GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update November 15, 2019

  • A champion of the unplugged, earth-conscious life, Wendell Berry is Still ahead of us (Vox) http://bit.ly/2OLZEy9                       The writer and farmer’s impassioned arguments on farming, technology, and the urban-rural divide have taken on a new urgency.
  • Organic Food Hurts the Earth? Sorry, But It’s More Complicated (In These Times) http://bit.ly/36OzFN4
  • The Battle for the Future of Food in Africa (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/33fawJ5                                                                                     Certain policies, strongly promoted by the Gates Foundation, open Africa to the multinational seed companies in the name of modernization, but they undermine climate resilience and food security for Africa’s small-scale farmers.
  • Iowa’s farmers – and American eaters need a national discussion on transforming US agriculture (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2P6bCmc
  • Flour power: meet the bread heads baking a better loaf (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31uJ2gP                                                                     The days of mass – produced pappy white British supermarket loaf may be numbered. Meet the bread heads revolutionizing the way we eat.
  • Belgian Jewish baker Launches Europe’s firs mass-produced cannabis bread (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) http://bit.ly/2qE4Utn
  • Japanese Scientists’ Discovery Could Prevent Tractor Tipping (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2pVPBMi What do a tractor and a bouncing ball have in common? More than you would think.
  • Sikhs step up to help feed those taking shelter from Kincaid Fire (Manteca Ripon Bulletin) http://bit.ly/2NqozVH
  • A Coffee Crisis Is Brewing And It Could Make Your Morning Joe Less Tasty (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2IUQlIa
  • The Problem Isn’t Wheat. It’s What We’ve Done to It (Heated) http://bit.ly/2ppdvQt                                                                                            The industrial food system is breaking our bodies – and our land
  • PG&E wants to seize private vineyard property for liquid natural gas plant in Calistoga (Napa Valley Register) http://bit.ly/36Cm6Ai
  • Biodegradable Coffee Cups Embedded With Seeds Grow Into Trees When Thrown Away (Off Grid Info) http://bit.ly/34zkmpJ

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • The Key to Saving Family Farms Is in the Soil (yes!) http://bit.ly/2Bs97Tf                                                                                   Farmers adopting regenerative agricultural practices across the Midwest are restoring the health of the soil and of their rural economies.
    • Regenerative, Organic Agriculture is Essential to Fighting Climate Change (In These Times) http://bit.ly/33ynFNx
  • Millions of apples left to rot as European pickers abandon Britain (The London Economic) http://bit.ly/2qJRrAw
    • Shortage of fruit pickers leaves 50 million rotting in UK orchards amid fears Brussels sprouts, cabbages, and kale could also be affected (Daily Mail) https://dailym.ai/2MKRftd               A third of growers say they have been forced to leave 100 tons of fruit unpicked. This because of a labor shortfall in part fueled by current Brexit uncertainty. The shortage of pickers and packers is also hitting vegetable growers ahead of the Christmas period
  • Biodiversity and Animal Welfare are Paramount for these Second-Generation North Caroline Farmers (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2JnIiE9
  • ‘I’m standing right here in the middle of climate change’: How USDA is failing farmers (Politico) https://politi.co/2Bkep35        The $144 billion Agriculture Department spends less than 1 percent of its budget helping farmers adapt to increasingly extreme weather.

 

Land and Soil

  • How urban agriculture can improve food security (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2K4ab4n
    • In Detroit, A New Type of Agricultural Neighborhood Has Emerged (Yes) http://bit.ly/2NFhQbD                                                 The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is focusing on food insecurity and community investment.
    • Urban Farms Are Supposed To Solve Our Food Woes. The Reality Is Not So Simple. (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2O7fbqj
  • The Great Land Robbery (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/33ApDNe The shameful story of how 1 million have been ripped from their farms
    • One Million Black Families in the South Have Lost Their Farms (Equal Justice Initiative) http://bit.ly/2MEofCc
  • Study finds fungi, not plant matter, responsible for most carbon sequestration in northern forests (phys.org) http://bit.ly/2ogp4ce

 

