Associated Press via Excite: Demand for organic foods is higher than the supply, leading some companies to import ingredients from other countries and to pay farmers to switch to organic production. One unanswered question is whether this will lead to a boom-bust cycle similar to the one after the Alar scare in the early 90s, a bust that financially crippled some organic players (Cascade Organics was one).
The Dartmouth Online: Dartmouth University plans to buy fresh, regional produce directly from local farms for its students. Unfortunately, the school only wants to pay 10 percent more than it would for conventional produce, but a grant from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program, will cover the difference.
The Motley Fool*: Another eye-opening perspective on the business side of the organic industry, from an investment site, that looks at Dean Foods (Horizon’s owners) and Whole Foods and opens up the discussion of the need for a “beyond organic” label.
Reason Online: A balls-out counterattack from a pro-biotechnologist on the Jeremey Rifkin op-ed to which we linked earlier this week.
New York Times**: As populations and agriculture expand, water rights come to the forefront in international disputes. No, this isn’t about Israel and the Palestinians — it’s on the California-Mexico border.
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