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• Studies link range of major diseases to pesticides, new database launched by Beyond Pesticides
  Links to pesticide exposure are being found in a growing number of studies that evaluate the causes of preventable diseases --including asthma, autism and learning disabilities, birth defects and reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and several types of cancer. A new database, hosted by Beyond Pesticides, tracks published epidemiologic and real world exposure studies. The studies challenge the effectiveness of risk-assessment-based regulation which is intended to manage adverse disease outcomes, but is criticized for allowing the uses of chemicals that can be replaced by green technologies and practices... more
  
  
• Senate food safety legislation information alert
  The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a copy of the “manager’s amendment” to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) which is, in essence, the bill as reported out of the HELP Committee late last year as modified by a long and arduous set of negotiations that have taken place since that time to work out particular issues...more
  

• Why don't moms buy organic? Survey weighs in
  INDUSTRY NEWS, July 8, 2010 - Forty-nine percent of moms don't buy organic deli meat because of price, while 26 percent can't find organic deli products where they shop, according to a new survey released by Bridgewater, N.J.-based natural and organic deli meat processor Applegate Farms. Forty-five percent of moms would buy more organic deli meats for their kids if they better understood the benefits, the survey found, while 36 percent of moms were not sure about the meaning of terms like organic and natural, or thought that they mean the same thing. The survey was conducted online last month by Impulse Research with a random sample of 1,052 women ages 25 to 45 who purchase deli meat for their children between the ages of 5 and 12. In a news release about the survey, Applegate offered a range of benefits of eating organic food, including the fact that such products contain no artificial ingredients and are produced without antibiotics and synthetic hormones. The release also stated that in terms of price, a sandwich made with Applegate Farms Organic Black Forest Ham costs just 14 cents more (based on a 2-ounce serving) than a premium conventional brand.


• 2010 MOSES Organic Research Forum presentations
  A select number of powerpoint presentations from the 2010 MOSES Organic Research Forum are now available to download in PDF form...more.


• Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant pre-proposals - are now being accepted for 2010...more.


• WSU study on potato farming gives organic way a boost
  "If you want to grow a bigger potato, organic farming may be the way. The balanced mix of insects and fungi in organic fields does a superior job of keeping pests in check, leading to larger plants, according to researchers at Washington State University in Pullman."


• Organic Broadcaster articles from our most recent July/August edition are now available online. "The Collateral Factor in Farm Business Management," "Organic and Sustainable Weed Control," and much more. GO!


• New guide just released by Beyond Pesticides - "Organic Food: Eating with a Conscience."


• Supreme Court on Modified Foods: Who Won?
  ATLANTIC, June 22, 2010 - A good article on the confusing/conflicting press surrounding Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms...more.


• Supreme Court Case a Defeat for Monsanto's Ambitions
  HUFFINGTON POST, June 21, 2010 - It should be no surprise that Monsanto's PR machine is working hard to spin the truth in this morning's decision in the first-ever Supreme Court case on genetically engineered crops (Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms). Despite what the biotech seed giant is claiming, today's ruling isn't close to the victory they were hoping for...more.


• Genetically modified paper may be coming to an office supply store near you
  RODALE, June 22, 2010 - The USDA has approved field trials of over 200,000 GMO eucalyptus trees on 300 acres in seven states in the Southeast...more.


• All Eyes On California Strawberries: 40,000 People Join Scientists To Oppose Methyl Iodide
  CIVILEATS, June 22, 2010 - California's little-known Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) entered the spotlight this month as scientists, farm workers, and activists rallied against the department's proposal to approve methyl iodide for use in the state's $2.1 billion strawberry industry...more.


• Roundup-resistant weeds pose environmental threat
  AP, June 21, 2010 - Roundup is unreliable in killing at least 10 weed species in at least 22 states...more.


• New MOSES Fact Sheet on Organic Tree Fruit Certification
  Whether you are transitioning a currently bearing orchard, planting a new one or renovating an old orchard, there are similar issues you will need to address in order to grow and market organic tree fruit...more.


• Wisconsin tops all states in Value Added grants again!
  For the third year in a row, Wisconsin grant seekers received more funding from the USDA's Value Added Producer Grants program than any other state in the nation! 14 Wisconsin producers or producer groups received grants, totaling more than $2.46 million (out of a nationwide funding pool of $22.5 million), to help farmers retain more profit from their hard work.


• Leopold Conservation Award seeks nominees in Wisconsin
  A new partnership between Sand County Foundation and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is accepting applications for the $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award, which honors Wisconsin farmers who demonstrate responsible stewardship and management of natural resources...more.


• "Rebuilding America's Economy with Family Farm-Centered Food Systems"
  Recently released Farm Aid report highlights success stories from the field and discusses conquering the challenges of strengthening local and regional markets that support family farmers by thinking creatively about policies, funding resources, cross-sector collaboration and community mobilization strategies.


• USDA Economic Research Service appeals to Organic Farmers, Companies, Seedspeople, Researchers, and Agency Types for help with GMO research
  Cathy Greene, of the USDA Economic Research Service, is working on an urgent issue related to coexistence among organic and conventional producers - particularly with regard to GMOs. Greene needs current information about how successfully organic producers are/aren't coexisting with the conventional (GMO-using) world. This is tough info to find, particularly since GMO drift is not a decertification-worthy event and there are no prescribed tolerances as there are with, say, spray drift. Can you help?
  
  1. If you're a producer, have you yourself experienced losses or can you recommend individuals or companies who have lost money or market because of GMO contamination and would be willing to tell their story?
  
  2. If you are a company or organization, do you have any data about money damages related to rejected loads, losing buyers, etc. because of GMO contamination? (food/feed crops or seed production) or do you know anybody collecting or planning to collect information like this?
  
  Contact Greene directly at 202-694-5541 or CGREENE@ers.usda.gov.


• Supreme Court rules in Monsanto Case - Victory for CFS and Farmers!
  WASHINGTON DC, June 21, 2010 - A decision just came out of the Supreme Court - in the case of Monsanto v Geertson Farms. The case involved defending the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and farmers against Monsanto's appeal of the successful GMO alfalfa ban. The court ruled that the ban on GMO alfalfa stands, and it is still illegal to plant or sell GMO alfalfa. This is a huge victory!
  
  The court ruled that because of CFS's earlier Federal Court victory - which ruled that USDA violated NEPA and other environmental laws when it approved Roundup Ready alfalfa - an injunction was unnecessary since under this previous ruling the crop became a regulated item and illegal to plant.
  
  CFS is victorious in this case in numerous other ways. Most importantly, the Court did not rule on several arguments presented by Monsanto - as a result the Court did not make any ruling that would be hurtful to NEPA or any other environmental laws. In addition, the Court opinion supported CFS's argument that gene flow is a sufficient environmental and economic threat - in other words, GMO contamination can still be considered harm under NEPA, both from an environmental and economic perspective. → Read full CFS press release

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