Climate

  • This Ancient Fruit Holds Secrets for How to Farm in Climate Change (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2oiNqlz
  • Scientists warned the US president about global warming 50 years ago (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33DdB5M                                On 5 November 1965 climate scientists summarized the risks associated with rising carbon pollution in a report for Lydon Baines Johnson
  • Indigenous farming practices failing as climate change disrupts seasons (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2Bf00Ft   Farmers around the world rely on millennia-old wisdom to guide their planting. Scrambled weather and seasons are forcing them into uncharted territory.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • This Ancient Fruit hold Secrets for How Farm in Climate Change (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2oiNqlz                                                  Respect your elder-berries.
  • A Holistic (Possible) Solution to the Palm Oil Problem in Indonesia (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2pfGNB5
    • Could This Tree Be An Eco-Friendly Way To Wean Indonesian Farmers Off Palm Oil? (NPR) https://n.pr/343A7Vu
  • The Cosmic Crisp Is Trying To Become America’s Most Popular Apple (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2ITHIxN                                           A crisp new apple variety is coming soon to supermarkets and farmers markets. And millions dollars are spent to persuade you to buy it.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Keystone pipeline leaks oil in northeastern North Dakota (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/34mteyS
    • ‘It Happens Over and Over and Over and Over’: Keystone Pipeline Leaks (at Least) 383,000 Gallons of Crude Oil in North Dakota (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2qcMPTm
  • This Wisconsin Town Is Desperately Fighting For Its Drinking Water (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/35qAL0S                                    The tiny town of Saratoga is locked in a battle over a new mega-dairy that residents fear will contaminate their drinking water.
  • The number of Flint’s students with special needs has increased by 56% since the water crisis, according to report (Metro Times) http://bit.ly/35ynPWB
  • The fight to stop Nestlé from taking America’s water to sell in plastic bottles (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2NanzWQ
    • Nestlé wants Florida’s drinking water for free, leaving us high and dry (Miami Herald) https://hrld.us/2BZKmOF
  • Carnival slapped with a $20 million fine after it was caught dumping trash into the ocean, again (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2omDyYf

 

Food Culture & History

  • The Native Musician and Poet Revitalizing Indigenous Food Sovereignty (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2Q1nG8X
  • Gullah Geechee: distinct US culture risks losing island home to climate crisis (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2W8aOPn                  Fierce storms and rising seas are causing existential angst for communities in Alaska, Arizona and other states on the front line of the climate crisis
  • Resisting GMOs and Preserving Indigenous Culture in Rural Mexico (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2WmvZ0d                                                 Thanks to a union of land cooperatives, people in Puebla have food sovereignty and education in Nahuatl instead of mega – projects and a Walmart.
  • How to say “coffee” or “tea depends on ancient trade routs (Popular Science) http://bit.ly/33hzSpP

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • ‘One of the biggest, baddest things we did’: Black Panthers’ free breakfasts, 50 year on (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MZ8zcL     The party’s program to feed kids, launched in 1969, became a national phenomenon. This weekend, former members joined a celebration in the party’s birthplace
  • The Number of Australians in Need of Food Relief Spikes 22% in a Year: Report (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/363gKNV
  • The New Face of Hunger (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2nNKeOC                                                         Millions of working Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from…
  • To solve the hidden epidemic teen hunger, we should listen to teens who experience it. (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2NRrmre
  • California families at risk for hunger – while a third of crops left to rot on farms (The Fresno Bee) http://bit.ly/33K7EUl
    • Study: On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements (Resources, Conservation and Recycling) http://bit.ly/2YAuFpO
  • By 2025, 43 million children under the age of fie will be overweight (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2WevLbv           A new UNICEF report highlights dietary challenges facing children around the world. A key takeaway? Industrial ag and climate change are compounding malnutrition.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Greenpeace Report Offers Vision of ‘Smart Supermarkets’ and a future Free of Single-Use Plastics (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Kinheq                                                                                            “This report should serve as a model for retailers to follow, and show that it is possible to end our throwaway culture for the sake of our oceans, waterways, and communities.”
    • Report: The Smart Supermarket: How retailers can innovate beyond single use plastics and packaging (Greenpeace) http://bit.ly/2Xf8xlV
  • Taco Bell Recalls 2.3 Million Pounds of Beef After Finding Metal Fragments (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2OShcsb
  • Coca-Cola Named Most Polluting Brand in Global Audit of Plastic Waste (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2N1n0Nu
    • Report Details How Giants Like Coca-Cola Are Trashing the Planet With Plastics While Pushing ‘False Solutions’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2N7jZLN
    • Report: The Brand Audit Report 2019 (Break Free From Plastic) http://bit.ly/2paWkC5
  • The Problem With America’s Bulk Food Bins (Eater) http://bit.ly/333pXnK To truly reduce waste, bulk food must be more than just one isle in the grocery store

