something as seemingly simple as planting native grass is actually part of a paradigm shift for the Mercers. Not only is it a change in how they operate, but also who they work with.
One change is the market for their beef. By feeding their cattle native grass, the Mercers are tapping into the grass-fed, locally grown beef market. The Mercers sell their beef—under the name Sombrero Butte Beef—at local farmers’ markets and at a gourmet Tucson restaurant.
Mercer’s cattle are Brahman cows bred by Angus-Charolais bulls, which makes them genetically well suited for the desert; they withstand heat well, according to Mercer, and they eat desert plants like cat claw, cholla and jojoba leaves. Two months before they are butchered, Mercer grazes them on the native grasses to tenderize their meat.
“My cows love it,” he says. “They see me coming to open the gates, and they run to get there.”
Grazing issues have historically been a point of contention between ranchers and conservationists. The Conservancy, in Arizona and around the country, has been working to improve its relationships with those who produce the food we eat.
Mike Mercer’s willingness to work with the Conservancy signifies a sea change for his family. In the early 1990s, Mike’s father, Virgil, filed an appeal with the Bureau of Land Management to gain grazing access to the Conservancy’s public land leases at Aravaipa Canyon Preserve and the Muleshoe Ranch Cooperative Management Area. The Conservancy found itself on the opposite side from the Mercers in the judicial process. That appeal was tied up within the BLM for several years, and Virgil didn’t prevail.
So, the result has been that the Conservancy and BLM have continued a limited grazing regime at Aravaipa and no grazing at the Muleshoe in order to restore the properties. In the meantime, Virgil passed away in 2006, and his son Mike took over the ranch. Now he not only actively works with the Conservancy, he is also our neighbor—the Conservancy manages the 3,100-acre 7B Ranch adjacent to the Mercer property.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Plans are underway for a unique project in Loudoun County, Virginia that will bring together and showcase some of the best locally grown and raised food and wine agricultural products that the county has to offer, and culminate in an 11 day event.
“Farm-to-Fork Loudoun “ will take place from Thursday, July 21 to Monday, July 31, 2011 with 21 restaurants and food related entities committed to using at least 70% local product and ingredients during that timeframe. It is a new concept to this area, conceived by Loudoun County marketing entrepreneur Miriam Nasuti who saw the need for a county-wide collaborative celebration between agricultural growers, vintners and chefs in Loudoun County.
Working Together
“I observed particular restaurants growing or buying local these past years, but nothing done on a county-wide, collaborative scale on site at the various restaurants. The process has been so rewarding, as I’ve spoken to many vintners, farmers and Chefs who’ve not done this in the past and expressed that they always wanted to but, either didn’t have the time or know-how to begin. Bringing everyone together has been a tremendous experience,” explained Nasuti. Her hope is that through this initial collaboration, growers, chefs and the vintners will establish new relationships that will last well beyond the project.
She established committees early on, which included representatives from the agricultural, wineries and restaurant communities, who met often at the onset to set the project dates, protocol and guidelines, issues such as supply and demand of agricultural products, participation fees and such. Once those guidelines were set the project moved forth quickly toward a successful February ‘Meet & Greet’ where all participants came together for the first time, to begin establishing the important relationships intended toward working together.
“This is a wonderful way to introduce the diversity of Loudoun agriculture to like businesses and the public,” stated Beverly Morton Billand, owner of The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, a Farm-to-Fork Loudoun participant and leader in the farm to table movement.
Organic, Local & Seasonal!
Serving organic, seasonal cuisine and supporting local growers has been Billand’s commitment since opening the restaurant on their farm just outside Lovettsville. “This event will allow wineries, farms and restaurants to collaborate and bring the very best to the table that Loudoun County has to offer.”
Farm-to-Fork Loudoun dining participants include Clyde’s Willowcreek, Aiyara Thai Restaurant, Lightfoot Restaurant, ‘On the Potomac’ at Lansdowne Resort, Palio Ristorante, Shoes Cup & Cork Club, Tenderjacks, The Wine Kitchen, Tuscarora Mill, Vintage 50, Market Table Bistro, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, The French Hound, Goodstone Inn & Estate, Market Salamander, Red Fox Inn, Grandale Farm Restaurant, Magnolia’s at the Mill, Catch 52, Vintage 51, and Cookology.
“Farm-to-Fork” will allow the public to experience Loudoun’s diverse culinary community and enjoy its healthy, locally grown and raised foods they otherwise may not have,” Nasuti added. “And the program allows our restaurants to serve fresh, locally grown food through the new and existing menu items they’ll offer. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
For more information on the participants, program, or to become a Corporate Sponsor, visit Farm To Fork, or contact Miriam Nasuti at 703-771-8893.
Farm-to-Fork Loudoun is a collaboration between Loudoun’s dynamic and growing culinary, farming and winery communities. This new project was envisioned to bring those involved together to drive the local economy and begin, or further, meaningful relationships, while raising visibility of these three Loudoun entities so patrons will come back again and again. Event sponsors include Fortessa, a leading tableware company based in Loudoun and The Dulles Greenway.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.
Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, a 2008 recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant and recently named one of Time’s 100 most influential people; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur Joel Salatin, made famous by The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the best-selling book by Michael Pollan, who is also featured in the movie; and, Kansas City supermarket owner David Ball, who is challenges our Wal-Mart-dominated economy every day by stocking his stores with products from local suppliers.
The film's director, ana Sofia joanes, says:
FRESH portrays a movement that is happening in America and worldwide. The alternative food market is the fastest growing market in the United States, even though it still makes up a minuscule percentage of the food economy. And it’s incredibly energetic. Where it will lead us, I don’t know. Lin Yutang, a Chinese writer and inventor, said that “Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.”
Director ana Sofia joanes
FRESH tells the stories of real people, connecting audiences not with facts and figures or apocalyptic policy analysis, but with examples of personal initiative and concrete ways to engage in a new food model.
To learn where you can see the film, or possibly host a screening, go to: FRESH the Movie
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Genetically engineered alfalfa poses so severe a threat to the $2 billion organic dairy industry that a lawsuit has been filed to prevent its introduction to the nation’s farm fields. The suit was filed by attorneys for the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Earthjustice against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The GE crop is engineered to be immune to the herbicide glyphosate, which Monsanto markets as Roundup. USDA data show that 93% of all the alfalfa planted by farmers in the U.S. is grown without the use of any herbicides. With the full deregulation of GE alfalfa, USDA estimates that up to 23 million more pounds of toxic herbicides will be released into the environment each year.
Watching Out for Consumers or Big Biotech?
“USDA has once again failed to provide adequate oversight of a biotech crop,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. “This reckless approval flies in the face of overwhelming evidence that GE alfalfa threatens the rights of farmers and consumers, as well as significant harm to the environment. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has refused to apply and enforce the law and instead has chosen to bow to the wishes of the biotech industry.”
This is the second case challenging the legality of USDA’s handling of GE alfalfa. In 2007, in another case brought by CFS, a federal court ruled that the USDA’s approval of the engineered crop violated environmental laws by failing to analyze risks such as the contamination of conventional and organic alfalfa, the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds, and increased use of Roundup.
Toxic Monsanto
Earthjustice attorney Paul Achitoff commented: “We expect Monsanto to force-feed people genetically engineered crops—that’s its business model. We hoped for better from the USDA, which has much broader responsibilities. GE alfalfa will greatly increase use of toxic chemicals from coast to coast, threatens the organic dairy industry, and will have farmers going back to Monsanto every year to buy its patented seed and Roundup.”
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
The locavores are swarming and the popularity of local food is increasing across the nation. The number of farmer’s markets has more than tripled since the USDA started tracking these numbers in 1994 – increasing from 1,755 to 6,132. In 2010, direct sales from farmers to consumers increased to over $1.2 billion. And consumers aren’t the only ones with a rising demand for local food. More and more, organizations such as supermarkets, restaurants, schools and others are sourcing food locally.
To meet this burgeoning demand, local food distributors must scale up their operations from direct sales of small quantities to wholesale transactions. The problem, according to Michelle Miller of UW Madison’s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, is that “a lot of the mid-scale distributors, the logistics people who used to consolidate produce, have gone out of business.”
Local distribution networks, termed “food hubs,” are trying to fill that void. Food hubs are like farmers’ markets and distributors rolled into one. They surfaced to provide local farmers with the infrastructure to store, process, distribute, and market local food to consumers and institutions. The current demand for local food positions food hubs to expand their role in food distribution. However, they lack the necessary technology to manage operations on a larger scale.
Managing Through Low-Tech Means
Most food hubs are decidedly behind the curve technologically. Transactions are usually coordinated through a combination of phone, email, and fax. Everything from scheduling pickups and drop-offs to planning routes is handled in this manner. Managing transactions like this may be feasible for the moment, but it won’t work as food hubs expand. To effectively manage relationships with more customers and farmers, they’ll need more advanced technology. This will range from Internet databases for managing customers relationships to distribution software to manage logistics.
Luckily, technology solutions for food hubs are surfacing. Three promising ones are match-making services, Internet-based buying clubs, and distribution management systems. None of these technologies are exactly new – but their adaptation to food hubs is. Each product provides food hubs with a way to get their local produce out to the general market more efficiently.
Matchmaking Programs
Food hubs have helped farmers overcome the marketing obstacle by using online match-making programs that link producers to buyers. These match-making programs are interactive communities that function a lot like Match.com for local food. Local food lovers can log on and find their perfect peach in just a few clicks. There are two general types of match-making services: those that link buyers to local food, and those that add a distributor to the mix.
An example of the first type is a pilot program called Food Hub, released by the non-profit Ecotrust. This program provides a forum for buyers and sellers to interact. Buyers seeking local food can find nearby sellers, but its up to them to complete the transaction and pick up the food. This leaves an empty middle in the supply chain, forcing buyers and sellers to coordinate the logistics.
Making the match is critical but bringing the food to the buyer is also very important. The platform FarmsReach helps address some of the logistical issues issues related to local food distribution. Their matchmaking tool links buyers, sellers, and distributors. The link to a distributor helps small and mid-size farmers address the challenge of delivering their produce.
Internet-Based Buying Clubs
For food hubs that want to distribute the produce themselves, an Internet-based buying club is a good option. This has been a popular method of aggregating buyers and sellers since the early 2000’s. Buying clubs work by farmers pooling together their crops and delivering a single order of goods to multiple customers. Buying clubs are a logical method of delivery for food hubs as it allows them fulfill many orders with a single drop. These Internet-based buying clubs simultaneously help food hubs connect with customers and simplify distribution operations.
One of the most impressive examples of a food hub using this distribution method is the Oklahoma Food Co-Op. It has over 3,000 members, and processes more than 700 orders a month. Every month, the co-op’s 200 producers meet to fill orders from the buying club and crisscross the state to deliver to the more than 50 drop-off locations. The buying club helps the Oklahoma Food Co-Op aggregate produce and cut down on the number of drops that need to be made – but it does nothing to help manage inventory and plan distribution routes.
Distribution Management Systems
To manage inventory and plan distribution routes, food hubs need something that is more powerful than a matchmaking program or an Internet buying club. According to the USDA, developing a solution for efficiently planning routes is one of the most critical pieces to scaling up food hubs. This is a missing piece in the effort to enable local food to reach more buyers in the community.
Distribution software can help food hubs pull together the advantages afforded to them by matchmaking programs and Internet-based buying clubs. The main benefit is the ability to track delivery trucks and plan delivery routes. Tracking delivery trucks and planning routes will help food hubs deliver produce along the most efficient routes and keep feel usage down. These benefits will be critical to avoiding waste in distribution operations.
Putting It All Together
There is one major obstacle holding food hubs back from adopting distribution software: cost. Traditional food distribution software can cost tens of thousands of dollars, which is more than food hubs can pay. Even the most profitable food hubs don’t have such large budgets.
However, Software as a Service (SaaS) options are beginning to offer affordable options to food distributors. These solutions provide software via the Internet and offer friendly subscription-based pricing that food hubs can afford. The lower up-front costs of the SaaS model holds promise for food hubs that need to get a better handle on their logistics.
If food hubs can combine the customer-facing applications of Internet based buying clubs and matchmaking services with distribution software, they will be equipped to expand their operations.
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"It’s time to use our collective power to move the market directly. It’s time we let the food companies know that we have new healthier criteria if they want to keep us as customers."
We’re angry! MILLIONS of us are angry and outraged at the approval of GM alfalfa. And on top of that, the USDA also did an end-run around the courts to keep GM sugar beets growing, AND approved a GM corn used for ethanol.
So what do we do? Surrender? Never!
Before I propose a way forward, I want to share a victory you may have missed in the first paragraph. I said MILLIONS. That’s right, there are millions of us. And you can hear our frustration flying around in blogs, emails, press reports, petitions, etc. Do you remember the reaction just four years ago when GM sugar beets were approved for sale? There was nothing close to this response. It was hardly a blip. Where we have come in just a few years is a cause for celebration. And an unprecedented opportunity to throw our new weight around.
Within the first six months of last year, we witnessed more people in the US than ever before enthusiastically getting the word out about the dangers of GMOs. This was in part due to the huge internet distribution channels that have been getting articles and videos out to MILLIONS every month. (Thank you all!) And then there was the high profile media coverage of GE salmon and the sugar beet and alfalfa court cases.
In spite of their bitter outcomes at the hands of the USDA, the prolonged alfalfa and sugar beet fights actually helped elevate GMOs on our personal and national radar screens.
