Risk management roulette: The FDA is conducting just half the food-safety inspections it did three years ago. Time
The AIDS of bees: The definitive story on what “colony collapse disorder” means for bee keeping and U.S. agriculture, and what the possible catalysts for this dire disease could be. Guess what? Industrialization of beekeeping — who knew the little winged workers are trucked all around the country to pollinate! — and pesticides are likely culprits. New York Times
Casualties of the 100-mile diet: Kenyan farmers, whose lifelong carbon emissions are negligible compared with their counterparts in the West, are fast becoming the victims of the UK’s green campaign. BBC News
It’s all so complicated: From an odd source, but this post by a marine educator on environmentally responsible shrimp reaches a surprisingly persuasive conclusion: it’s not wild vs. farmed, but tropical versus temperate that matters. Daily Kos
Careful with that shit: Melting snow and rains in Wisconsin this week could result in environmentally damaging runoff if farmers don’t follow rules about manure spreading. Capital Times (WI)
Organic wish list: More than 2,000 organic farmers and would-be organic farmers weigh in on what they want from the 2007 Farm Bill. On the wish list: upping the percentage of the USDA’s $2 billion research and education budget allotted to organic agriculture from the current 0.5 percent (that’s half a percent) to 10 percent. Agriculture.com
Made in the USA, from t-shirt to t-bone: A good update on the status of Country of Origin Labeling, which would tell us exactly where our food came from. New West
Alfalfa faux pas: Andrew Leonard zeroes in on what’s significant about the U.S. District Court’s rebuke of the USDA for ignoring possible consequences of introducing genetically modified “Roundup Ready” alfalfa into commercial production — that the USDA’s laissez-faire attitudes take away organic farmers’ and consumers’ freedom of choice. Salon
Move over, Babe: Jon Katz paints an amusing picture of his actively social chicken Henrietta, the most recent subject of his study to explore whether farm animals’ treatment affects their personalities. We think Henrietta deserves her own movie. Slate
What’s to hide?: The Gray Lady supports calorie-listing for fast food chains. New York Times
Grow your own way: Why you should try to grow some of your own food, even though doing so might not save you money. Mother Earth News
Don’t mess with Mickey D’s: Prince Charles suggested that banning McDonald’s was the “key” to children eating more healthily. The fast food chain is not happy. Telegraph (UK)
The big blue store is actually green: Did you know that Ikea was pertty environmentally responsible in addition to being stylish and cheap? Grist
No way: Salon asks, “With food blogs multiplying like weeds and millions of recipes available with a simple keystroke, has the Internet made the cookbook obsolete?” Salon
You’ve been warned: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told a group of Iowans that the agency would continue its immigration raids on small, medium, and large business like the December ones of Swift & Co. meatpacking. Des Moines Register
A more grassroots Terra Madre: We didn’t even know this forum was happening — 500 delegates from 100 countries are attending the World Forum For Food Sovereignty in Mali; Anna Lappe is blogging about it here. Food sovereignty is “about farmers and fisherfolk pastoralists and indigeneous peoples growing food for their local markets without being undermined by global trade rules. It is about producing food without degrading soil and water, and assuring that consumers have access to healthy locally grown food.” On the Commons (Thanks, Rachel!)
Huh?: This “beginner’s guide to conscious eating” suggests giving up chicken before red meat. Huffington Post
Bee’s knees: Burt’s Bees founder is introducing a new organic baby clothing line. Bangor Daily News
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
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