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Food is medicine, why isn’t it taught at medical schools? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BmRunO
    • Report: Doctoring Our Diet: Policy Tools to Include Nutrition in US Medical Training (Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic) http://bit.ly/2MqkUYA
    • Food as medicine: Massachusetts bill would give Medicaid recipients fresh food and grocery money (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/32Qwi5L
  • Why is celery powder so controversial? (New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BQyYEt                                                                                             It’s bill as an organic, natural way to cure meats without artificial nitrites, but scientists and advocacy groups argue it’s no safer or healthier.
  • There Are 2,000 Untested Chemicals In Packaged Foods – and It’s Legal (Truthout) http://bit.ly/34L8TU3
  • Rotten Chicken Sickens Homeless As Shelter Staff Laugh: Report (Patch, Brooklyn, NY) http://bit.ly/2WUehS3                                         Six Fort Green shelter residents ended up vomiting after the city served expired chicken salad with a double label, The Daily News reports.
  • Bugs, mold and unwashed hands: Rampant safety violations in nursing home kitchens endanger residents (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2qkHQzN
  • Salmonella Linked to Ground Beef Leaves 8 Hospitalized, 1 Dead (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2K2QBWv
  • Salmon recalled in 23 states because of danger of botulism poisoning (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/34Ei3kU

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Tyson settles with government over fraudulent inspection records (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2qxwFnz            After the company found video of USDA inspectors faking a meat plant inspection, the meat giant was forced to throw out 8,000 hot carcasses.
  • AB InBev, Bud Light’s parent company, is accusing MillerCoors of stealing its beer recipes (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/31tGEH6
  • It’s Harvest Time for Apple Thieves (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2BMQKbM                                                                                 These brazen crimes can wipe out a farm’s annual harvest.
    • Thief Stole 50,000 Apples by Just Shaking the Trees Really hard, Orchard Owner Says (Vice) http://bit.ly/33UEDFG

 

Children & School Food

  • San Francisco Unified School District going back to basics with school lunches made from scratch (San Francisco Examiner) http://bit.ly/2VXCzKp                                                                             Upgraded culinary center could serve as model for expanded inhouse food production.
  • Universal free lunch is linked to better test scores in New York City, new report finds (Chalkbeat) http://bit.ly/2OZ9o8e
  • ‘Every Child Deserves to Eat’: Sander and Omar Bill Would Provide Universal Free Public School Lunches (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2W10o3L                                                                                              “I one of the wealthiest countries in the world, no child should be turned away from a meal if they cannot afford it,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar.
  • Nearly 1 million kids will lose automatic free lunch eligibility under USDA’s proposed SNAP changes (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2JflN4r                                                                                          Doing so will save the agency $90 million annually, but could significantly impact child nutrition.
  • New Jersey school district proposes banning students with lunch debt from field trips, prom (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2MZYzAl

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • Nestlé admits slavery in Thailand while fighting child labor lawsuit in Ivory Coast (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2BE3NfT       The company has won plaudits for its admission of forced labor in the Thai seafood industry but much of the supply chain remains hidden
  • BAT (British American Tobacco) faces landmark legal case over Malawi familie’s poverty wages (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2q95ijD
  • American Farming Runs on Exploitation (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2J6gYtP                                                                                    Climate change isn’t the only reality the USDA’s been slow to grapple with.
    • The Farmworkers Who Pick Your Food Don’t Get Paid Overtime (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/34GO9N4                 Washington could be the third state to require overtime pay, leveling the playing field nationwide for ‘second-class workers.’
  • Raising the minimum wage in restaurants could be a win for everyone (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2C46Mhx                 Critics would have you believe that upping the minimum wage in restaurants will lead to massive layoffs and closures. But since raising the minimum wage to US$15 per hour nearly a year ago the restaurant industry in New York City has thrived.
  • The American System of Tipping Makes No Sense (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2pz7alH                                                                                                  If you want to understand how meritocracy acts as a cover for inequality, look no further than our broken understanding of gratuity.
  • A minimum wage worker needs 2.5 full-time jobs to afford a one bedroom apartment in most of the US (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/323n2Kq
  • New Report: Workers At Farms That Supply Whole Foods “Are Often Overworked and Poorly Treated” (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/33y0wdJ
  • Working nights to pack California strawberries, working days to graduate from school (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36aQ6mn
  • Long sought by the restaurant industry, legal tip pooling is imminent (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BnR8gE           LA, San Francisco, Portland, and Vegas: Your tips could soon be shared with kitchen staff.
  • Should State (California) Fund Growers’ Barracks for Guest Workers? (Capital & Main) http://bit.ly/2VJyx8o                                   As the number of H-2A guest workers mushrooms, California labor contractors and growers are packing farmworkers into motels and houses in working class neighborhoods.
  • Unions file lawsuit challenging plan to permit faster line speed in hog slaughterhouses (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/35P2SqL
  • Cheerios Picket Line Averted: After Strike Threat, General Mills Workers Win Tentative Agreement (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2NuJFmS

