San Francisco Chronicle: A Pasadena family of four is raising enough food for 3/4 of their diet on 1/10th of an acre of land (4,356 square feet). Compare that to the 4.8 acres of farmland that are required to feed 4 average Americans. For people who hate math, that means that their garden is 36 times more efficient. Oh, before we forget: The garden is organic, sustainable, and also supplies their organic produce business.
USDA/SeedQuest: USDA researchers say that farmers can make more money by switching to organic, even taking into account economic risks and transition effects. One computer model projected that farmers would make more money even if organic prices drop by half.
The Des Moines Register: Central Iowans flock to various roadside stands to buy just-picked Grimes Sweet Corn, especially their Peaches and Cream (yellow and white kernels) variety. (Corn Maven editorializes: I saw several of the Grimes Sweet Corn signs posted around Des Moines on my recent trip and would like to know exactly what kind of fertilizer and spray (and how much) are they applying to insure a yearly bumper — and no bummer (no worms) — crop?)
AP/Washington Post: U.S. scientists are concerned that two years of warmer Pacific waters are the beginning of long-lasting changes that will effect the Pacific food chain. Some bird species have been impacted already. (Man of La Muncha: Though the human food chain has not been impacted, according to the scientists, these changes could have an impact on fish stocks. I’m waiting for someone to draw a line between the warm waters and record low salmon runs.)
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