Section » Digest
GMO wheat could be the next big thing—or maybe not
Sheave ho! Of the top three grains produced in the U.S., only No. 3 wheat (after corn and soybeans) is not overwhelmingly dominated by genetically modified varieties. In fact, you won’t find GM wheat in the United States at all. Henry Miller of the conservative Hoover Institution (and author
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Animal welfare hot topic at Kansas Livestock Association convention
Moan on the range: Multiple speakers at the Kansas Livestock Association convention recently addressed public relations injuries to the livestock industry, thanks to animal welfare groups and others. The good news is that speakers acknowledged that the industry would
Voluntary effort to shift children’s advertising deemed unsuccessful
Ad news bears: Three years ago, a group of large food and beverage companies launched a voluntary initiative to change their advertising during TV programs favored by children. They were supposed to advertise more healthy foods and drinks, and fewer nutritionally deficient ones. Not surprisingly, the
Words on the street food
A sampler of dispatches from the street-food universe. What this got to do with Ethicureanism? Well, unlike most fast food, good street food is made from fresh, real ingredients by independent sole proprietors. And it fascinates us because it's like the "farming in the middle" conundrum: how can talented
Sustainable food movement has a class problem
The flavor of fairness: When a recent UC Santa Cruz study asked grocery shoppers on California's Central Coast to rank their concerns about the food system, respondents prioritized animal welfare above the treatment of human workers on the farms. This is but one example, says Bay Guardian reporter Caitlin
Food as performance sport
Iron stomachs: True/Slant Matthew Greenberg takes on the Food Network again, exploring — with the help of media experts — "why
Scientists monitor tuna by measuring toxins
Toxins tell tuna's tale: The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) population is split into two groups, with the 45 degree meridian acting as a rough dividing line. Some fish swim across the line to feed or spawn, and scientists and fishery managers would like to know how many fish make the ocean
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Urban farmers confront zoning regulations in, around Kansas City
Plowing up zoning restrictions: As urban farming grows, so do conflicts between city zoning laws and farmers. The Kansas City, Mo., City Council is looking to ease some restrictions, while other cities in the area stand firm. The issues — involving where these farmers can farm and sell produce, as
Out of conservation, back to production
Good soil deed about to be uprooted: Millions of acres of environmentally sensitive lands are being pushed out of the federal Conservation Reserve Program and, most likely, back into production. The program was created to stabilize commodity prices while saving topsoil, improving water quality and creating
Genetically modified corn growers not obeying rules designed to maintain pest resistance
Stop bugging me: As many as 25% of the American farmers growing genetically engineered corn are no longer complying with federal rules intended to maintain the resistance of the crops to damage from insects, according to a Center for Science in the Public Interest report released Thursday based on EPA
Oakland has 1,200 acres of public land
Ready, set, grow!: A new report released today by UrbanFood.org, with support from the HOPE Collaborative and City Slicker Farms, has identified 1,200 acres of vacant and underutilized public land in Oakland, California, that could potentially be used for food production. If only half of it were cultivated,
Report scrutinizes ties between Big Food, health organizations
Ignore the man behind the curtain: Reporters Rick Montgomery and Alan Bavley examine the “marriages of convenience” between unhealthy food producers and organizations aimed at promoting health, such as the newly announced alliance between Coca Cola and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Special Digest: Have a raw milk shake, “he said/she said” style
These are frothy days for the debate over access to unpasteurized milk. Business-reporter-turned-raw-milk-blogger David Gumpert has a new book out, "The
The “hourglass” problem of getting small-farm Vermont meat to Vermont consumers
"Freedom and Unity" for sustainable meat!: Kudos to reporter Kathryn Flagg and the Addison Independent for their two-part series on slaughterhouses in Vermont. Part II looks at the growing market for local meats, the challenges facing small meat producers, and the ways farmers are trying to make meat
Bill and Nicolette Hahn Niman on why they mourn a dead cow
All about Eve: Moving piece by sustainable meat's power couple on why they cried when they found the daughter of one of their favorite cows unexpectedly dead. "After all, this cow was being raised for meat. How could we feel a genuine attachment for her?" they ask. "We can only say that we did. And that