And now with MILLIONS of us grasping the significance and devastating loss of yet another crop, we have the components in place for a national revolution. We have the knowledge, the emotion, the network, and the profound injustice. Now we need an action plan. Enter Alfalfa: Plan B.
Commit to No GM Alfalfa
It’s time to use our collective power to move the market directly. It’s time we let the food companies know that we have new healthier criteria if they want to keep us as customers. And front and center in those new criteria is to commit to no GM alfalfa in their supply chain (which is used as animal feed, particularly to dairy cows).
This is our moment! Send a letter to dozens of dairies and food companies simultaneously. Let them know how strong we feel and how MILLIONS strong we are. When they get the message about the coming non-GMO tipping point, they’ll realize it’s time to remove all GM ingredients, not just alfalfa.
Share this “click and send revolution” with your friends, shop using the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, and tell the food companies the truth about GMOs. And for those who want to do even more, you are invited to join a local or national Non-GMO Action Group, to expand our numbers even further!
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book, Seeds of Deception, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on the topic. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been introduced. Mr. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Organic Farm (photo by Tana Butler, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Most Americans would like to know whether they are eating GMO foods. A recent poll by CBS said that 87% of Americans want labeling and that 57% would not buy foods with GMO.
Written by Steven Yellin
This is a story that affects everyone, every day. It is about the food we eat and the uncontrolled experiment biotech companies are conducting on us. They have done a marvelous job in convincing us that GMO foods are safe, but are they?
You may not have thought twice about the food you ate today that contained GMO's, (that is part of the problem because there is no labeling of them!), but if you dig just a little under the surface, you may become more cautious about consuming foods that contain GMO products and more cautious about letting your children eat these foods.
More GMO Food Coming Soon
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just announced its favorable decisions in producing genetically engineered salmon and GMO alfalfa, but three months ago a federal judge in California revoked the government's approval of genetically altered sugar beets until regulators complete a more thorough review of how scientifically engineered crops affect other foods.
Consider the following facts:
• 75% of all processed foods contain genetically modified products.
• 91% of all corn, 85% of all soybean 88% of all cotton, and 95% of all sugar beets grown in the US are GMO produced.
The GMO issue affects everyone in America. No company has the right to place ingredients in our food without us knowing what they are, especially with scientific evidence indicating that they may cause us harm.
Some Very Worrisome Science
A recent 2-year study by the Russian Academy of Science, the equivalent of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., showed that 3rd generation off-spring of hamsters that were fed GMO food were virtually sterile, had a 25% higher death rate than the control groups and were growing hair in their mouths. This study will be published this summer.
Dr. Airpaud Pusztai at the prestigious Rowett Food Institute of Scotland, a part of the University of Aberdeen, is considered to be one of the world's foremost experts on plant lectins and author of 270 papers and three books on the subject, A study conducted by him showed that GMO potatoes induced intestine damage, harm to the immune system and organ damage to rats. After he concluded his research Dr. Pusztai went on national television in the U.K. and said he would not eat GMO foods. He subsequently was fired from the university and his research was ridiculed.
The Revolving Door
According to Andrew Kimbrell, director of the Center for Food Safety, there has been a revolving door between the biotech companies producing GMO food and the FDA, which approves these foods. In Kimbrell's book, “Your Right to Know, Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food”, he writes about how Michael Taylor went directly from working as an attorney on Monsanto's behalf to becoming the FDA's deputy commissioner for food policy. Under his watch, rBGH (a GMO growth hormone for cows) was approved and studies indicating that rBGH posed health risks were virtually ignored. Eventually, large companies, including Walmart, banned it from their own brands of milk.
There are dozens of other individuals like Taylor, that alternate working for biotech companies and holding high positions in the FDA and other federal agencies pushing through GMO products without thoroughly evaluating their health risks. These officials regularly ignore warnings from scientists within the FDA that caution about placing GMO foods in our food chain without more testing.
Americans Want to Know What is in Their Food
Most Americans would like to know whether they are eating GMO foods. A recent poll by CBS said that 87% of Americans want labeling and that 57% would not buy foods with GMO. More that 30 countries have mandatory labeling of GMO's, including all the European Union countries, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Why don't we?
The biotech companies have done an excellent job of creating the impression that GMO foods are safe, while ignoring the warning of leading scientists, including many in the FDA, that question their safety and are pushing for more testing before they are introduced into the food chain.
Why is it that our government requires very serious long term tests for safety in drugs we take, and yet doesn't seem concerned about fundamental changes in the foods that we and our children eat each day?
This is a story that needs to be told to everyone.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
"We believe all food can be produced safely, including raw milk." - Tim Wrightman
A state assembly panel recently approved a measure sponsored by Assemblywoman Connie Wagner to aid New Jersey farmers by allowing them to sell raw milk. The neighboring states of Pennsylvania and New York already allow the sale of raw milk.
Many medical professionals and nutritionists have concluded that raw milk from grass-fed cows is more nutrient dense than conventionally produced milk, while foodies around the world have long appreciated the rich flavor of artisanal cheeses crafted with raw milk.
Family Farms Face Unhealthy Competition
A previous post on American Feast's Sustainable Food Blog explained further about what is at stake:
Family-scale dairy farms feeding free-roaming cows on healthy grass face tough competition from concentrated animal feeding operations. The densely penned cows at CAFOs are sickened from being fed the abundance of corn grown with massive government subsidies, posing a very real threat to human health. Cow droppings make good fertilizer on small farms, but at CAFOs the immense amount of waste is a toxic threat to the health of people and the environment.
Of course, people around the globe have been safely consuming raw milk and handcrafted cheeses for thousands of years.
According to the nonprofit Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund:
The bill (A-743) would create a permit program through the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to allow for the sale of raw milk in New Jersey. The legislation would require the testing of cows intended to be used for the production of raw milk, with ongoing testing as necessary. The permit holder would also be required to conduct tests to measure the levels of certain bacteria and pathogens in the raw milk produced. The bill also stipulates that no growth hormones can be used in the process of producing raw milk.
Safe & Nutritious
Food safety and optimal nutrition aren’t mutually exclusive goals according to organic farming legend, Tim Wightman. A farming expert of 35 years, Wightman teaches dairy farmers to reach well beyond conventional food safety goals. He mentors farmers in low-tech yet high quality approaches to production of intrinsically safe and optimally nutritious raw milk.
A modern pioneer of the cowshare/herdshare concept, Mr. Wightman now serves as president of the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation. The educational nonprofit aims to equip farmers and consumers with safety advice on raw dairy products via conferences, tele-seminars and printed materials.
Free Handbook & DVD Now Available Online
The Foundation now provides two of Mr. Wightman's educational tools to the public free of charge. These free resources include online copies of Raw Milk Production Handbook and a micro dairy farm educational DVD, Chore Time. Both are available at: Farm to Consumer Foundation
"We believe all food can be produced safely, including raw milk," says Mr. Wightman.
"These materials are the starting point for a collaborative effort to develop 'best practices' to guide dairy farms working to meet the rising demand for raw milk from pasture-raised cows, whether the legal framework is loose (as with voluntary farm-to-consumer standards for cow shares) or more formal (as with larger scale retail sales)."
Steve Bemis, attorney and Farm-to-Consumer Foundation board member, asserts that these free resources are an important step in building a working relationship on raw dairy safety issues.
Mr. Bemis explains, "In many cases, academic and government entities will not (for policy and ethical reasons) link to resources that are for sale; so, by providing these 'freeware' resources, we hope to encourage links from others' websites, and thereby engage a broader audience.”
There are currently 15 states that allow farmers to sell raw milk directly to consumers, while 10 states allow the sale of raw milk in retail stores.
About Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund is a 501 (c) (4) non-profit organization made up of farmers and consumers joining together and pooling resources to:
• Protect the constitutional right of the nation’s family farms to provide processed and unprocessed farm foods directly to consumers through any legal means.
• Protect the constitutional right of consumers to obtain unprocessed and processed farm foods directly from family farms.
• Protect the nation’s family farms from harassment by federal, state, and local government interference with food production and on-farm food processing.
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The current industrial agriculture is heavily dependant on petroleum. It will not be sustainable forever.
Great chefs have been saying it for a long time. When you dine on fresh food produced locally through natural methods you enjoy it when the flavors are their most vibrant and the nutritional value is at its peak.
Besides making for pleasurable dining, it’s nice to know that a meal of seasonal ingredients is also an eco-friendly choice. Giant agribusiness likes to point out that their industrial farming methods have provided the most abundant and affordable food on earth. But it is grown with petroleum-barsed fertilizers and travels well over 1,000 miles before reaching the family table. It is an oil dependent system and oil is both an environmental threat and a finite resource.
Have the Saudis Been Lying?
So what happens when oil inevitably becomes more scarce and the law of supply and demand causes its price to climb sharply? We may find out sooner than we imagined. It seems that among the diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks there is one from the U.S. consul general in Riyadh warning that the Saudi government may be overstating the size of its oil reserves by as much as 40%. If so, oil prices may begin climbing, and soon.
According to a report in the Manchester Guardian, the “Saudi energy industry…overstated its recoverable reserves to spur foreign investment.” If Saudi Arabia and its OPEC cartel partners cannot pump enough crude to keep prices down, the cost of oil could begin escalating in 2012. Consumers will face rising prices for home heating fuel, gasoline and the food that comes from an industrial agricultural system.
No Doomsday Theorist
The U.S. consul general cites a warning from a senior Saudi government oil executive, who “is no doomsday theorist. His pedigree, experience and outlook demand that his predictions be thoughtfully considered."
The implications are profound. Rising food costs were among the grievances that sparked the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. In the U.S., consumers devoting more of their household income to food and fuel will have less discretionary income to spend on other goods and services, stifling economic growth and increasing the country’s trade imbalance.
Is There a Silver Lining?
Maybe. The locally produced food sold at farmers markets could become more price competitive than ever. Home and community gardens could proliferate out of economic necessity. Millions of families could find themselves enjoying meals that are healthier and more delicious than ever.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Healthy, Free-Range Chickens (photo by Digiology, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Editor's Note: Mark Keating was hired on April 11, 2010 to draft livestock production standards and contribute to overall standard development for the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). He brought more than twenty years experience in the field including service as a farm worker, food processor and distributor, county extension agent, grassroots activist, civil servant, university lecturer and journalist. Keating previously worked for the NOP between 1999 and 2002 and was part of the team that won the USA’s prestigious Group Honor Award for finalizing the NOP standards in 2000. No public citizen or USDA colleague objected to his conduct during his return to the NOP. The USDA summarily fired him on November 23, 2010.
Written by Mark D. Keating
At its core, my firing was standard Washington, DC fare: if you can't beat them, destroy them. Power in Washington descends from the pyramid and those of senior rank are entitled to squash those beneath. So powerful is Washington's faith in the pyramid that the person at the pinnacle – the President – is authorized to blow up the planet. So when my presence at the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) became offensive to Departmental leadership, it was standard procedure to set me up and railroad me out the door.
While this plot line is archetypal, the cast of characters will be novel to most audiences. Was it corporate agribusiness targeting an organic stalwart? No - I was much too low lying fruit to merit targeting. Was it bureaucratic bullies ridding their sandbox of a free thinker? No - when the White House cares about an issue as the Obama Administration does about organic agriculture, it calls the shots, not the bureaucrats. My firing was the voice of politically correct organic certification vested in that Executive Branch ostracizing its problem child (problem parent, really), organic agriculture.
Sir Albert & His Sisters
We'll need to highlight a key distinction for the story to come into focus. Organic agriculture involves all the funky, cosmic properties that a biologically active soil imparts to food and the benefits that redound to nature when farming is integrated into the local ecology. These principles were first articulated by Sir Albert Howard and his first and second wives, Gabrielle and Louise (sisters, no less) during the first half of the twentieth century. Supported by three decades of renown field research, the Howards established that the only effective and enduring system of agriculture is one modeled on the principles of Mother Earth. They were adamant that organic systems must incorporate animals, if not as active participants, then through use of their manure as the basis for fertility. The Howards also demonstrated that healthy soils lead to healthy plants including grasses, which lead to healthy animals, which result in healthy humans or, as our own mothers told us, we are what we eat.
By contrast, organic certification is a federally operated, process verification program loosely based on a subset of organic agricultural practices. For example, organic crop standards tend to support biologically rich soils and organically raised livestock consume a far more natural diet than do conventionally raised animals. However, many foundational principles in organic certification are inherently incompatible with natural systems. Mother Nature's garden never looks like the organic agribusiness farms in the Salinas Valley, nor would She insist that the omnivorous chicken be raised as a vegetarian with a synthetic protein supplement. USDA organic certification standards sanction these conditions and many others that compromise the inherent vitality of organic agriculture. Still, organic certification of raw agricultural products has provided generally limited yet meaningful differentiation during both its previous private sector incarnation and under the current guidance (thumb) of USDA.
USDA Embraces Organic Certification
While the deck at USDA and on Capitol Hill remains heavily stacked in favor of industrial agriculture (concentration of production, increased dependence on energy and technology including genetic engineering and global markets), there is now a glimmer of recognition that alternative agriculture production and marketing have merit. Check out the 2008 Farm Bill: it did not take away industrial agriculture's subsidies, but it does contain many excellent if modestly funded programs to support organic certification, direct marketing and local food systems. In particular, USDA is now ready to accept, even embrace organic certification. This is safe because organic agribusiness is not dissimilar to industrial agribusiness: concentrated, large scale production systems feeding into heavily processed, shelf stable convenience foods including homogenized and pasteurized dairy products distributed through chain retailers to worldwide markets.
