Section » Big Ag
Bill Moyers Journal looks at worker safety in the poultry industry
Back in February, the Charlotte Observer published a shocking six-part series on the human suffering involved in producing cheap chicken. "The Cruelest Cuts" package looked at typical working conditions at a poultry plant, the makeup
More articles
Safeway’s unintentional commentary on modern tomatoes
Safeway is running ads declaring that their tomatoes are "robust,"
Sweet deal: High-fructose corn syrup price vs. consumption
Hansen's Natural Soda is replacing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with cane sugar in all its soft drinks. Given that most soda advertisements these
The enemy of my enemy: Why a Bush veto of the Farm Bill is bad for the food movement (and the world)
My former boss in DC once said that if she ever found herself on the same side of an issue as the Bush Administration, it was time to go back and look more closely: there must be a hidden agenda. That was the thought that struck me as I contemplated the administration's Farm Bill veto threat on Friday.
The CAFO one-two punch
I am sitting in a swanky conference center on the outskirts of Phoenix, a city that may be one of our country's least sustainable, where the water is as scarce as the SUVs and air conditioners are numerous. But for all the shortcomings of developers who thought it would be a great idea to build a sprawling
Bucking the CAFO tax: A plea for conscientious objection
Here's a number to knock you out of that mid-day stupor: every year, taxpayers shell out between $7.1 billion and $8.2 billion to subsidize or clean up after our nation's 9,900 confined animal feeding operations. That's
ReDigest: Moyers on hunger, lab liability, a portrait of evil
Moldy links, but in case you missed.... No farms, no food: Bill Moyers did an excellent three-part series on the broken U.S. food system, from bare shelves in charity pantries to the Farm Bill subsidy boondoggles as revealed by the Washington Post "Harvesting Cash" reporters. The site has both videos
When discrimination is more than OK: Time to call our reps about pesticide policy
Update 4/10: We're hearing from our confidential intel sources on the Hill (OK, an action alert I just received) that the deadline for asking your reps to sign the letter mentioned below has been extended until mid-day tomorrow, 4/11. I just called my rep. The feeling of fulfillment is immense... try
Postcard from Orlando II: Look Closer … at the Farm Bureau
Although I'm no longer standing at the Farm Bureau-sponsored exhibit, The Great American Farm, at Disney's Epcot Center, I can't seem to shake the creepy feeling it gave me. One of the most visible parts of the exhibit are the Look Closer screens, which invite attendees to Look Closer at biotechnology: Prominently
Corn Flacks, pt. 1: “What’s in your whipped cream?”
I have read hundreds of PR pitches in my time; first at the Red Herring, the dot-com magazine where I worked during the boom, then as a freelance business writer, and now for the Ethicurean. There are some super-savvy public-relations firms out there, like Straus Communications
The blame frame, part 2.5: LA Times urges us to miss the point
A while back, I began a series of posts examining the infamous "farm lobby," that oft-mentioned force supposedly responsible for
An “Unsettling” look at industrial agriculture
The flaws of industrial agriculture and the current backlash against it came into sharp focus a couple of weeks ago, following the death of former Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, well-known for his exhortations to
Digest – News: More Downergate fallout, Monsanto defeat likely in Kansas, moth myth busters
The full Digest is now back with a vengeance. Umbrellas up! And thanks to Jack for his help. Nothing but the worst for our kids: For years the USDA has had problems ensuring that beef supplied to the national school-lunch program meets food-safety
Comments Off • Read more »
Digest: Downergate update
The American Meat Institute's president asked Congress why the USDA is sending a mixed message with the record recall of Downergate meat, even as the Fed says it poses only the remotest health risk. Oh, and that Hallmark/Westland's bad behavior was a "very plant-specific anomaly" (Meatpoultry.com).
Postcard from the World Ag Expo
Last week marked the largest proportion of climate change naysayers gathered in one place since Dick Cheney walked into an empty room. Volunteers at the entrance to the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, screened people as they presented their ticket. “Do
