Department of Uh-Oh: A Swiss company has detected the presence of prion proteins in cows’ milk, raising the possibility that mad-cow disease could be transmitted via dairy products. UPI.com
Times are a-changin’: A NY Times editorial notes that while gratifying America’s two major appetites, for cheap food and cheap gas, used to be easy when both corn and oil were abundant, those days are long over. New York Times
GMO soy: Monsanto wants the USDA to grant a new form of its popular Roundup Ready soybeans ‘non-regulated status,’ meaning they can be distributed across state lines and planted freely. According to Monsanto’s petition, 87% of U.S. soybean fields and 60% of international soybean fields were planted with the genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant soybeans in 2005. The petition does not mention that soon, due to contamination, the percentage will be higher whether farmers like it or not. Forbes (via AP)
Flu mess: The clean-up of the bird-flu outbreak in England could take weeks, even after all 159,000 turkeys have been “culled” and incinerated. BBC News
Lemon loans: California citrus growers hit hard by the freeze are eligible for low-cost loans. San Francisco Chronicle
Bred for flavor: Designer fruits like pluots and nectaplums are all the rage, many of them invented by Zaiger’s Genetics in Modesto, Calif. They’re the product of traditional crossbreeding, however, not genetic engineering. ABC News
No-brainers: The Bush administration wants approval from Congress for the USDA to charge fees to meatpacking plants that have repeat violations, and to charge a licensing fee that would be based on volume. CattleNetwork.com
Help for Indian farmers: As many as 18,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide in the past few years. A conference of major Indian churches is seeking ways to help farmers through micro-credit and sustainable agriculture practices. AsiaNews
Milkopolies: UK dairy farmers are protesting that large milk retailers are keeping prices below what it costs them to produce milk. Guardian (UK) Check out their website, The Great Milk Robbery for more details.
Planting McMansions: The 933-acre Sage Creek Ranch, above the hills in St. Helena, Ca., is on the market for $25 million and expected to be parceled out and turned into luxury homes on huge lots. Agriculture just can’t compete with prices like these. San Francisco Chronicle
Pigger is better: Q&A with the president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association on where the hog industry is headed, and whether it can coexist with the ethanol industry. Des Moines Register
Greenies, don’t drink bottled water: Pablo the Sustainability Engineer calculates how much energy and water it takes to make a bottle of Fiji water and ship it to America. The short answer: way too damn much. TriplePundit (Via Treehugger)
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
Humor:
February 6th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I see that you, too, are a fan of Treehugger.com, so I hope you will want to listen to (and also possibly link to) The Keeper, Inc.’s exciting online audio interview with Treehugger’s wonderful Simran Sethi, at http://www.keeper.com/sethi.html
(The Keeper, Inc., by the way, is the manufacturer of the environment-friendly reusable menstrual cups, The Keeper and Moon Cup.)
Simran, who is fast becoming a shining “eco-star” (she has recently appeared on the Martha Stewart Show and the Oprah Show!) gave keeper.com a really informative and lively interview. Do check it out! I think you’ll enjoy listening to it.
AND, to learn about Simran’s (and Treehugger’s) upcoming television series, to be aired on the Sundance (TV) channel, take a look at this press release at http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20070112/CLF03712012007-1.html
All very exciting stuff.
Thanks.
Julia Schopick
The Keeper, Inc.
http://www.keeper.com
thekeeper1987@aol.com
February 6th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
hi Julia: Thanks for telling me about “The Green” TV series on Sundance, I’ll definitely be recording that. I’ll check out the Sethi interview too, but probably won’t be linking to it, as we’re trying to stay focused on the edible side of the environmental equation, as I think Treehugger coves the rest pretty darn well.