However, USDA is definitely not willing to embrace or even acknowledge organic agriculture. Doing so remains too threatening to the hundreds of billions of dollars in annual sales generated by industrial agribusiness. USDA denies the fundamental principle of organic agriculture which is that the manner in which a food is raised and handled is determinative of its nutritional and flavor properties. This isn't hard to prove – crack open an egg from a scavenging free range chicken and compare it with an egg from the horribly abused battery cage hen. Then fry them up (lard works wonderfully!) and you can't miss the difference – unless USDA pays your salary. Then you are not allowed to see the difference. So like the old commercial with the “parts is parts” punchline, USDA maintains that all foods are essentially equivalent.
Organic certification is an especially useful tool for supporting this fallacy because it generates a lot of analogue processed foods like organic crackers and soda and soy ice cream and tv dinners that aren't especially different. This is better than trying to make the case in comparison to the bounty of organic agriculture ~ you can't put it in your mouth without knowing it's better for you and the planet (Be sure to give thanks!)
Why Was I Fired?
How does this relate to my firing? I am a huge believer (worshiper) of organic agriculture who respects organic certification as one of many useful tools for making smart choices about food. USDA is currently smiling upon organic certification but staunchly rejects organic agriculture. At no time, nor in any manner did I attempt to supersede USDA dogma with my personal perspective. I was a mid-level regulatory writer who knew that the decisions would be made about five pay grades above my station. I was cool with that and writing intelligent organic standards is no sell out – we need good organic standards. But people who know me will tell you that I don't/can't/won't play the emperor's new clothes. Once my cards were on the table (where I always keep them), I had to be fired as an existential threat to the party line. This is the inevitable consequence when those at the top of the pyramid think they are too busy and too smart to have the time or inclination to learn from the grunts below!
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
There’s ample evidence that the food with the best flavor and greatest nutritional value is that which is sustainably produced, as great chefs and dedicated foodies alike can attest. Heirloom tomatoes provide a good illustration, as anyone who has had the pleasure of enjoying them well knows. By comparison, their conventionally-produced, red cousins offer little to please the palate.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have come up with evidence that the tangerine tomato, a sweet-flavored heirloom variety, might be a better source of a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. So says chemist Betty J. Burri, based at the Agricultural Research Service Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, California.
The study conducted by Ms. Burri and her colleagues supports the findings of an earlier study conducted by scientists in Ohio who found the tangerine tomato's tetra-cis-lycopene is more efficiently absorbed by the body than is the trans-lycopene of red tomatoes. The trans-lycopene form makes up most of the lycopene in common red tomatoes, while most of the lycopene in tangerine tomatoes is tetra-cis-lycopene.
As for flavor, the Sustainable Seed Company website says, “Tangerine is a bright orange beefsteak tomato that makes an excellent slicer. Its sweet, complex flavor is highly sought after in farmers markets.”
The 1932 Burpee Seed Company says, “The flavor is delightful-rich and tasty, of a sub-acid piquancy that stimulates the appetite. The (indeterminate) vines make abundant growth."
If you’d like to add tangerine tomatoes to your garden’s mix, you can purchase seeds from the Sustainable Seed Company, just go to: Tangerine Tomato Seeds
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Under heavy pressure from the biotech industry, USDA chooses total deregulation.
Yesterday afternoon, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ton Vilsack announced that the USDA will fully deregulate Monsanto’s controversial genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. The choice was favored by the biotech industry and one of three options identified in the USDA’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released last month.
Over 250,000 public comments were received during the FEIS process, with the vast majority opposing deregulation. Organic farmers and consumers opposed the introduction of GE alfalfa, fearing the contamination of alfalfa fields vital to the organic dairy industry, which is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion annually.
Pressured by Biotech Industry
The USDA could have maintained regulatory status over the perennial crop that is so important as forage for the livestock industry. Or they could have chosen a limited regulation strategy with bans on the planting of GE alfalfa seeds in seed growing regions to attempt to limit the contamination of alfalfa seed stock by foreign DNA from Monsanto’s crop. (Alfalfa is pollinated by bees and other insects and has a pollination radius of five miles). Instead, the agency, under heavy pressure from the biotech sector, chose total deregulation.
Vilsack did announce that the USDA would establish a second germ plasm/seed center for alfalfa in the state of Idaho to try, and the operative word is "try," to maintain GE-free strains of alfalfa. They currently operate such a facility in Prosser, Washington. He said the FEIS process brought home two key points to USDA: choice and trust.
Opponents Likely to Pursue Litigation
The huge numbers of parents who want their children to get the health benefits of milk without exposing them to the dangers of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) and the antibiotics fed to cows in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), have contributed mightily to organic dairy farming enjoying quite a boom in the United States.
According to the USDA, “Between 2000 and 2005, the number of certified organic milk cows on U.S. farms increased by an annual average of 25%, from 38,000 to more than 86,000.”
The Center for Food Safety, with The Cornucopia Institute and others, has been embroiled in a court case fighting the release of GE-alfalfa. The case has been on hold while the USDA completed its court-ordered EIS. Opponents of GE-alfalfa are evaluating their choices and likely will resume their legal battle.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
It’s easy to think of farmers markets as a warm weather experience, especially in frigid winter climes, but change is clearly afoot. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Farmers Market Directory now lists 898 winter farmers markets across the country - more than 14% of the nation’s farmers markets – offering consumers more opportunity than ever to access locally grown food.
“Fresh, local, and healthful food isn’t just a good weather offering,” said David Shipman, Acting Administrator of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. “Clearly in many places, winter markets are hot despite the cold weather. Even in states where the traditional growing season is short, the market season is long. This allows more small and local farmers to continue bringing in income for their families and their businesses, while also providing great, nutritious food to communities year round.”
Farmers markets are considered winter farmers markets if they operate between November and March. The top 11 states for these markets are: New York (153), California (140), North Carolina (53), Florida (45), Pennsylvania (42), Ohio (34), Massachusetts (32), Kentucky (30), New Jersey (24), Connecticut (20), and Michigan (20).
Since 2009, winter markets have grown 17%. Farmers markets operating more than seven months per year have higher monthly sales than their strictly seasonal counterparts.
In August of 2010, the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory listed 6,132 operating farmers markets overall, a 16% rise from 2009. The National Farmers Market Directory has been collecting self-reported information about farmers markets since 1994.
Winter farmers markets feature local products, including seasonal produce, honey, herbs and baked goods. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal nutrition benefit programs are often accepted.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
"The herbicide doesn’t destroy plants directly. It rather cooks up a unique perfect storm of conditions that revs up disease-causing organisms in the soil, and at the same time wipes out plant defenses against those diseases."
While visiting a seed corn dealer’s demonstration plots in Iowa last fall, Dr. Don Huber walked passed a soybean field and noticed a distinct line separating severely diseased yellowing soybeans on the right from healthy green plants on the left (see photo below). The yellow section was suffering from Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease that ravaged the Midwest in 2009 and ’10, driving down yields and profits. Something had caused that area of soybeans to be highly susceptible and Don had a good idea what it was.
The diseased field on the right had glyphosate
applied the previous season. Photo by Don Huber
Don Huber spent 35 years as a plant pathologist at Purdue University and knows a lot about what causes green plants to turn yellow and die prematurely. He asked the seed dealer why the SDS was so severe in the one area of the field and not the other. “Did you plant something there last year that wasn’t planted in the rest of the field?” he asked. Sure enough, precisely where the severe SDS was, the dealer had grown alfalfa, which he later killed off at the end of the season by spraying a glyphosate-based herbicide (such as Roundup). The healthy part of the field, on the other hand, had been planted to sweet corn and hadn’t received glyphosate.
This was yet another confirmation that Roundup was triggering SDS. In many fields, the evidence is even more obvious. The disease was most severe at the ends of rows where the herbicide applicator looped back to make another pass (see photo below). That’s where extra Roundup was applied.
Sudden Death Syndrome is more severe at
the ends of rows, where Roundup dose
is strongest. Photo by Amy Bandy.
Don’s a scientist; it takes more than a few photos for him to draw conclusions. But Don’s got more—lots more. For over 20 years, Don studied Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate. He’s one of the world’s experts. And he can rattle off study after study that eliminate any doubt that glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in SDS, but to the outbreak of numerous other diseases. (See selected reading list.)
Roundup: The Perfect Storm for Plant Disease
More than 30% of all herbicides sprayed anywhere contain glyphosate—the world’s bestselling weed killer. It was patented by Monsanto for use in their Roundup brand, which became more popular when they introduced “Roundup Ready” crops starting in 1996. These genetically modified (GM) plants, which now include soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets, have inserted genetic material from viruses and bacteria that allows the crops to withstand applications of normally deadly Roundup.
(Monsanto requires farmers who buy Roundup Ready seeds to only use the company’s Roundup brand of glyphosate. This has extended the company’s grip on the glyphosate market, even after its patent expired in 2000.)
The herbicide doesn’t destroy plants directly. It rather cooks up a unique perfect storm of conditions that revs up disease-causing organisms in the soil, and at the same time wipes out plant defenses against those diseases. The mechanisms are well-documented but rarely cited.
The glyphosate molecule grabs vital nutrients and doesn’t let them go. This process is called chelation and was actually the original property for which glyphosate was patented in 1964. It was only 10 years later that it was patented as an herbicide. When applied to crops, it deprives them of vital minerals necessary for healthy plant function—especially for resisting serious soilborne diseases. The importance of minerals for protecting against disease is well established. In fact, mineral availability was the single most important measurement used by several famous plant breeders to identify disease-resistant varieties.
Glyphosate annihilates beneficial soil organisms, such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus bacteria that live around the roots. Since they facilitate the uptake of plant nutrients and suppress disease-causing organisms, their untimely deaths means the plant gets even weaker and the pathogens even stronger.
The herbicide can interfere with photosynthesis, reduce water use efficiency, lower lignin, damage and shorten root systems, cause plants to release important sugars, and change soil pH—all of which can negatively affect crop health.
Glyphosate itself is slightly toxic to plants. It also breaks down slowly in soil to form another chemical called AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) which is also toxic. But even the combined toxic effects of glyphosate and AMPA are not sufficient on their own to kill plants. It has been demonstrated numerous times since 1984 that when glyphosate is applied in sterile soil, the plant may be slightly stunted, but it isn’t killed (see photo below).
Glyphosate with sterile soil (A) only stunts plant growth.
In normal soil (B), pathogens kill the plant. Control (C)
shows normal growth.
The actual plant assassins, according to Purdue weed scientists and others, are severe disease-causing organisms present in almost all soils. Glyphosate dramatically promotes these, which in turn overrun the weakened crops with deadly infections.
“This is the herbicidal mode of action of glyphosate,” says Don. “It increases susceptibility to disease, suppresses natural disease controls such as beneficial organisms, and promotes virulence of soilborne pathogens at the same time.” In fact, he points out that “If you apply certain fungicides to weeds, it destroys the herbicidal activity of glyphosate!”
By weakening plants and promoting disease, glyphosate opens the door for lots of problems in the field. According to Don, “There are more than 40 diseases of crop plants that are reported to increase with the use of glyphosate, and that number keeps growing as people recognize the association between glyphosate and disease.”
Roundup Promotes Human & Animal Toxins
Some of the fungi promoted by glyphosate produce dangerous toxins that can end up in food and feed. Sudden Death Syndrome, for example, is caused by the Fusarium fungus. USDA scientist Robert Kremer found a 500% increase in Fusarium root infection of Roundup Ready soybeans when glyphosate is applied. Corn, wheat, and many other plants can also suffer from serious Fusarium-based diseases.
But Fusarium’s wrath is not limited to plants. According to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, toxins from Fusarium on various types of food crops have been associated with disease outbreaks throughout history. They’ve “been linked to the plague epidemics” of medieval Europe, “large-scale human toxicosis in Eastern Europe,” oesophageal cancer in southern Africa and parts of China, joint diseases in Asia and southern Africa, and a blood disorder in Russia. Fusarium toxins have also been shown to cause animal diseases and induce infertility.
As Roundup Use Rises, Plant Disease Skyrockets
When Roundup Ready crops were introduced in 1996, Monsanto boldly claimed that herbicide use would drop as a result. It did—slightly—for three years. But over the next 10 years, it grew considerably. Total herbicide use in the US jumped by a whopping 383 million pounds in the 13 years after GMOs came on the scene. The greatest contributor is Roundup.
Over time, many types of weeds that would once keel over with just a tiny dose of Roundup now require heavier and heavier applications. Some are nearly invincible. In reality, these super-weeds are resistant not to the glyphosate itself, but to the soilborne pathogens that normally do the killing in Roundup sprayed fields.
Having hundreds of thousands of acres infested with weeds that resist plant disease and weed killer has been devastating to many US farmers, whose first response is to pour on more and more Roundup. Its use is now accelerating. Nearly half of the huge 13-year increase in herbicide use took place in just the last 2 years. This has serious implications.
As US farmers drench more than 135 million acres of Roundup Ready crops with Roundup, plant diseases are enjoying an unprecedented explosion across America’s most productive crop lands. Don rattles off a lengthy list of diseases that were once under effective management and control, but are now creating severe hardship. (The list includes SDS and Corynespora root rot of soybeans, citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC), Fusarium wilt of cotton, Verticillium wilt of potato, take-all root, crown, and stem blight of cereals, Fusarium root and crown rot, Fusarium head blight, Pythium root rot and damping off, Goss’ wilt of corn, and many more.)
