There was such an avalanche of links today we ran out of time to read them all. They’ll have to wait ’til tomorrow.
Cotton in a trap: Andrew Leonard has been increasingly devoting his column How the World Works to understanding the pros and cons of biotechnology applications, and this one, which looks at an anthropologist’s research into genetically-modified cotton crops in India, is a must-read. He asks, is it possible to truly conduct a “science of the gray” — or one that rejects both the “corporate biotechnological Neo-Malthusianism that declares that any opposition to GM crops is equivalent to condoning the starvation of African children, and the Green-activism absolutism that holds all genetically modified crops to be inherently evil?” Salon
Red flag: Florida’s UglyRipe tomato can now be shipped out of state, bringing the taste of summer to colder climes. But we probably won’t be buying it — even if we lived in Florida — after reading this editorial. New York Times
Subsidence: Part Two of Tom Philpott’s crash course on the Farm Bill tackles the issue of subsidies — why a proud free-market country like America relies on them, and why maybe we shouldn’t anymore. Grist
Bass line: Wal-Mart is about to start selling Chilean sea bass again — the same one that Whole Foods is also buying from a single fishery near Antarctica that has been certified as sustainable by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council. Some say the certification, and the move by both stores, is fishy. Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Like buttah: Take Two of Crisco’s trans-fat free shortening. Washington Post
Washington’s winter wares: Even in the nation’s cold capital, farmers markets remain open right now. Here’s a list. Washington Post
Wolf pact: An editorial says de-listing gray wolves from the Endangered Species list is fine — but only if their host states aren’t eager to start shooting them. New York Times
Cheers: A list of organic and/or sustainably produced Northwest wines to try. Seattle Times
Sour times: Loving the lemon in winter. New York Times
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
Humor:
January 31st, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Crisco - “0 grams trans fat per serving.” - which is NOT trans fat free.
UglyRipe - Yep, strikes out.
Wish we knew how fishy MSC is.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:33 am
If anyone’s interested in learning more about cotton and the politics of the cotton trade, I highly recommend “The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy” (Wiley, 2005).
February 1st, 2007 at 9:13 am
Thanks Dr. Vino. Do you know if it addresses the devastation of the Aral Sea area that resulted from Soviet-era cotton practices?
February 4th, 2007 at 9:29 am
One problem with the subsidies is the hurt the unsubsidized farmers like moi. Big-ag can devote the dollars and hired guns to get their “share” of the subsidies racking up big profits from them. Small and Micro-farmers, who are your local producers selling at farmers market and direct to consumers, are then faced with fighting against a subsidized product in the market place. I say eliminate all of the subsidies.
However, there is another issue that hurts small farmers even more and that is the real estate valuation and over taxation. That’s turning cropland into condos at an ever increasing rate. Pretty soon you’ll have plentiful places to live but nothing to eat.
-Walter
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://NoNAIS.org
February 5th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Hi Walter: So glad to hear from a farmer! Yes, it seems like the subsidies wouldn’t be necessary if crop insurance were more affordable for small farmers and more understanding of their crop diversity and ongoing harvests. And god, I hope we don’t end up paving over all the farmland for condos…
Thanks for stopping by.
Bonnie