 

Protests

  • Climate Change Protester Dressed as Broccoli Gets Arrested, Becomes a Hero (Vice) http://bit.ly/32Kg3ay                                         On Sunday, the suit-and-tie wearing, floret-headed gentleman was handcuffed by three officers during an Extinction Rebellion protest.

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Tesco to cut plastic waste with reusable tins and tubs in 2020 initiative with Loop (eNViro30) http://bit.ly/327C7e1
  • Kellogg agrees to stop marketing sugary cereals as “healthy” (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2BLnJ09                                                 A $31 million settlement in a California lawsuit will force Kellogg to significantly change its marketing.
  • McDonald’s CEO Steps Down After Relationship With Employee (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2JKzGYz                                                       In an email to employees, former president and CEO Steve Easterbnrook acknowledged a relationship with an employee and said it was a mistake.
  • Monsanto wins $7.7b lawsuit in Brazil – but farmers’ fight to stop its ‘amoral’ royalty system will continue (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2pEqhuH                                                                                 Soybean farmers in Brazil sued Monsanto for a royalty collection system that they say violates their planting rights.
  • ‘Get Big Or Get Out’ Farming Has Left Kansas Towns Struggling For Survival (KCUR) http://bit.ly/36n67pF
  • Trump Trade War: Farmers Are Going To ‘Lose Farms That They’ve Had In Their Families For Generations,’ Says Land O’Lakes CEO (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/33H2EjC
  • Dairy farmers are in crisis – and it could change Wisconsin forever (Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2WcMvj5
  • Blaming dairy farm downturn, Associated Milk Producers shuts down Iowa plant (Des Moines Register) http://bit.ly/36LSY9J
  • The US city preparing itself for the collapse of capitalism (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2N6u0dw                                                               From a festival that helps artists trade work for healthcare to a regional micro-currency, Kingston (NY) is trying to build an inclusive and self-sufficient local ecosystem

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Thailand bans use of paraquat and other toxic farm chemicals (Associated Press) http://bit.ly/31LOL26                                   Thailand’s government has agreed to ban the use of paraquat and glyphosate and the insecticide chlorpyrifos, all widely regarded as dangerous to human health, starting December 1.
  • Chinese Regulations Are Pushing American Pork Producers to Remove Feed Additives (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/3409IaU Chinese rules are stricter than American rules, in some respects.
    • JBS USA to produce pork without growth drug banned by China, seeking more exports (Reuters) https://reut.rs/35FOLnl
  • The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the EU for Millions (NYT) https://nyti.ms/32bNMbQ                                       The European Union spends $65 billion a year subsidizing agriculture. But a chunk of that money emboldens strongmen, enriches politicians and finances corrupt dealing.
  • Trump’s Japan Deal Another Win for Global Meat Companies (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2q50go9
  • Family Farmers Call for End to US Obstruction on Agroecology at United Nations (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2PDeS99                                                                                   Groups demand support for pro-science, pro-environment farming solutions
  • Feds clear path for hemp farming; Montana lead the nation in crop production (Missoula Current) http://bit.ly/2NHcFql           The US Department of Agriculture issued its interim final rule on hemp production in America, clearing the way for farmers to cultivate what could be a highly lucrative – or highly speculative – new crop.
  • Endangered Species Act (ESA) “Biological Opinion” for SF Bay-Delta Restore the Delta Responds (Restore the Delta) http://bit.ly/2C8jRGG                                                                                             “… the Trump Administration intends for follow through on its promise to maximize exports from the Delta San Joaquin valley agribusiness and southern California. These opinions however have the smell of manipulated science, an Orwellian finding that ‘fish don’t need water.”
  • Government restrictions on labeling products as ‘meat’ aren’t likely to help anyone (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2nSOeh0
  • Top US Toxicologist Was Barred From Saying PFAS Cause Disease In Humans. She’s Saying It Now. (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2Wf2Rrs
  • FDA approves genetically modified cotton for human consumption (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2OUcAlo Most cotton plants contain a toxin that makes them inedible for humans and most animals. A tweak in its biology could turn the crop int a worth protein source.
  • Digging into the Farm Debate: Reviving Supply Management for the 21st Century (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/338S4BV
  • Trump Turns Back the Clock in America’s Meat Plants (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2nSdS5u                                                                   More than a century after Upton Sinclair’s gruesome “The Jungle,” the president is loosening rules that protect workers and consumers alike.
  • Farmers Union: Farm Workforce Modernization Act an Important Step Towards a Stable Agricultural Workforce http://bit.ly/2PI3M2H
  • Costa Rica Has Banned Styrofoam – A Major Wing for the Environment (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2qFvbaZ                        Fines for using styrofoam range from about $760 to $7,600.
  • Briefing Paper: Shell Game Diverts Millions of Farm Tax Dollars to Kansas Lobbying Group, Threatening Bee Checkoff Program (Organization for Competitive Markets) http://bit.ly/32pC0LV
  • In Iowa, Politicians Protect The Meat Industry By Making Animal Rights Activists Criminals (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/35svO7D

