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| 5 Ways the Stanford Study Sells Organics Short |
| Source: MotherJones.com, by T. Philpott |
| Date: 07-Sep-2012 |
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Is organic food little more than a trumped-up marketing scheme, another way for affluent consumers to waste money? A just-released paper by Stanford University researchers—and the reaction to it by the media—suggests as much. (Abstract here; I have a copy of the full study, but can't upload it for copyright reasons.)
"Stanford Scientists Cast Doubt on Advantages of Organic Meat and ... (read more on MotherJones.com) |
| Organic industry takes a hit |
| Source: OntarioFarmer.com |
| Date: 07-Sep-2012 |
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The organic movement is taking a heavy hit from a new report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine recently.
Dr. Dena Bravata says organic food is no more nutritious than regular food and that much of what’s marketed in the United States has never been inspected to ensure it is, in fact, meeting organic-movement standards.
Mischa Popoff, a former organic farme... (read more on OntarioFarmer.com) |
| ACORN plans seminars |
| Source: PEIcanada.com |
| Date: 06-Sep-2012 |
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For all aspiring and experienced farmers and gardeners, the Atlantic Canada Organic Regional Network is planning a number of workshops that would be of interest.
On September 9th, David Cohlmeyer of Cookstown Greens will offer a session on out 'Season Extension: Pushing the Envelope' at Watershed Farm in Baker Settlement, Nova Scotia. Explore advantages of mulching, double row cover... (read more on PEIcanada.com) |
| A passion for new organic varieties |
| Source: OACC, by Nicole Boudreau |
| Date: 31-Aug-2012 |
| Stephen Fox is a busy man. From his Canada Western Red Spring Wheat breeding program, based at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Cereal Research Centre located in Winnipeg, he oversees in the neighborhood of 12,000 yield plots and 35,000 nursery rows every year across Western Canada. Here, he collects data that is used to identify new wheat varieties that aspire to provide better yields, be mo... (read more on OACC) |
| Friends and Enemies of Your Right to Know |
| Source: OrganicConsumers.org, by R. Cummins |
| Date: 27-Aug-2012 |
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US: In recent weeks, several public interest groups, including the Organic Consumers Association, Cornucopia Institute, Mercola.com, and Natural News, have pointed out the gross hypocrisy and greed of large food and beverage corporations which profit from the sale of billions of dollars of their proprietary organic and "natural" food brands while at the same time funneling large sums o... (read more on OrganicConsumers.org) |
| The dynamic world of farming |
| Source: CanadaEast.com, by Jon MacNeill |
| Date: 24-Aug-2012 |
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ACORN symposium highlights the high demand for organic farmers
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The Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN) is holding its first-ever Beginner Farmer Symposium this month in Sackville, intended to help more people from the region cash in and get on board with the booming local food movement.
"We're actually importing a lot of organic produce that technically could be... (read more on CanadaEast.com) |
| Dean’s Organic Milk Claims Draw Criticism From Cited Scientist |
| Source: bloomberg.com, by Andrew Zajac |
| Date: 21-Aug-2012 |
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| Cartons of Dean Foods Co. (DF)’s Horizon organic milk fortified with DHA feature a picture of a young girl to illustrate the heart, eye and brain benefits of the additive, referencing the work of a prominent nutritionist.
The problem: the author says her study doesn’t support those health claims, and has joined with the scientific journal that published the work to demand removal of the citatio... (read more on bloomberg.com) |
| Corporations Sneak Synthetic Preservatives into Organic Food |
| Source: Cornucopia.org |
| Date: 14-Aug-2012 |
| The Cornucopia Institute, a not-for-profit policy research organization based in Wisconsin, filed a formal legal complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) against several infant formula manufacturers that are adding two synthetic preservatives to certified organic infant formula.
The Organic Foods Production Act, passed by Congress in 1990, explicitly bans synthetic pre... (read more on Cornucopia.org) |
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| Organic Week 2012 |
| Source: OrganicWeek.ca |
| Date: 10-Aug-2012 |
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Canada’s National Organic Week is the largest annual celebration of organic food, farming and products across the country. Hundreds of individual events showcase the benefits of organic agriculture and its positive impact on the environment. Organic represents a vibrant alternative food system and an alternative option for clothing, personal care and cleaning products.
We have so much to cele... (read more on OrganicWeek.ca) |
| The present and future of sustainable agriculture |
| Source: TicoTimes.net, by Ed Bernhardt |
| Date: 09-Aug-2012 |
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| While organic farming and other sustainable agriculture techniques are still outside the mainstream, the rising cost of petroleum used to manufacture agricultural chemicals and transport foods long distances could be a strong incentive for farmers to adopt this healthy alternative.
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Food matters. It’s as essential as the air we breathe and the water we drink. Your health is also a reflec... (read more on TicoTimes.net) |
| Sweden: Organic strawberries better pollination rate |
| Source: FreshPlaza.com |
| Date: 08-Aug-2012 |
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A study, led by Georg Andersson of Lund University in Sweden, investigated the effect of organic farming, compared to conventional practices on the pollination success in strawberries.
They found that the pollination success increased greatly with organic, and speculate that this effect may be due to an increase in insect pollinator abundance and/or diversity. They also determined that this... (read more on FreshPlaza.com) |
| Organic farmer disputes E. coli concerns |
| Source: CBC.ca |
| Date: 07-Aug-2012 |
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| Some people who grow and sell organic food in New Brunswick are disputing suggestions their customers are more vulnerable to E. coli infection.
Earlier this week, following an outbreak of a potentially deadly strain of the infectious bacteria in Fredericton, a leading scientist told CBC News organic vegetables are more susceptible to E. coli contamination because producers use animal manure fer... (read more on CBC.ca) |
| USDA Organic Audit: Procedures for Approving Synthetics Followed, Allegations of Corruption Unexamined |
| Source: Cornucopia.org |
| Date: 07-Aug-2012 |
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WASHINGTON, DC: The Office of the Inspector General (OIG), at the USDA, released a brief report yesterday outlining their review of serious allegations of collusion with corporate agribusiness, conflicts of interest, illegal appointments and false information tainting the decision-making on the part of the National Organic Standards Board, the expert panel created by Congress to protect the... (read more on Cornucopia.org) |
| Natural and organic meat shopping is on the rise; consumers are waking up |
| Source: NaturalNews.com, by J. D. Heyes |
| Date: 01-Aug-2012 |
| Sometimes we Americans can be a little stubborn, a little too prideful or provincial when it comes to change. But slowly, surely, Americans are finally "getting it" when it comes to natural and organic foods, and we're buying more of them.
New consumer research shows that while some grocery spending has fallen in recent months, shoppers are increasing their spending on organic me... (read more on NaturalNews.com) |
| Bhutan Bets Organic Agriculture Is The Road To Happiness |
| Source: NPR.org, by Eliza Barclay |
| Date: 01-Aug-2012 |
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A Bhutanese farmer puts her harvest of chilies on the roof of a shed to dry and protect it from wild boars, deer, and monkeys in 2006.
The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan drew international attention a few years back for saying gross national happiness should trump gross domestic product when measuring a nation's progress. If you're going to prioritize happiness, the Bhutanese th... (read more on NPR.org) |
| Who's making organic foods? |
| Source: msu.edu |
| Date: 31-Jul-2012 |
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| Organic Processing Industry Structure
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The development of the USDA National Organic Standard in place of differing state/regional standards was widely predicted to accelerate trends of increasing consolidation in this sector. The first draft of the standard was released in 1997; what changes in ownership and control have since occurred?
For articles providing more detail on these graphic... (read more on msu.edu) |
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