In Brazil, the new “Mad Soy Disease” is ravaging huge tracts of soybean acreage. Although scientists have not yet determined its cause, Don points out that various symptoms resemble a rice disease (bakanae) which is caused by Fusarium.
Corn Dies Young
In recent years, corn plants and entire fields in the Midwest have been dying earlier and earlier due to various diseases. Seasoned and observant farmers say they’re never seen anything like it.
“A decade ago, corn plants remained green and healthy well into September,” says Bob Streit, an agronomist in Iowa. “But over the last three years, diseases have turned the plants yellow, then brown, about 8 to 10 days earlier each season. In 2010, yellowing started around July 7th and yield losses were devastating for many growers.”
Bob and other crop experts believe that the increased use of glyphosate is the primary contributor to this disease trend. It has already reduced corn yields significantly. “If the corn dies much earlier,” says Bob, “it might collapse the corn harvest in the US, and threaten the food chain that it supports.”
A Question of Bugs
In addition to promoting plant diseases, which is well-established, spraying Roundup might also promote insects. That’s because many bugs seek sick plants. Scientists point out that healthy plants produce nutrients in a form that many insects cannot assimilate. Thus, farmers around the world report less insect problems among high quality, nutrient-dense crops. Weaker plants, on the other hand, create insect smorgasbords. This suggests that plants ravaged with diseases promoted by glyphosate may also attract more insects, which in turn will increase the use of toxic pesticides. More study is needed to confirm this.
Roundup Persists in the Environment
Monsanto used to boast that Roundup is biodegradable, claiming that it breaks down quickly in the soil. But courts in the US and Europe disagreed and found them guilty of false advertising. In fact, Monsanto’s own test data revealed that only 2% of the product broke down after 28 days.
Whether glyphosate degrades in weeks, months, or years varies widely due to factors in the soil, including pH, clay , types of minerals, residues from Roundup Ready crops, and the presence of the specialized enzymes needed to break down the herbicide molecule. In some conditions, glyphosate can grab hold of soil nutrients and remain stable for long periods. One study showed that it took up to 22 years for glyphosate to degrade only half its volume! So much for trusting Monsanto’s product claims.
Glyphosate can attack from above and below. It can drift over from a neighbors farm and wreak havoc. And it can even be released from dying weeds, travel through the soil, and then be taken up by healthy crops.
The amount of glyphosate that can cause damage is tiny. European scientists demonstrated that less than half an ounce per acre inhibits the ability of plants to take up and transport essential micronutrients.
As a result, more and more farmers are finding that crops planted in years after Roundup is applied suffer from weakened defenses and increased soilborne diseases. The situation is getting worse for many reasons.
• The glyphosate concentration in the soil builds up season after season with each subsequent application.
• Glyphosate can also accumulate for 6-8 years inside perennial plants like alfalfa, which get sprayed over and over.
• Glyphosate residues in the soil that become bound and immobilized can be reactivated by the application of phosphate fertilizers or through other methods. Potato growers in the West and Midwest, for example, have experienced severe losses from glyphosate that has been reactivated.
• Glyphosate can find its way onto farmland accidentally, through drifting spray, in contaminated water, and even through chicken manure!
Imagine the shock of farmers who spread chicken manure in their fields to add nutrients, but instead found that the glyphosate in the manure tied up nutrients in the soil, promoted plant disease, and killed off weeds or crops. Test results of the manure showed glyphosate/AMPA concentrations at a whopping 0.36-0.75 parts per million (ppm). The normal herbicidal rate of glyphosate is about 0.5 ppm/acre.
Manure from other animals may also be spreading the herbicide, since US livestock consume copious amounts of glyphosate—which accumulates in corn kernels and soybeans. If it isn’t found in livestock manure (or urine), that may be even worse. If glyphosate is not exiting the animal, it must be accumulating with every meal, ending up in our meat and possibly milk.
Add this threat to the already high glyphosate residues inside our own diets due to corn and soybeans, and we have yet another serious problem threatening our health. Glyphosate has been linked to sterility, hormone disruption, abnormal and lower sperm counts, miscarriages, placental cell death, birth defects, and cancer, to name a few. (See resource list on glyphosate health effects.)
Nutrient Loss in Humans & Animals
The same nutrients that glyphosate chelates and deprives plants are also vital for human and animal health. These include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, boron, and others. Deficiencies of these elements in our diets, alone or in combination, are known to interfere with vital enzyme systems and cause a long list of disorders and diseases.
Alzheimer’s, for example, is linked with reduced copper and magnesium. Don Huber points out that this disease has jumped 9000% since 1990.
Manganese, zinc, and copper are also vital for proper functioning of the SOD (superoxide dismustase) cycle. This is key for stemming inflammation and is an important component in detoxifying unwanted chemical compounds in humans and animals.
Glyphosate-induced mineral deficiencies can easily go unidentified and untreated. Even when laboratory tests are done, they can sometimes detect adequate mineral levels, but miss the fact that glyphosate has already rendered them unusable.
Glyphosate can tie up minerals for years and years, essentially removing them from the pool of nutrients available for plants, animals, and humans. If we combine the more than 135 million pounds of glyphosate-based herbicides applied in the US in 2010 with total applications over the past 30 years, we may have already eliminated millions of pounds of nutrients from our food supply.
This loss is something we simply can’t afford. We’re already suffering from progressive nutrient deprivation even without Roundup. In a UK study, for example, they found between 16-76% less nutrients in 1991, compared to levels in the same foods in 1940.
Livestock Disease & Mineral Deficiency
Roundup Ready crops dominate US livestock feed. Soy and corn are most prevalent—93% of US soy and nearly 70% of corn are Roundup Ready. Animals are also fed derivatives of the other three Roundup Ready crops: canola, sugar beets, and cottonseed. Nutrient loss from glyphosate can therefore be severe.
This is especially true for manganese (Mn), which is not only chelated by glyphosate, but also reduced in Roundup Ready plants . One veterinarian finds low manganese in every livestock liver he measures. Another vet sent the liver of a stillborn calf out for testing. The lab report stated: No Detectible Levels of Manganese—in spite of the fact that the mineral was in adequate concentrations in his region. When that vet started adding manganese to the feed of a herd, disease rates dropped from a staggering 20% to less than ½%.
Veterinarians who started their practice after GMOs were introduced in 1996 might assume that many chronic or acute animal disorders are common and to be expected. But several older vets have stated flat out that animals have gotten much sicker since GMOs came on the scene. And when they switch livestock from GMO to non-GMO feed, the improvement in health is dramatic. Unfortunately, no one is tracking this, nor is anyone looking at the impacts of consuming milk and meat from GM-fed animals.
Alfalfa Madness, Brought to You by Monsanto and the USDA
As we continue to drench our fields with Roundup, the perfect storm gets bigger and bigger. Don asks the sobering question: “How much of the hundreds of millions of pounds of glyphosate that have been applied to our most productive farm soils over the past 30 years is still available to damage subsequent crops through its effects on nutrient availability, increased disease, or reduced nutrient of our food and feed?”
Instead of taking urgent steps to protect our land and food, the USDA just made plans to make things worse. In December they released their Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Roundup Ready alfalfa, which Monsanto hopes to reintroduce to the market.
Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the US, grown on 22 million acres. It is used primarily as a high protein source to feed dairy cattle and other ruminant animals. At present, weeds are not a big deal for alfalfa. Only 7% of alfalfa acreage is ever sprayed with an herbicide of any kind. If Roundup Ready alfalfa is approved, however, herbicide use would jump to unprecedented levels, and the weed killer of choice would of course be Roundup.
Even without the application of glyphosate, the nutritional quality of Roundup Ready alfalfa will be less, since Roundup Ready crops, by their nature, have reduced mineral . When glyphosate is applied, nutrient quality suffers even more.
The chance that Roundup would increase soilborne diseases in alfalfa fields is a near certainty. In fact, Alfalfa may suffer more than other Roundup Ready crops. As a perennial, it can accumulate Roundup year after year. It is a deep-rooted plant, and glyphosate leaches into sub soils. And “Fusarium is a very serious pathogen of alfalfa,” says Don. “So too are Phytophthora and Pythium,” both of which are promoted by glyphosate. “Why would you even consider jeopardizing the productivity and nutrient quality of the third most valuable crop in the US?” he asks in frustration, “especially since we have no way of removing the gene once it is spread throughout the alfalfa gene pool.”
It’s already spreading. Monsanto had marketed Roundup Ready alfalfa for a year, until a federal court declared its approval to be illegal in 2007. They demanded that the USDA produce an EIS in order to account for possible environmental damage. But even with the seeds taken off the market, the RR alfalfa that had already been planted has been contaminating non-GMO varieties. Cal/West Seeds, for example, discovered that more than 12% of their seed lots tested positive for contamination in 2009, up from 3% in 2008.
In their EIS, the USDA does acknowledge that genetically modified alfalfa can contaminate organic and non-GMO alfalfa, and that this could create economic hardship. They are even considering the unprecedented step of placing restrictions on RR alfalfa seed fields, requiring isolation distances. Experience suggests that this will slow down, but not eliminate GMO contamination. Furthermore, studies confirm that genes do transfer from GM crops into soil and soil organisms, and can jump into fungus through cuts on the surface of GM plants. But the EIS does not adequately address these threats and their implications.
Instead, the USDA largely marches lock-step with the biotech industry and turns a blind eye to the widespread harm that Roundup is already inflicting. If they decide to approve Monsanto’s alfalfa, the USDA may ultimately be blamed for a catastrophe of epic proportions.
Please send a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging him not to approve Roundup Ready alfalfa, and to fully investigate the damage that Roundup and GMOs are already inflicting: Stop Roundup Ready Alfalfa
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book, Seeds of Deception, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on the topic. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been introduced. Mr. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
There’s a bowl of corn chips in front of you made from natural corn. Next to it are genetically modified (GM) corn chips. Which do you choose?
If you were a pig or cow, we know the answer—the natural corn. Farmers repeatedly let pigs or cows into pens with troughs of GM corn and non-GM corn. The animals would head straight to the closer trough, filled with the genetically modified organisms (GMOs). They’d sniff, maybe take a nibble, then go over to the trough with the natural corn. After finishing off the last kernel, they’d stop by the GM corn one more time just to check it out, but quickly walk away.
An Iowa farmer who read about the finicky livestock decided to see if squirrels had similar dispositions. He nailed an ear of GM corn and non-GM corn onto trees by his house. Sure enough, the squirrels ate only the natural stuff, over and over again. When the farmer stopped replacing the natural corn, the squirrels still refused to touch the GMO. After 10 cold winter days, they got up the courage to nibble a few kernels, but that was all they could handle.
Another curious farmer wanted to repeat this with the squirrels in his area. He bought a bag full of GM corn ears, and another of non-GM, and left it in his garage to wait for winter. He waited too long. Mice did the experiment for him. They broke into the natural corn bag and finished it. The GM cobs were untouched.
Farmers, gardeners, reporters, and scientists have noticed similar behavior on at least four continents. Chickens, elk, deer, and raccoons avoided GM corn, while geese, rats, and buffalo refused GM soy, tomatoes, and cottonseed, respectively. Why are animals put off by genetically engineered food? No one knows for sure, but let’s get back to the GM corn chips still sitting in front of you.
Dangerous Side-Effects
Genetic material from bacteria and viruses are forced into the corn’s DNA, which is then cloned into a plant. This process leads to substantial collateral damage, including changes in hundreds or thousands of natural corn genes, plus widespread mutations. Most of the side-effects are never tested for. We do know, for example, that an allergy producing gene, normally silent, gets switched on in a Monsanto corn variety. Proteins change shape, which might be a serious health hazard. And a compound called lignin is significantly overproduced. Lignin on its own may not be so bad, but in the process of producing it, the plant also produces rotenone, a natural pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease. No one has tested your chips to see if contains more rotenone.
In addition to the unpredicted changes, the genes inserted into the corn intentionally put more stuff into your snack food that may be hazardous. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready corn, and Bayer’s Liberty Link corn have added genes that allow the corn to withstand high doses of Roundup or Liberty herbicide. These varieties, therefore, have more weedkiller residues. Other GM varieties have inserted gene from bacteria that produce an insect killing toxin in every cell (and in every bite).
Genes inserted into GM crops don’t necessarily stay put. In the only human GM feeding experiment—done with Roundup Ready soy—functioning genes transferred into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines. This means that millions of Americans probably have Roundup Ready gut bacteria—unkillable with Roundup herbicide. No one has yet looked to see if GM corn genes also transfer. If they do, their insecticide-producing genes could turn your gut flora into living pesticide factories, continuously producing toxins inside you—long after you finish your bowl of chips.
Have you made your decision yet? If you still need encouragement, check out last issue of Urban Garden to find out why the American Academy of Environmental Medicine wants doctors across the country to prescribe non-GMO diets to everyone.
But aren’t GMOs Supposed to Feed the World?
If you’re feeling some moral imperative to support GMOs, that’s understandable. The biotech industry spent more than $250 million convincing you that its gene-spliced foods are the answer to the sick and starving. So don’t be embarrassed if you fell for it. Many leading US politicians have likewise been mesmerized by this long running PR ploy. Clinton’s Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman spoke candidly to a St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter about the pro-GMO attitude embedded in the US government:
“It was almost immoral to say that it wasn’t good, because it was going to solve the problems of the human race and feed the hungry and clothe the naked. . . . And if you’re against it, you’re Luddites, you’re stupid. . . . You felt like you were almost an alien, disloyal, by trying to present an open-minded view.”