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Bee population recovering due to regenerative farming, producers say (Global News Canada) http://bit.ly/2JH22mw
  • New England power line corridors harbor rare bees and wild things (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2CpHOtd
  • Biodiversity boosts crop pollinators and pest controllers, study finds (Mongabay) http://bit.ly/35PKmOK
    • Study: A global synthesis reveals biodiversity -mediated benefits for crop production (Science Advances) http://bit.ly/2Mvpgh1
  • Our Vanishing World: Insects (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2JW7JNv                                                                                         Just one critical and largely ignored variable in this rush to extinction is our decimation of the world insect population denying us an ever-expanding range of ecological services.

 

Animals, Fish, Fresh Water & Sea Animals

  • ‘The smell will knock you off your feet’: mass mussel die-off baffle scientists (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Mdt5Y5                       Mussels, the backbone of the river ecosystem because they control silt levels and filter water, are facing a mysterious affliction
  • Hundreds of spawning salmon killed in Squamish river; BC Hydro admits responsibility (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) http://bit.ly/2qftpgp                                                                                                Fish on their way to lay thousands of eggs become trapped in isolated pools in the riverbed

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

 

Poisons

  • Glyphosate Worse Than We Could Imagine. “It’s Everywhere” (Global Research) http://bit.ly/2BsH469                                  Glyphosate residues have been found in tap water, orange juice, children’s urine, breast milk, chips, snacks, beer, cereals, eggs, oatmeal, wheat products, and most conventional foods tested. It’s everywhere, in brief.
  • ‘Landmark New Research’ Links Neonics With Collapse of Fisheries (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/3382fH3                          Just awful, what gruesome harm we inflicting on the environment.”
    • Research Links Pesticide Harmful to Bees With Collapse of Fisheries (Truthout) http://bit.ly/34kw4Ec
    • Japanese Fisheries Collapsed Due to Pesticides, New Research Says (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2pDmfTl
    • Fishery collapse ‘confirms Silent Spring pesticide prophecy (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/36phKfw                                       Common pesticides found to starve fish ‘astoundingly fast’ by killing aquatic insects
  • US Annually Uses 388 Million Pounds of Potentially Fatal Pesticides Banned in the EU, China and Brazil (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2WXS99a
  • Fracking Study Shows Toxic Chemical Exposure 2,000 Feet From Drilling Sites (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2W1vMiW
  • Report on Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables Adds to Growing Public Health Concerns (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2WmvQK8

 

Education & Training

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update October 12, 2019

 

  • This area in Detroit is now America’s first 100% organic, self-sustainable neighborhood (The Hearty Soul) http://bit.ly/2mPIiok
  • Former USDA Scientist Says He’ll Make A Bigger Impact On Climate Change Research Outside Of The Government (WBUR) https://wbur.fm/2kyhA2y
  • $1m a minute: the farming subsidies destroying the world – report (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lRb0o2
  • How Maine plans to study the debated practice of aerial herbicide on forests (Bangor Daily News) http://bit.ly/2kDqP1z
    • Aerial Herbicide Spraying Under Scrutiny in Maine’s North Woods (Maine Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2mEzhP4
  • Buildings should be made out of hemp and wool to cut carbon emissions, National Farmers’ Union says (The Telegraph) http://bit.ly/2kXiGoG
  • Mushrooms Clean Up Toxic Mess, Including Plastic. So Why Aren’t They Used More? (yes!) http://bit.ly/2krJAVm
    • Mushrooms Used for Bioremediation to Clean Pesticides From Oregon Waterways (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2oFxgCG

