Happily, our friends at the Center for Rural Affairs have contributed this round-up of important news regarding farm and rural news contributed by Ethanol Helps, Not that Much: The benefits of ethanol production to rural communities are real, they just aren’t that significant. New research by Iowa State University Economist David Swenson details the gap between the actual number of jobs and economic activity created and the claims ethanol’s proponents make…. Now a powerful coalition of 153 liberal House members are threatening to pull their support for the final bill unless it makes significant and permanent increases in anti-hunger and nutrition programs…. (The Hill) Revolutionizing Africa: One Holstein at a Time: Uganda is the native home to the Ankole cattle, a breed uniquely adapted to the region. But the Ankole isn’t the grain-eating, milk-producing, manure-spewing machine that the American Holstein is, so now everyone from the World Bank to Heifer International is doing their best to supplant the graceful and native Ankole with the (more familiar to them) Holstein.

At a meeting of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association on January 5, 2008, Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner had much to say about the current state of corn and renewable fuels. After extolling our nation’s glorious efforts in making ethanol from corn, Conner commented:

Our growing appetite for renewable fuels and the standards […]

In my last post, I took a lengthy look at the role that farmers play in the livestock production system. In case you didn’t make it that far, here’s my conclusion: In their role as feed-growers and animal-raisers, farmers are an important but virtually powerless piece of the system. Wedged between big companies selling them […]

2007 is shaping up to be the Year of the Ear.
Check out this corny segment from our acquaintances on Your Environmental Road Trip (YERT), who took a highly entertaining detour into Iowa’s maze of maize.

Breaking news and developments, such as contaminated-food outbreaks, Farm Bill milestones, and how the farming community is faring around the world.

A roundup of breaking news & commentary about SOLE food that we think will be of interest to Ethicurean readers.

A round-up of the most important news & commentary regarding SOLE- and anti-SOLE food issues, farming, policy, etc. that we think Ethicurean readers will want to know about.

The ethanol boom is inspiring some surprising behavior in the food and farming community. Philip Brasher, the Des Moines Register’s Washington Correspondent, wrote about pushback from the food and drink industry over ethanol in Thursday’s newspaper. The article illustrates how the ethanol boom is leading to some hypocritical demands and Machiavellian strategies.
Let’s start with […]

NEWSFEATURES & COMMENTARYON THE BLOGS, ETC.Not-so-clean energy: Biofuel plants in Iowa — many of them recently commissioned — have been violating laws protecting water, land and air with alarming frequency…. Among the violations reported is this doozy: “Siouxland Energy & Livestock in Sioux Center, was cited for releasing contaminated wastewater in an attempt to dilute a manure spill from a neighboring cattle operation.” Since monitoring of water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions is lacking, Iowans do not yet know the full impact of this new industry. (Des Moines Register via http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/IRJCI/blog.htm”>The Rural Blog): A study of food costs by students at Seattle University found that farmers market produce was slightly less expensive than comparable produce in the grocery store. Students surveyed 15 different items from the Broadway Farmers Market during the project.

Digest: Fetal exposure worries, monkfish might be pufferfish, Farm Bill play-by-plays

Digest: More China troubles, save the fish, Ohio farmland dropping

NEWSFEATURES & COMMENTARYON THE BLOGS, ETC.Treehuggers meet rabblerousers: Labor and environmental groups are working together to influence the conservation portion of the Food and Farm Bill…. Many labor union members hunt and fish, pasttimes that will be a lot more difficult if the entire Midwest is covered with corn (which, environically, would be used to make ethanol to fuel some of the gas-guzzling vehicles made by union workers). (The Hill)Locavorism on the air: Barbara Kingsolver and Steven Hopp visit the KQED-FM studio to talk about their new book on a year of local eating…. (MILive (AP))You’ll probably have something good to add to this:Not being nice with our rice: The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has approved a plan to use GM rice to produce human proteins, despite over 20,000 comments opposing the plan, compared with 29 in favor…. We’ve heard that before…We’ll probably also hear that rice yields in Geary County are too low, so the next crop needs to be in the heart of rice country to increase the yield and boost Ventria’s profit margins.

Digest: Milk ads restricted, worrisome hormones in all milk, the oyster wars

Food Bill of Rights and Wrongs: Michael Pollan attempts to reframe the Farm Bill — that “resolutely unglamorous and head-hurtingly complicated piece of legislation” — as a chance to reform the food system so that it actually benefits the interests of eaters. In his usual clear-eyed, deceptively simple style, he explains in detail how the […]

There will be two Digests today — one for all the food sections (below) and one later this afternoon for other news.
I’m Glad and I Eat Frugally: Carol Ness at the Chronicle heads a great feature package about the upcoming Pennywise Eat Local Challenge, in which participants set out to prove that eating locally (and […]