Glickman acknowledged that he too “spouted the rhetoric,” admitting, “it was written into my speeches.”
The current Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack, is the latest GMO cheerleader. As Iowa’s governor, he gave Monsanto an award in 2000, and the next year was anointed Biotech Governor of the Year by the biotech industry trade organization.
In October 2009, Vilsack tried to play the “feed the world” card at a conference sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition. Bad move Tom. The people in the room were actually experts at feeding the world. Attendees included numerous PhDs and eminent scholars, such as the co-chairman and several leading authors of the authoritative IAASTD report, the world’s most comprehensive evaluation of agriculture.
This crowd knew that GMOs had no answers for world hunger. The IAASTD report, for example, concluded that the current generation of GMOs does not reduce hunger and poverty, does not improve nutrition, or does not facilitate social and environmental sustainability. A comprehensive analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that GMOs do not increase yield; in fact, on average they reduce yield. A USDA study showed that farmers’ income doesn’t increase, and in some cases, it decreases. And it doesn’t help the overall economy either.
The federal government has been spending $3-5 billion per year to prop up the prices of the GM crops no one else wants.
Thus, when Secretary Vilsack invoked “the ever-increasing population of the globe and the capacity to be able to feed all of those people," as the excuse to promote GMOs, he was greeted by moans, groans, hisses, and even boos.
That didn’t stop Vilsack from playing the same card two days later, but this time he was at the World Food Prize conference. That’s sponsored by the biotech industry, so they were overjoyed that the Ag Secretary was still supporting their myth.
How Do You Choose Non-GMO?
Are you now ready to choose the bowl of natural chips? If so, you’re not alone. Most Americans, according to a CBS/New York Times poll, would also choose foods made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs) if they knew which was which—if they were labeled. But unlike most other industrialized nations, GMOs don’t have to be labeled in the US or Canada. Therefore, avoiding GM foods here takes some doing.
Tip #1: Buy Organic
The best way is to buy organic foods, which don’t allow the use of GMOs. And you also benefit from organics’ higher average levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and lower pesticide residues.
Tip #2: Look for “Non-GMO” Labels
Some companies voluntarily label products as “non-GMO.” The best label is now the Non-GMO Project Verified seal. It’s the new uniform, third party verified standard for non-GMO claims that is spreading through the industry.
Tip #3: Consult the Non-GMO Shopping Guide
For a handy list of non-GMO brands by category, go to www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com. View it online, download or order copies, and look for the Mobile Phone Application coming soon.
Tip #4: Avoid At-Risk Ingredients
If it’s not labeled organic or non-GMO, and the brand is not listed in the Guide, look at the ingredient panel to see if it contains any at-risk GMOs. The most pervasive GMOs are derivatives of corn and soy. Here are some common ones. (A more comprehensive list is available in the Non-GMO Shopping Guide.)
Corn
• Flour, meal, oil, starch, gluten, and syrups
• Sweeteners such as fructose, dextrose, and glucose
Soy
• Flour, oil, lecithin, protein, isolate, and isoflavones
Oil from canola and cottonseed are genetically modified. Sugar from GM sugar beets was introduced in late 2008, but a recent ruling in a federal lawsuit may eventually drive it out of our food supply. For now, if the sugar doesn’t say pure cane, it’s likely blended with beet sugar.
Other than corn, there are only three items in the produce section that may be genetically modified. That includes papaya from Hawaii (yes, only Hawaii) and a small amount of zucchini and yellow squash. Mercifully popcorn is not GMO.
Aspartame, the artificial sweetener also known as NutraSweet and Equal, is derived from GM microorganisms.
Meat, fish, eggs and dairy.
FDA scientists had warned that animals fed GMOs might bio-accumulate toxins, which end up in milk, meat, or eggs. Their concerns were ignored and no safety studies have looked into this. Most US livestock, and even farmed fish, are fed GM soy or corn. To avoid GM-fed animal products, buy organic, wild caught, or 100% grass-fed. Fortunately, there are no genetically modified fish, fowl, or livestock yet approved for human consumption.
Dairy products also carry the risk that the cows were injected with genetically engineered bovine growth hormone, (rbST or rbGH). The milk from drugged cows has more pus, antibiotics, bovine growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is a powerful hormone and a high risk factor for cancer. That’s primarily why the American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, and many other groups condemn the use of rbGH.
Consumer concerns about rbGH has forced Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Dannon, Yoplait, and most of the major dairies in the US to stop using the hormone. Look for labels, consult the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, or buy organic dairy products.
Moving GMOs Out of the Market
The declining fortunes of rbGH demonstrate the power of informed consumers. As more and more people linked the milk hormone to cancer, marketing executives realized that allowing their suppliers to use the controversial drug was bad for sales. Because the mainstream media has been pretty silent on the health effects, it took a few years of a concerted consumer education to start the dominoes falling. If the hazards of rbGH had made headline news, the tipping point would have been swift.
The experience of GMOs in Europe shows us just how swift markets can move. In late January of 1999, biotech representatives predicted that 95% of all commercial seeds would be genetically engineered by 2004. But just a few weeks later, their plans to replace nature crashed. On February 16th, the gag order imposed on a scientist who had conducted GMO safety studies was lifted by order of the UK Parliament. When Dr. Arpad Pusztai, the top scientist in his field, discovered the extensive damage that a GMO diet can cause, he was fired after 35 years and silenced with threats of legal action. When he finally was able to speak, all hell broke loose.
Within the week, the European press reeled off 159 column feet of articles. Within the month, 750 articles on GMOs were circulating. According to one editor, the coverage divided society into two warring blocks. Within just 10 weeks, the tipping point of consumer rejection was achieved. GM ingredients had become a marketing liability. At the end of April, Unilever publicly committed to remove GMOs from its European brands. Within the week, so did nearly every other major food company.
These same companies continue to use GM ingredients in the US, where the Pusztai controversy was not reported. Here, only one in four people are even aware that they’ve ever eaten a genetically engineered food in their lives.
Engineering a US Tipping Point
The Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to achieve a tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs in the US. Several indicators suggest that it’s not far off. A December 2009 issue of Supermarket News, for example, predicted “The coming year promises to bring about a greater, more pervasive awareness” of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food supply.” This trade publication, which is used by food executives as a source of industry news and trends, attributed this coming uprising in part to the Campaign’s new Non-GMO Shopping Guide.
The article describes how food “culprits” such as fat, carbs, salt, and added sugar can “define the decade” for the food industry; companies scramble to create new low-culprit or culprit-free options. When the specter of GMO health dangers surfaces onto consumers’ radar screen, however, there will be a significant difference. Whereas traditional ingredient culprits offer some consumer appeal like better taste or texture, GM foods do not. Furthermore, companies can usually eliminate GMOs without even changing recipes. They can simply substitute the non-GMO soy or non-GM corn, without reformulating.
Therefore, when the industry gets hit with the anti-GMO tipping point, they won’t create separate brand options of low GMO or GMO-free. Instead, they will eliminate all GMOs from their brands and proudly proclaim that here as they do in Europe.
The number of shoppers rejecting GMOs need only be a tiny amount, perhaps 5% of Americans, in order to convince food companies to do a brand-wide GMO cleanout. But when you look at the numbers, no matter how you slice it, they add up to a coming non-GMO tidal wave.
More than 9% of Americans regularly buy organic. About 29% are strongly opposed to GM foods and believe they are unsafe. And 53% say they would avoid GMOs if labeled. While most people do not conscientiously avoid brands with GM ingredients, it’s usually because they don’t know how. Hence the importance of the Non-GMO Shopping Guide.
Time to take charge
There are so many people predisposed to reject GMOs, we can achieve a tipping point without ever having to convince those who are resistant. Just by educating the people who want to know why GMOs are unsafe and how to avoid them, we can kick GMOs out of the food supply.
The Campaign offers educational tools that are easy to use and to pass onto others. There are right-brain books, left-brain books, videos for the visual learner, brochures, articles, podcasts, CDs, PowerPoints, and of course, shopping guides.
The Campaign also provides strategies and support materials designed specifically for the most receptive targeted groups: Health- and environmentally-conscious shoppers, parents, healthcare professionals, chefs and food service professionals, and even religious groups.
If you would like to lend a hand and help protect the health of those you care about, visit healthiereating.org and look at the action items and tools available. Little did you know that a bowl of chips would turn you into an activist…
To learn more about the health dangers of GMOs, and what you can do to help end the genetic engineering of our food supply, visit www.ResponsibleTechnology.org.
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book, Seeds of Deception, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on the topic. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been introduced. Mr. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Favorable court rulings may have left the impression that organic farms were safe from contamination by genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, but that is not the case.
In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) needed to conduct a review of the potential environmental impact of GE alfalfa, but according to our friend Katy Kiefer at Food & Water Watch, "USDA has rushed through this process because big agribusiness wants to be allowed to plant GE alfalfa this spring."
Katy says, "GE alfalfa is likely to contaminate other crops, including organic alfalfa. Organic dairies need organic alfalfa as feed for their cows, and organic standards don't allow the use of GE crops. Contamination of organic crops from GE crops can destroy markets for organic farmers."
Millions of American families have made it crystal clear through their shopping choices that they want organic milk for their children. A message needs to be sent to President Obama that our children's health is more important than increasing the profits of Monsanto, a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food. They challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Grazing with Mom (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
“Burrowing out of the recession, hungry consumers will be exploring more exotic territory in the quest for unique flavors and nourishing foods in 2011.” So writes the Center for Culinary Development (CCD), which will be profiling food and beverage trends it expects to be buzz-generating in its 2011 issues of the bi-monthly Culinary Trend Mapping Report.
CCD employs a signature 5-stage Trend Mapping® technique -- where Stage 1 trends are emerging from independent restaurants and Stage 5's have landed in the mainstream. We couldn’t help but notice that among the spotted trends, Grass-fed Dairy was designated Stage 3, indicating to us that huge numbers of consumers are well ahead of government regulators on the health and flavor benefits of products made from raw milk, free of artificial hormones and containing higher levels of healthful fatty acids.
According to CCD, “…products made from grass-fed dairy appeal to both health-focused consumers and those seeking more natural, traditional and authentic foodstuffs.” That observation is certainly in line with the enthusiastic response we have seen to America’s artisanal cheeses crafted from raw milk produced by grass-fed cows.
A previous post on American Feast's Sustainable Food Blog explained further about what is at stake:
Family-scale dairy farms feeding free-roaming cows on healthy grass face tough competition from concentrated animal feeding operations. The densely penned cows at CAFOs are sickened from being fed the abundance of corn grown with massive government subsidies, posing a very real threat to human health. Cow droppings make good fertilizer on small farms, but at CAFOs the immense amount of waste is a toxic threat to the health of people and the environment.
Of course, people around the globe have been safely consuming raw milk and cheeses for thousands of years.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
He brought 20 years of experience in organic farming to his government service and had played a key role in the development of the USDA's organic standards.
The free exchange of ideas is so vital to a healthy democracy, it was particularly disturbing to learn that Mark D. Keating was terminated as an Agricultural Marketing Specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program (NOP) for expressing personal opinions in communications with the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
In an interview, Mr. Keating said the official reasons given for his termination were a "complete fabrication." He added, "I was the guy who knew too much."
Mr. Keating brought 20 years of experience in various aspects of organic farming to his government service. He was once an organic farmer himself and played a key role in the development of the USDA's organic standards and the establishment of the sustainable agriculture program at the University of Kentucky. "Abandoning traditional processes has brought new problems," he said.
Mr. Keating is convinced that it was the "political hierarchy" at the USDA rather than knowledgeable civil servants who were responsible for his termination. When asked whether powerful corporate interests had sought his dismissal, he said he had no evidence to support such a claim. He did say that giant agribusiness believes it has provided the "most abundant and cheapest food supply in the world" and the criticism leveled at it by sustainable farming advocates has led to "hurt feelings" in the industry.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals, is urging the NOP to reverse its decision. PEER contends that Mr. Keating did not contradict official policy, but was aiding an advisory panel in formulating recommendations for official policy.
PEER argues that his termination:
• Violates Obama administration policies encouraging "free and open inquiry" by scientists and other technical specialists; and
• Is at odds with policies adopted by other agencies, such as the Department of Interior, promoting the "free exchange of ideas" while formulating policy.
Mr. Keating's job description called for "wide latitude to exercise independent judgment" to "influence, motivate, and persuade the very diverse constituent population of the NOP." Since he was hired just last April, Mr. Keating was still a probationary employee with limited rights to appeal his dismissal.
If, as Mr. Keating maintains, the official reasons given for his dismissal were fabricated, then why was he fired? He says the truth lies in the answer to, "Who in the political leadership would object to my work?"
Undue Corporate Influence at USDA?
Last September, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) published the results of a survey of USDA scientists and inspectors responsible for food safety. "Hundreds of scientists and inspectors responsible for food safety have personally experienced political interference in their work, and that's bad for public health," said Francesca Grifo, director of UCS's Scientific Integrity Program at the time. "Both the administration and Congress need to act."
More than 1,700 respondents took part in the survey, which was conducted for UCS by the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics. Most of the respondents had worked at their agency for more than ten years.
