Organics in the News

ast year's drought took a big bite out of the two most prodigious US crops, corn and soy. But it apparently didn't slow down the spread of weeds that have developed resistance to Monsanto's herbicide Roundup (glyphosate), used on crops engineered by Monsanto to resist it.

Jane Brody criticizes organic because we won’t allow Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We are in good company. Sixty-one countries in Europe, Asia and South America also don’t allow GMOs.  read more…

Before you buy organic or natural foods, see what today's food experts told us about making smart food choices.

"What Kids Know About Organics" is a result of Organic Valley's visit at PS41 on 10/3 with the American Cheese Revolution. Great shout outs to OV, PS41, American Singles, and the kid definitions of Organic are impressive.

I recently attended the Organic Pioneer Awards at the Rodale Institute--an amazing event that recognizes people who make a difference in sustainable agriculture.

Earlier that day, I visited an organic family farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the Rodale Institute, owned by James Burkholder. When I met James, his wife Ida, and his lovely family, I realized that I was in presence of a new organic leader.

You see, the Golden State is revving up to start its own carbon market (or “cap-and-trade” plan) and it kicks off next month. This plan is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 and will require power plants and large industrial facilities like oil refineries and manufacturers (and eventually fuel and natural gas distributors), to participate in a process of paying for their pollution (or, in some cases, selling credits they earn by not polluting).

Hello, readers! I was asked to give a talk to some parents at my kid's school, so I thought I'd share this with you, too. I've broken it down into 5 Scary Reasons and 5 Fun Reasons because the truth is both fun and scary. And because unless we are willing to stare our fears down and face them, it's almost impossible to have fun!

A study published this week by Washington State University research professor Charles Benbrook finds that the use of herbicides in the production of three genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops — cotton, soybeans and corn — has actually increased. This counterintuitive finding is based on an exhaustive analysis of publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service. Benbrook’s analysis is the first peer-reviewed, published estimate of the impacts of genetically engineered (GE) herbicide-resistant (HT) crops on pesticide use.

Polls show Prop 37 to be overwhelmingly popular: roughly 65 percent for to 20 percent against, with 15 percent undecided. Nationally, on the broader issue of labeling, in answer to the question of whether the Food and Drug Administration should require that “foods which have been genetically engineered or containing genetically engineered ingredients be labeled to indicate that,” a whopping 91 percent of voters say yes and 5 percent say no. This is as nonpartisan as an issue gets, and the polls haven’t changed much in the last couple of years.