Grist Magazine: Tom Philpott argues that organic farming needn’t be anti-technology, but that technology should advance to address the needs of small-scale local farming. One way to accomplish this would be to to divert some of the USDA’s $1.5 billion annual funding away from conventional-ag research. Sustainable-ag research receives a mere $14 million per year. (Philpott also has a same-day piece on why the Nation’s food issue is good news for liberal foodies.)
AlterNet: Some farmers are waking up to the fact that their livelihood is overly dependent on nonrenewable fossil fuels. And what does this mean to us non-farmers? Well, we just might want to consider growing our own food, as more hands in the soil will be imperative to releasing our food from oil’s grasp.
Grist Magazine: California caps their carbon emissions. Look for other states to follow suit in the near future. [Man of La Muncha snarkily adds: “Look for Oregon to follow suit *and* have a better implementation.”]
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The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Buried amidst Ann Lovejoy’s recipes is the excellent observation that organic farmers focus more on food flavor than a food’s ability to ship well.
United Press International: The University of Florida in Gainesville is now offering a major in organic farming.
Grist Magazine: Wal-Mart plans to sell at least one energy-saving CFL bulb to every customer during the next year. Grist writes about the potential benefits in energy savings. The questions are: Will the customers use them? Does this make you like Wal-Mart any more?
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