Disappointing Appointments at USDA
Back in 2008, Ronnie Cummins, executive director of Organic Consumers Association (OCA), told Democracy Now! about his opposition to the appointment of Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture:
"Vilsack has been an ardent promoter, not only of genetically engineered foods and crops, but also of the extremely controversial biopharmaceutical crops, which involves [inaudible] pharmaceutical drugs or industrial chemicals into food crops. Even, you know, quite a few people in the biotech industry are alarmed by these biopharmaceuticals, since you could get dangerous drugs throughout the food supply."
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote, "Unfortunately, Mr. Obama on Wednesday chose Tom Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa who has longstanding ties to agribusiness interests, as agriculture secretary - his weakest selection so far."
During the presidential campaign many sustainability advocates were encouraged by this statement from then candidate Obama, “"We'll tell ConAgra that it's not the Department of Agribusiness. It's the Department of Agriculture. We're going to put the people's interests ahead of the special interests."
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon approve the sale of genetically engineered (GE) salmon to American consumers. Incredibly, the FDA may do so without requiring that the fish be labeled as geneticall engineered.
Marion Nestle, a professor in the Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health Department at New York University has said, “The public wants to know and the public has a right to know. I think the agency has discretion, but it's under enormous political pressure to approve [the salmon] without labeling.”
Misleading Shoppers as a Sales Strategy?
Wild salmon delivers tremendous nutritional benefits, but the possible action by the FDA could lead shoppers seeking healthy food for their families tp unknowingly buy a GE substitute. Scientists have cautioned that there has been insufficient study of its impact on human health and the environment.
The nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists states on its web site:
So far, scientists have identified a number of ways in which genetically engineered organisms could potentially adversely impact both human health and the environment…In addition to posing risks of harm that we can envision and attempt to assess, genetic engineering may also pose risks that we simply do not know enough to identify.
Frightening New Revelations on Environmental Impact
After submitting a Freedom of Information Act request, the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch received numerous recent internal documents and emails from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) exposing startling concerns about the GE salmon for which the company AquaBounty is seeking approval.
“Nice work Greg,” Denise Hawkins, PhD, FWS Regional Geneticist wrote to a coworker in September. “Especially pointing out that there is no data to support the claims of low survival in the event of escape, which I agree with you all is a big concern. I also agree…that using triploid fish [which AquaBounty claim have undergone a sterilization process] is not foolproof. Maybe they [the FDA] should watch Jurassic Park.”
A Very Real Threat to Wild Salmon
The FDA is required by law to conduct an environmental impact statement for any regulatory action that could negatively affect the human environment. The agency has not done so yet. Despite AquaBounty’s claim to produce only sterile salmon, the company admitted that up to 5% of their GE salmon eggs could be fertile, prompting the FDA to label the company's claims “potentially misleading”.
According to FWS internal emails, contrary to AquaBounty’s claims that GE salmon would be grown in closed systems (and therefore unable to escape), FWS employees received news of a proposal to grow the fish in a facility that would discharge into the ocean off the coast of Maine.
“No matter what precautions you take, fish escape and once they do, there is no closing that door. So, that being said, I think it is very bad precedent to set,” said one FWS program supervisor.
The FDA is closing a public comment period on November 22nd and could approve the product as soon as November 23rd.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Cypress Grove, Original Crafters of Great American Goat Cheeses
Midnight Moon & Humbodlt Fog Cheeses (photos courtesy of Cypress Grove)
It’s hard to imagine a time when goat cheese wasn’t popular in the U.S., but a mere 25 years ago virtually all the goat cheese sold in the U.S. was imported from Europe. That’s where the story of Cypress Grove begins, when a few enterprising Americans, mostly women, made small batches of goat cheese in their kitchens and began selling it to discerning restaurant owners and retailers. One of those entrepreneurial Americans was Mary Keehn, the Founder of Cypress Grove.
Wanting a source of healthful milk for her children, Mary began raising Alpine goats in the 1970s. She quickly discovered that she had a natural talent for selectively breeding goats. Her herd began winning numerous awards and before she knew it, Mary was recognized as America’s premier breeder of Alpine dairy goats.
Necessity Leads to a Mother's Invention
As Mary’s goat stock continued to improve, she was faced with an unexpected consequence: surplus milk from 50 goats! Armed with her kitchen stove, way too much goat milk, and a knack for inventing unique and delicious recipes, Mary began dabbling with cheese making. It soon became clear that selective goat breeding was only one of Mary’s many talents; she had a natural flair for cheese making as well.
In 1983, with the help of family and friends, Mary made the move from kitchen hobbyist to cheese making entrepreneur…and footwear aficionado! Often entrepreneurs talk about wearing many hats. Mary remembers footwear: rubber boots for milking goats, sterile clogs for making cheese, comfortable shoes for office work, and relative to the rest, uncharacteristically high heels for sales and marketing! Local chefs and restaurants bought her cheese and word spread fast about the taste and quality.
Truffle Tremor (photo courtesy of Cyrpress Grove)
Even the Best Needs Time to Succeed
From the outset, Mary strove to make the highest quality, best-tasting artisanal cheeses. Market acceptance, however, was slow. Americans, it seemed, had become accustomed not only to the strong, tangy goat cheeses made in France, but also bland, sliced “cheese” wrapped in plastic. It took quite a few years before consumers developed a palate for the smooth, delicate flavors of Cypress Grove cheeses. Mary used this period of slow, steady growth to take special care of her customers and to work in conjunction with other goat cheese pioneers to develop the American market.
Patience, hard work and a commitment to quality paid off, and over time a large, loyal following began to seek out the Cypress Grove label. Today, Cypress Grove Chevre employs 42 and has awards from the American Cheese Society, the U.S. Cheese Championship, the World Cheese Awards and the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade.
A Commitment to Quality Matched by a Commitment to Community
In 2009, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) presented Mary with its Small Business Person of the Year award. The SBA award’s criteria is not only for developing an outstanding business; a business must also help make a contribution to the community.
“We realize that quality must be evident in more than the cheese,” said Mary. “We have to have excellent milk, and that means healthy goats and family farms. By contributing to our employees and community, we make it clear that we are all motivated by the same commitment to quality of life. This award affirms that our focus is appreciated and valued by the business community as well as by our customers.”
Today, Cypress Grove is renowned for its innovative range of fresh, aged and ripened cheeses, many invented by Mary. The company continues to garner international awards for excellence and is a recognized leader in the making of artisanal goat cheese in the U.S.
If you’d like to leaqrn more about some of Cypress Grove’s most acclaimed artisanal goat cheeses click on any of the following:
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
On a golden, dappled-sun Sunday afternoon in October, Slow Food’s founder Carlo Petrini spoke to an amphitheater full of foodies. By foodies, I mean old hippies, professors, farmers, restaurant operators, and journalists. That was about half the crowd, the other half, whom Petrini had come to see were Princeton students.
One Man’s Quest
Petrini began his quest for good food in the mid eighties when McDonald’s attempted to put a McDonald’s hamburger joint in his hometown in Italy.
Now, I ask you. What was McDonald’s thinking? Not only are Italians bound to tradition, and ceremony, and strict values, they are as stubborn as army mules. The very idea that they thought they could plop down one of their slimy faux food places in his little piece of Italian heaven, the Spanish Steps in Rome, did not go down well.
And, as we have seen, the power of an idea, the quest of one man, the fire and passion of a movement, has changed the way the world sees food and promises to save our world from itself. As well as from the McDonald’s of the world.
How did Petrini do this? In 1977, he began contributing culinary articles to communist daily newspapers il manifesto and l’Unità.
Today, he is an editor of multiple publications at the publishing house Slow Food Editore and writes several weekly columns for La Stampa. He was one of Time Magazine’s heroes of 2004. In 2004, he founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences, a school intended to bridge the gap between agriculture and gastronomy.
No Farmers, No Food
So what did he have to say at Princeton? He exhorted the students to become farmers, pointing out that fewer than 1% of Americans are engaged in farming now, as opposed to a number approaching 30%, 50 years ago. When he asked for a show of hands, two went up.
Petrini pointed out that eating is an agricultural act. And it is his firm belief that unless people get reconnected to their food, to the earth, and to the process of making food, the entire universe is doomed.
He understood, he said, that students today have a deeper understanding and sense of responsibility to culinary and biodiversity than they did 20 years ago.
The Food System Has Caused a Food Crisis
He went on to say, that Michelle Obama (who has just been named one of the top 100 game changers in America this year by Huffington Post, for her work in food) got her start when she was a student at Princeton which has had a large organic garden for years.
Petrini believes (and we certainly agree) that the current food system is responsible for the current food crisis. And that we must change the system on a global level to effect any meaningful change.
Factory Farming & the Loss of Biodiversity
Not only has factory farming depleted the soil, and ruined the quality of food grown there, it has caused us to lose biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity is the result of a loss of variety in both animal breeds and plant varieties based on market demand. In our current system, only price matters. But we have lost the perspective to understand the difference in value and price.
Petrini concluded that we must change and we must change quickly. He pointed out that Rome fell, their empire collapsed, and all was lost because they couldn’t grasp a vision for the future.
Carlo Petrini believes Slow Food is that vision. We agree.
You will be energized as we are here at The Silver Cloud Diet. It’s nice to see someone who agrees with us and carries the flag. Thank you Mr. Petrini.
To learn more about the Slow Food Movement and find a local chapter, go to: Slow Food USA
Linda West Eckhardt
Linda West Eckhardt is a James Beard Award winning cookbook author and Co-founder of The Silver Cloud Diet.
To learn more about Linda West Eckhardt’s most recent work on healthy weight control, go to: The Silver Cloud Diet
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Will the FDA Approve Frankenfish While Battling Artisanal Cheeses?
Grazing with Mom (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
It was more than a little disturbing to learn that while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may be on the verge of approving genetically engineered salmon, it went ahead and shut down an artisanal cheesemaker in Montesano, Washington due to concern over raw milk contamination.
Montesano’s Estrella Family Creamery is a family-owned business with a grass-based farm that scored big at the prestigious 2010 American Cheese Society Awards:
• Weebles: First in class (Smoked Italian Styles)
• Caldwell Crik Chevrett: First in class (Sheep's or Mixed Milks)
• Jalapeño Buttery: Second prize (Flavored, Peppers)
Estrella's cheeses were also served at a James Beard Dinner in New York, but according to a blog post from Beth Buczynski on care2.com, “FDA officials arrived unannounced at the most well-known artisanal creamery in Washington and posted a seizure order that named all cheeses on the property.”
Ms. Buczynski writes that the FDA acted after “…an inspection by the Washington State Department of Agriculture turned up Listeria monocytogenes (L-mono), a bacteria found in animal feces, in the creamery's production areas and in its finished cheese, according to court records.”
The FDA’s seizure order includes every cheese in production at Estrella, not just those that tested positive for L-mono, despite the fact that no illnesses had been linked to the company’s foods, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
Estrella’s co-owner Kelli Estrella told the Seattle Times, "We very aggressively went after the problem." The company voluntarily recalled several cheeses, destroyed some of them, and paused production while it improved the facility, but that was not enough to keep the FDA from moving forward.
On the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund web site, attorney Pete Kennedy criticizes the heavy handedness of the FDA’s actions, “For the last thirty-eight years, and possibly further back, there have been no reports of illness caused by the consumption of raw milk that was attributed to L-mono.”
“All Estrella Family Creamery cheeses are made with raw milk from animals grazed in our organically maintained pastures,” says the creamery’s web site.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Wild Salmon Leaping Upstream (photo by Matthew G. Hull, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Concerned about the prospect of genetically modified (GM) animals making it into America’s food supply? We are, and we're very disturbed that GM salmon may soon be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) with no labeling required.
The GM salmon would be the first genetically modified animal ever approved for consumption by American families. The freakish salmon produced by engineering grows to fives times the size of Atlantic salmon in the wild. Its approval would set a terrible precedent, certain to smooth the way for all manner of genetically modified animals making it into the food supply and untraceable.
The nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists states on its web site:
So far, scientists have identified a number of ways in which genetically engineered organisms could potentially adversely impact both human health and the environment…In addition to posing risks of harm that we can envision and attempt to assess, genetic engineering may also pose risks that we simply do not know enough to identify.
Health and environmental concerns have led many countries and regions around the world to ban various GM foods and crops.
GM Foods Are Not the Answer to World Hunger
As for the claim that GM foods are needed to feed a hungry world, Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program has concluded "...that GE (genetic engineering) has done little to increase overall crop yields." And a major study conducted at the University of Kansas has found that the controversial technology actually reduces crop yields.
In 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks."
Labeling GM Foods
We have long called for the labeling of GM foods. We believe giant biotech corporations resist labeling because they know consumers do not want to purchase GM foods. There doesn’t seem to be a single company that has voluntarily labeled its products as genetically engineered.
Marion Nestle, a professor in the Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health Department at New York University, has been quoted by the Washington Post, “The public wants to know and the public has a right to know. I think the agency has discretion, but it's under enormous political pressure to approve [the salmon] without labeling.”
Many people are unaware that they are regularly consuming GE foods because they are not labeled. As Elise Pearlstein, producer of the Oscar-nominated film Food Inc. has said, "It's outrageous that genetically modified foods don't need to be labeled...Whatever your position, you should have the right to make informed choices, and we don't."
Tell Congress to Protect Our Families
Now, Katy Kiefer of the nonprofit Food & Water Watch tells us a bill has been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives that would ban genetically engineered fish from reaching our food system. Our elected representatives need to hear directly from every concerned citizen who supports such a ban.
Food & Water Watch is looking for volunteers to help collect postcards to support legislation that would ban GE fish. To learn more about how you might help, go to: Food & Water Watch – Take Action
To view tips from the Organic Consumers Association on avoiding GM foods, go to: Non-GMO Shopping Guide
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Thousands Gather for Slow Food Conference in Turin, Italy
Organic Cherry (photo by xololounge, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
The frontline of the international food movement—sustainable producers, farmers, cooks, educators and activists—stormed Turin this week for one of the largest sustainable food gatherings in the world, the Slow Food international conference Terra Madre.
"There is a crisis in our food system with four people dying this week in the USA because of contaminated food and last month the recall of over half a billion salmonella tainted eggs," said Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA.
"I see people all over the USA and the world working to transform the way we row our food. We aren't settling for an industrialized food system that destroys the environment and makes people sick. There is a better way." he continued.
Slow Food USA, the fastest growing national Slow Food organization internationally, boasts 225 chapters across the country and over 207,000 supporters, with new chapters, in both communities and campuses across the country launching nearly every week. The international Slow Food network is now represented in 166 countries worldwide.
"There is now a new protagonist in the food system – the food movement."
In the fourth bi-annual Terra Madre conference, over 8,000 participants – 700 from the USA – gather to share stories and knowledge about projects as diverse as building edible schoolyards, pioneering the use of mobile slaughterhouses, greening supermarkets and running field to plate restaurants.
"The Terra Madre participants who are at the frontline of this movement are constantly innovating and exploring new ways to build a world where food is good for the farmer, good for the planet and good for those eating it."
To learn more about the Slow Food Movement and find a local chapter, go to: Slow Food USA
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
American Feast Talks with the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group
A Napa Oak Overlooks Vines (image courtesy of Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group)
There's an excellent chance that your favorite Napa Valley winegrower is a member of the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group which was formed in 1995 to promote integrated pest management practices in Napa County, California. The mission of the Group is to identify and promote winegrowing practices that are economically viable, socially responsible and environmentally sound.
Specifically, the Group promotes viticultural land stewardship through educational outreach to:
• Optimize ecological stability and winegrape productivity and quality by understanding and emulating natural processes such as biodiversity, carbon and nutrient cycling, and plant-soil interactions.
• Reduce pesticide inputs through cultural practices, biological control, and use of alternative materials.
• Promote soil health through erosion control, reduced tillage, soil analysis, and the amendment of soils with cover crops and compost.
• Enhance returns on investment by promoting the value-added nature of sustainable winegrapes along with terroir and increased vineyard longevity.
The Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group is comprised of members representing Napa winegrape growers, vintners, and local government and educational organizations. The Group represents over 25,000 acres of farmed vineyard land and over 20,000 acres of un-farmed/wild land as of March 2007.
In a 5-part podcast interview, American Feast's Doug Ferber has a talk with the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group to learn more about their important work.
USDA Announces $8.3 Million in Grants for Rural Co-ops
Farm in Autumn (photo by Gracey Stinson, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager has announced support to help rural cooperatives expand economic activity in their communities. The Under Secretary made the announcement yesterday during a speech in Washington D.C. marking October as National Cooperative Month.
According to the National Cooperative Business Association, the nation's 30,000 cooperatives account for more than $650 billion in revenue and more than 2 million jobs.
"President Obama and Secretary Vilsack have recognized the importance of America's Rural Cooperatives during Cooperative Month. Rural cooperatives not only provide thousands of jobs, they invigorate local communities and businesses," Tonsager said.
"The grants I am announcing today will help these recipients continue their work. Their success underscores the importance of the cooperative system as a successful business model."
The funding is being provided through USDA's Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) program. During his speech, Tonsager highlighted several cooperative projects and acknowledged the efforts of co-op officials from across the country.
Farm to Table
One of the cooperatives acknowledged by the Under Secretary, Farm to Table, plans to use a $142,382 grant to improve economic conditions in rural New Mexico. It will collaborate with New Mexico's oldest member-owned cooperative – La Montanita – on a best practices curriculum for food system cooperative development, and on a new loan investment initiative for food systems businesses.
The Mississippi Association of Cooperatives will use its $225,000 in grant funding to provide small and minority farmers with development assistance. The Center focuses the vast majority of its efforts on the most distressed rural areas of the state. The group helps minority farmers establish financially sound businesses.
For a complete list of organizations that have been selected to receive Rural Cooperative Development Grants, go to: USDA
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Rochester Public Market Voted America's Favorite Farmers Market
Fresh Radishes (photo by Xenia Antunes, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
With a resounding 2,400-vote margin over its nearest competitor, the Rochester Public Market won the 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Market™ contest, with over 5,200 votes in the large market category. For over a century the Market has been a link between the city, its countryside, and the region's farmers; and has been a source of diversity, character, community, and substantial contributions to the region's economy, ecology, and equity.
The America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest is a project of the American Farmland Trust. The contest is designed to raise national awareness about the importance of supporting fresh food from local farms and farmers. Market shoppers vote to support their favorite farmers market starting June 1st until midnight on August 31st, 2010. People can vote for as many participating farmers markets as they choose, but can only vote for each market once.
The Top Ten in the in the Large Market Category:
1. City of Rochester Public Market: Rochester, NY
2. Davis Farmers Market: Davis, CA
3. Fulton Street Farmers Market: Grand Rapids, MI
4. Ballard Farmers Market: Seattle, WA
5. Mountain View Farmers Market: Mountain View, CA
6. Flint Farmers Market: Flint, MI
7. Ithaca Farmers Market: Ithaca, NY
8. Chattanooga Market: Chattanooga, TN
9. Las Cruces Farmers & Crafts Market: Las Cruces, NM
10. Iowa City Farmer's Market: Iowa City, IA
American Farmland Trust representatives will visit the Rochester Public Market to present the award on Thursday, October 7th. Rochester’s Mayor, Robert Duffy, will speak at the awards ceremony on the importance of agriculture and farmers markets to the state’s economy and public health.
Other farmers markets that placed in New York’s top five include the Saratoga Farmers Market, the Ithaca Farmers Market, the Westside Farmers Market, and the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market.
American Farmland Trust is the nation’s leading conservation organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and supporting a sustainable future for farms. Since its founding in 1980 by a group of farmers and citizens concerned about the rapid loss of farmland to development, American Farmland Trust has helped save millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for the adoption of conservation practices on millions more.
To learn more about the 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Market contest, go to: American Farmland Trust
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
B.R. Cohn's Artisans Handcraft Vinegars Using the Ancient "Orleans Process"
Tasting Room & Vineyard (photos courtesy of B.R. Cohn)
Located in beautiful Glen Ellen, California, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley, B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company is committed to providing exceptional products that satisfy those hungry for new adventures in food. Since its founding the company has continued to garner numerous local and international awards as well as accolades from the gourmet world.
B.R. Cohn's Picholine olive trees, imported from France, are a rarity in a region dominated by Italian and Spanish varietals. They were planted in the 1870s as part of a growing olive oil industry that went into decline at the turn of the 20th century. In the early 1990s, Bruce Cohn and other pioneers brought about a renaissance in California olive oil leading to a new recognition of California olive oils as world-class offerings. As a natural complement to the olive oils, wine-inspired vinegars were added to the menu.
All B.R. Cohn extra virgin olive oils bear the Seal of Quality from the California Olive Oil Council, having passed a laboratory analysis and blind tasting to ensure they are free of defects. The award-winning gourmet wine vinegars handcrafted in Glen Ellen are naturally aged for 18 to 22 months in oak barrels using the centuries-old “Orleans process.”
The Origin of the Orleans Process
During the Middle Ages wine shipped along France’s Loire River was often subjected to hot sun and compromised barrels caused some of the wine to spoil. Nestled along the river, the city of Orléans became an offloading point for this vin aigre, French for “sour wine.” Over the centuries, the local vinegar makers perfected a slow and delicate process of conversion from wine to vinegar, defining the art of superior vinegar making that came to be known as the “Orléans process.”
Vinegar is referenced in the Bible almost as often as wine, and is mentioned in Egyptian and Sumerian records dating back 5,000 years. The Romans used it liberally and in 400 B.C. Hippocrates prescribed it to his patients.
Founder Bruce Cohn
Planning a visit to the Sonoma Valley? Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the rare Picholine olive grove at the beautiful B.R. Cohn Olive Hill Estate Winery and discover their unique history. Just five miles north of the town of Sonoma and a 45-minute drive from San Francisco, the bucolic setting is perfect for an impromptu picnic. Stock up on supplies at the B.R. Cohn tasting room and head for the olive grove or one of their patios. Sample award-winning olive oils and ultra premium wines daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, or call to schedule a tour of the property at 800-938-4064, ext. 24. The B.R. Cohn Winery is located at 15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, California 95442.
If you’d like to learn more about some of B.R. Cohn’s artisanal offerings click on any of the following:
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Family Farmers Face Unfair Competition from 'Organic' Factory Farms
Brown Eggs (photo by Derek Lilly, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Factory farms, some confining hundreds of thousands of chickens in industrial facilities, sell their eggs to consumers as "organic."
Last week’s hearings before a Congressional Committee investigating the recent nationwide outbreak of salmonella poisoning only exacerbated worries about the food safety practices of some of the nation’s largest egg producers. Assertions by Austin “Jack” DeCoster and his son of their commitment to food safety were particularly ludicrous in light of a government inspection done after the egg recall.
The report that resulted from the inspection detailed the filthy conditions at the DeCoster’s egg facilities and vivid photos were presented that made their disgraceful and dangerous irresponsibility all too clear. It was also made clear that the DeCoster’s operations have a history of flouting food safety guidelines and environmental laws that dates back more than 30 years, and once led to their eggs being banned in New York State and Maryland.
Disturbing Research Findings from The Cornucopia Institute
Now an independent report has been released that focuses on widespread abuses in organic egg production, primarily by large industrial agribusinesses. The study profiles the exemplary management practices employed by many family-scale organic farmers engaged in egg production, while spotlighting abuses at so-called factory farms, some confining hundreds of thousands of chickens in industrial facilities, and representing these eggs to consumers as "organic."
The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, developed the report, Scrambled Eggs: Separating Factory Farm Egg Production from Authentic Organic Agriculture, following nearly two years of research into organic egg production. The report also contains a scorecard rating various egg brands on how their eggs are produced in accordance with federal organic standards and consumer expectations.
"After visiting over 15% of the certified egg farms in the United States, and surveying all name-brand and private-label industry marketers, it's obvious that a high percentage of the eggs on the market should be labeled ‘produced with organic feed’ rather than bearing the USDA-certified organic logo," said Mark A. Kastel, The Cornucopia Institute’s co-director and senior farm policy analyst.
According to the United Egg Producers (UEP), the industry lobby group, 80% of all organic eggs are produced by just a handful of its largest members. Most of these operations own hundreds of thousands, or even millions of birds, and have diversified into "specialty eggs," which include organic. At least one UEP member, Hillandale Farms, has been implicated in the recent nationwide salmonella outbreak affecting conventional eggs. At last week’s Congessional hearings the CEO of Hillandale Farms, Orland Bethel, cited his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and did not answer questions.
Cornucopia’s report focuses not on the size of some of these mammoth agribusinesses but rather on their organic livestock management practices. It says that most of these giant henhouses, some holding 85,000 birds or more, provide no legitimate access to the outdoors, as required in the federal organic regulations.
USDA Debates New Regulations for Poultry & Other Livestock
The new report comes at a critical juncture for the organic poultry industry. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the expert citizen advisory panel set up by Congress to advise the USDA on organic policy, has been debating a set of proposed new regulations for poultry and other livestock that would establish housing-density standards and a clearer understanding of what the requirement for outdoor access truly means. The industry’s largest operators, along with their lobbyists, have been loudly voicing their opposition to requirements for outdoor space.
"Many of these operators are gaming the system by providing minute enclosed porches, with roofs and concrete or wood flooring, and calling these structures ‘the outdoors,’" stated Charlotte Vallaeys, a farm policy analyst with Cornucopia and lead author of the report. "Many of the porches represent just 3% to 5% of the square footage of the main building housing the birds. That means 95% or more of the birds have absolutely no access whatsoever."
“If one animal has the legal right to be outdoors, then all animals have the same right, whether they choose to take turns or if they all choose to be outside at the same time," said Jim Riddle, organic outreach coordinator with the University of Minnesota and former chairman of the NOSB.
Industry Lobby Group Opposes Stronger Regulations
At previous meetings of the NOSB, United Egg Producers represented industrial-scale producers and publicly opposed proposals to strengthen regulations requiring outdoor access.
“We are strongly opposed to any requirement for hens to have access to the soil,” said Kurt Kreher of Kreher’s Sunrise Farms in Clarence, N.Y. And Bart Slaugh, director of quality assurance at Eggland’s Best, a marketer of both conventional and organic eggs based in Jeffersonville, Pa., noted that, “The push for continually expanding outdoor access … needs to stop.”
Family-scale organic egg farmers, and their allies, intend to challenge corporate agribusiness lobbyists and make their voices heard at the October 25th meeting of the National Organic Standards Board.
The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit farm policy research group, is dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Their Organic Integrity Project acts as a corporate and governmental watchdog assuring that no compromises to the credibility of organic farming methods and the food it produces are made in the pursuit of profit.
To learn more about the research from the Institute cited above, go to: The Cornucopia Institute
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
$55 Million in Grants Awarded for Specialty Crops by USDA
Golden Apples (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
After viewing the Oscar nominated “Food Inc.” it hard to deny that the current industrial food system is fatally flawed and unsustainable. Fortunately, specialty crops have helped develop new markets where creative chefs, restaurateurs, daring cooks and adventurous foodies can find rarer, tastier, and healthier ingredients.
The growing numbers of farmers markets and other specialty venues offer a fine alternative to the plethora of highly processed foods of dubious nutritional value spewing forth from giant factory farms. As local, family-scale farms operated in a sustainable manner tend to be the beneficiaries, it is a healthful trend that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) deems worthy of support.
Last week, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the award of block grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The USDA defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.
"We are pleased to support diverse efforts to help specialty crop growers market their products in a global marketplace and encourage all Americans to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption," said Merrigan. "These grants are instrumental in helping specialty crop growers tackle the issues they are facing today."
Specialty Crops for Healthy School Meals
One recipient is partnering with an agency to coordinate a Farm to School program where school districts will purchase specialty crops from a variety of growers for direct use in school meals, and provide nutrition and agriculture education about the benefits and nutritional qualities of specialty crops to students and school personnel.
The 54 grants total approximately $55 million and will fund 827 projects, a 10% increase over last year. They will support the competitiveness of America's specialty crop farmers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Consumer Choices Have Made Fair Trade Sales Soar to $5 Billion Annually
Cocoa Fruit (photo by Sanjay Pindiyath, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Once again consumers are having a tremendous impact through their purchasing decisions. It seems a very large number of shoppers want to purchase goods produced by people being paid fairly for their work because the sale of Fair Trade goods has gone from $0 to $5 billion in just ten years.
Since cocoa is not grown in the U.S., the country’s artisanal chocolate makers must buy it from overseas to craft their creations. The history of exploitation of agricultural workers around the globe is not a pretty one. After a long legacy of legal slavery, many farm workers still labor in conditions that are little better. But as the sales figures for Fair Trade products show, consumers demanding just treatment and fair compensation are having a salutary impact.
Ben & Jerry’s was the first ice cream company in the world to use Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients starting in 2005, and today it’s racing ahead as the first ice cream company to make such a significant commitment to Fair Trade across its global portfolio. The company has made a commitment to go fully Fair Trade across its entire global flavor portfolio by 2013. Two smaller American companies that craft their artisanal chocolate delights with Fair Trade cocoa have seen their companies flourish from this welcome consumer trend.
The Theo Chocolate Factory
Theo Chocolate in Seattle was the first to roast organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States. Founder and CEO Joe Whinney, witnessed the effects of unfair, unsustainable cocoa trading as a conservation volunteer in Central America. That experience led him to pioneer the manufacture and supply of organic chocolate products as the first individual to import organic cocoa beans into North America in 1994.
Food and Wine Magazine honored Theo with an Eco-Epicurean Award for making the world "a better — and more delicious — place." Theo also won "Outstanding Chocolate" at the NASFT Fancy Food Show in New York City.
Robin Jenkins
Awareness of global environmental issues is at the heart of Robin’s Chocolate Sauce in Portland, Maine. Founder Robin Jenkins became conscious of the not-so-sweet realities of the chocolate trade by researching where and how her ingredients are grown and produced, and by whom. She is committed to using organic, shade grown and local or Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients whenever possible. With every purchase of Robin’s Chocolate Sauce, you’re supporting the mission of the National Wildlife Federation to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.
If you’d like to purchase some of Theo’s award-winning gourmet chocolate click on any of the following:
For information related to the purchase of advertising space on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
USDA Moves to Strengthen Enforcement of Organic Standards
Organic Farm (photo by Tana Butler, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued new procedures that it says will increase the e enforcement of national organic standards. The new operating procedures are meant to ensure that all complaints of alleged violations and civil penalties are consistently handled.
“The changes we are making will ensure that all parties are given due process while increasing the effectiveness of enforcing organic standards,” said Miles McEvoy, National Organic Program’s deputy administrator. “At the same time we want to take steps so that those who are abiding by the regulations and rightfully marketing their foods as organic are not put at a disadvantage by those falsely labeling their products. It allows us to perform our job of assuring consumers they can trust the USDA organic label.”
Nonprofit advocacy organizations including the Organic Consumers Association and the Cornucopia Institute have been critical of lax enforcement of organic standards for many years. In 2005, Cornucopia filed a legal complaint alleging that the nation's largest organic factory-farm dairy operator "willfully" violated the federal organic standards. The USDA later found that the giant industrial-scale dairies, milking thousands of cows each, were not providing their cattle with pasture, as required by law, had illegally brought conventional cattle into their operations, and committed a number of other serious improprieties.
In the past, complaints of alleged standards violations were referred to accredited certifying agents for investigation and enforcement. With the implementation of new procedures, the NOP will collaborate with accredited certifying agents in investigating cases while handling all enforcement actions.
The new complaint handling procedures were put into effect as part of a continued effort by the NOP to increase enforcement actions and ensure greater compliance of the organic regulations. Since January of 2010, the NOP has closed 87 complaints and issued three civil penalties. The NOP accredits about 100 certifying agents around the world to evaluate agricultural production and handling operations and determine their compliance with the national organic standards.
It is USDA’s policy to investigate all complaints that allege violations of rules and regulations, whether submitted by independent claimants, filed by an accredited certifying agent, or initiated by the NOP itself. Any person may file a complaint if he or she believes a violation has occurred.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Thistle Hill's John & Janine Putnam (Images courtesy of Thistle Hill Farm)
Ever discovered an artisanal cheese at your local farmers market that you couldn’t stop raving about to fellow foodies? Well, there is an excellent chance that splendid cheese was made from raw milk, giving it the rich flavor that processed cheeses just can’t deliver.
Many medical professionals and nutritionists have indicated that raw milk from grass-fed cows is more nutrient dense than conventionally produced milk. They support the family farms feeding free-roaming cows on healthy grass that want to sell raw milk to folks who want to purchase it. Unfortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug administration prohibits raw milk for human consumption in interstate commerce.
The FDA Faces a Challenge in Court
The FDA’s prohibition has led the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and eight other plaintiffs to mount a legal challenge arguing that the federal regulations are unconstitutional. The FDA filed a motion to dismiss, but last week federal Judge Mark W. Bennett denied the motion. It is a small, but important victory for small dairy farmers, the health of consumers, and the environment.
As part of his ruling, the judge ordered proceedings in the case to be stayed 60 days to allow plaintiffs time to decide whether to file a ‘citizen petition’ with FDA. The petition would ask FDA to clarify its interpretation of the statutes and regulations giving it the power to ban raw milk for human consumption in interstate commerce.
Having survived the first round in the case, the plaintiffs have until October 18th to determine what their next course of action will be.
Yes to Small Dairy Farms, No to CAFOs
A previous post on American Feast's Sustainable Food Blog explained some of what is at stake:
Family-scale dairy farms feeding free-roaming cows on healthy grass face tough competition from concentrated animal feeding operations. The densely penned cows at CAFOs are sickened from being fed the abundance of corn grown with massive government subsidies, posing a very real threat to human health. Cow droppings make good fertilizer on small farms, but at CAFOs the immense amount of waste is a toxic threat to the health of people and the environment.
Of course, people around the globe have been safely consuming raw milk and cheeses for thousands of years. Allowing the interstate sale of raw milk is an important step toward making family-scale dairy farms part of a healthier and more sustainable future.
The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund is a nonprofit defending the rights and freedoms of family farms by protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient-dense foods.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
The Valley Meat Company of Modesto, California is recalling approximately 1 million pounds of frozen ground-beef patties and bulk ground-beef products that may be contaminated with a rare strain of toxic E. coli . The recall was announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on August 6th.
Concern exists that some contaminated meat may be frozen and in consumers' freezers. FSIS strongly encourages consumers to check their freezers and immediately discard any product that is the subject of this recall.
Products subject to recall bear the establishment number "EST. 8268" inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as a production code of 25709 through 01210. These products were produced between October 2, 2009 through January 12, 2010. The ground beef was distributed to retail outlets and institutional foodservice providers in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally. Thus far, seven people are believed to have become ill from the contaminated beef.
9,000 Deaths from Fodborne Illnesses Anually
In the United States, foodborne diseases have been estimated to cause 6 million to an astonishing 81 million illnesses and up to 9,000 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Some kinds of E. coli are harmless, while others can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses. The major source for human illnesses is cattle.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
AFT Will Soon Unveil America's Top 20 Favorite Farmers Markets
Fresh Corn (photo by Kevin Connors, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Did you know that there are now 6,132 farmers markets in America? That represents a 16% increase over the number recorded in the National Farmers Market Directory in 2009.
The Contest Ends on August 31st
American Farmland Trust is celebrating National Farmers Market Week by unveiling the Top 20 Favorite Farmers Markets in all four categories. Anything can happen in the next four weeks before the contest ends at midnight on August 31st! Your local farmers market needs your continued support so that it can get the recognition it deserves.
Let's Keep the Movement Growing!
American Farmland Trust needs your help to promote the value of farmers markets in communities, and to make the connection between fresh local foods and the local farms and farmland that supply them. Farmers markets play a critical role in keeping farmers on the land and helping farms thrive. By providing farmers with a venue where they can provide their much sought after products, farmers markets are helping to save the land that sustains us.
Thank you for all that you do to support local farms and local farmers markets!
To learn more about the contest to select America’s Best Farmers Markets, go to: American Farmland Trust
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Large Farms Receive Most of the Government Farm Payments
Pumpkin Patch (photo by Kevin Connors, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Small family farms made up 88% of U.S. farms in 2007, but “Medium-sales, large, and very large farms were more likely to receive Government payments, especially commodity-related payments, than smaller farms,” according to a new report from the USDA’s Economic Research Service.
A small family farm is defined as one with annual sales of less than $250,000. They held 63% of the land owned by farms in 2007, and small-farm households typically do not rely on their farms for their livelihoods. Most of their off-farm income is from jobs or self-employment.
The report says, “As custodians of the bulk of farmland, small farms have a large role in natural resource and environmental policy.” But, commodity-related payments are much larger than conservation payments, accounting for 75% of all Government payments made to farmers. Commodity programs target specific commodities, largely feed and food grains, cotton, and oilseeds. According to the report, “Medium-sales, large, and very large farms were more likely to receive Government payments, especially commodity-related payments, than smaller farms.”
Commodity payments are determined by output and though large-scale farms account for on1y 2% of U.S farms, they account for 84% of the value of production. The report notes three significant features of U.S. farms:
First, small family farms make up 88 percent of all U.S. farms. Second, large-scale family farms—only 9 percent of all farms—account for a disproportionately large, 66-percent share of the value of production. Third, farming is still an industry of family businesses. Ninety-eight percent of farms are family farms, and they account for 82 percent of production. Only 2 percent of U.S farms are nonfamily farms, accounting for the remaining 18 percent of production.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
Keep Genetically Modified Sugar out of the Food Supply
Sugar (photo by Stuart Whitmore, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
Last year American Feast joined over 70 food companies and retailers on vowing not to use or sell food that contained genetically modified (GM) beet sugar. They share the belief that there has been insufficient study of the long term effects of genetically modified crops on human health and the environment.
The 70 companies signed the Non-GM Beet Sugar Registry, sponsored by a dozen food safety and environmental organizations. Now the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit advocacy group, is calling for food giants Hershey and Mars to sign the registry.
Labeling GM Foods
One reason for establishing the registry is the absence of mandatory labeling for genetically modified foods. The sponsoring organizations believe consumers should be given a choice as to whether or not they want to eat genetically modified food.
Food Navigator has quoted Jeffrey Smith, director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, “We need to avoid the all-too-common situation of finding out a product is harmful after it has been approved and widely distributed. Requiring that GM foods be labeled is the only protection consumers have if they want to avoid eating GM foods.”
The sugar beets were genetically modified to be resistant to a herbicide, making it easier to kill weeds without destroying the sugar beet plants. Opponents fear the genetically modified plants will cross-pollinate with related crops such as chard and table beets, needlessly affecting non-GM foods and food ingredients.
Tom Stearns, president of High Mowing Organic Seeds, told Food Navigator, “Overseas markets have already rejected other GM products, so the economic future of many of our nation’s farmers is being needlessly risked.”
GM Foods Lower Crop Yields
In May of 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called on "Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks."
As for the claim that GM foods are needed to feed a hungry world, Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program has concluded "...that GE (genetic engineering) has done little to increase overall crop yields." And a major study conducted at the University of Kansas has found that the controversial technology actually reduces crop yields.
For information related to the purchase of advertising space and editorial coverage on the American Feast web site call Jeff Deasy toll free at 877-332-7875 or email him at jdeasy@americanfeast.com
D & E Farms in Franklinville, N.J. (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morgueFile.com)
The preservation of family-scale farms across the land is vital to achieving a healthier and more sustainable food sytem. Our friend Greg Plotkin of Change.org sent us the following message:
Every minute of every day, the country loses two acres of farmland to development. To make matters worse, the average age of a U.S. farmer is now 57 years old, signaling an even greater challenge than a lack of land to farm-namely, a lack of people to farm it. Ideas for Change winner American Farmland Trust (AFT) aims to keep food on our plates by securing the future of American farms. AFT is petitioning legislators to include farmland and ranch conservation in national and state farm policies.
Farmers Markets are Growing in Popularity
In 2009, the number of farmers markets in the U.S. increased by 13% from the prior year, a great illustration of just how many
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