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • 10,000 Farmers And Ranchers Endorse Green New Deal In Letter To Congress (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2mrLzK4
  • French farmers forced to destroy rapeseed after GM seed found (The Western Producer) http://bit.ly/2lWH2PD
  • 1,000 Farm-Raised Salmon Escape From Canadian Pen, Some Captured At New Brunswick Dam (Main Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2lSGM42                                                                                          This is the same company that released 305,000 farmed salmon into Peugeot Sound in 2017.

 

Land and Soil

  • ‘The Future of Earth Is at Risk’: New Drone Footage of Deforestation in Amazon Shows Cost of Meat Industry (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2mtWdju
  • The Amount of US Farmland Held By Foreign Investors Nearly Doubled in A Decade (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2mPKJY0

 

Climate

  • Vandana Shiva: We Need Biodiversity-Based Agriculture to Solve Climate Crisis (Truthout) http://bit.ly/332svlB
  • Some Indigenous Communities Have a New Way to Fight Climate Change: Give Personhood Rights to Nature (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/33qPVRF    A Yurok Tribe resolution allows cases to be brought on behalf of the Klamath Ricer as a person in tribal court.
  • Farmers and Ranchers Know What Climate Change Feels Like. They Just Wrote Congress Demanding Action (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2muYk6z
  • In a Race Against the Sun, Growers Try to Outsmart Climate Change (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2mnYEE1                                                    From California to Costa Rica and beyond, farmers are experimenting with new crops and growing tactics.
  • New Report Details 10 ‘Critical Transitions’ to Tackle the Climate crisis and Feed the World (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2ksqb6U
    • Report: Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use (Food and Land Use Coalition) http://bit.ly/2mfu3se
  • Bite Podcast’s New Series Explores How Climate Change Is Transforming Dinner (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/352o10d
  • Study: Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises (Global Environmental Change) http://bit.ly/2lRgY8z
  • New initiative aims to mobilize the restaurant industry to fight climate change (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/326SnNd     Restore California will fund farmers to switch to regenerative agriculture practices.
  • Ravaged by Drought, a Honduran Village Faces a Choice: Pray for Rain or Migrate (Inside Climate News) http://bit.ly/2mfzvvd      People in El Resario live on the edge of hunger, not knowing if the next harvest will come. Climate change is a driving force of food insecurity.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Benheim Apricot (Gastro Obscura) http://bit.ly/2lUUcwn          Snap judgments may spell trouble for what was once the king of California apricots.
  • Strawberries: The tasty fruit with a tainted environmental legacy and an uncertain future (UC Santa Cruz News Center) http://bit.ly/2kywypg
  • This Ancient Fruit Holds Secrets for How to Farm in Climate Change (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2oiNqlz

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Give Rivers Legal Rights (New Republic) http://bit.ly/2oFdDdZ        An ancient approach to protecting nature is being revived in hopes of getting natural resources – and the people who depend on them – the protection they’ve always deserved.
  • California farmers face ‘catastrophic’ water restrictions. Can they adapt to survive? (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2Ofpydj
  • ‘Perfectly Legal’ Levels of Contaminants in US Tap Water Could Result in 100,000 Cancer Cases: New Study (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kyD13y
    • Study: Cumulative risk analysis of carcinogenic contaminants in United States drinking water (Heliyon) http://bit.ly/2kMojWQ
    • Study: California Drinking Water: How the Combination of Multiple Contaminants Raises Cancer Risks (Environmental Working Group) http://bit.ly/2msNez4
  • Fracking Has No Place in a Livable Future (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2m0JAfs
    • Ohio Firefighters Kept in the Dark on Drilling and Fracking Chemicals (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2mLo9jn                                     The secrecy prevents first responders from preparing for incidents involving chemical fires, spills or releases.
  • This Wisconsin Town Is Desperately Fighting For Its Drinking Water (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/35qAL0S
  • ‘What they put on the fields contaminates our water’: Iowa’s pollution problem (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2otUbRg
  • Water Is Unaffordable For Nearly Half Of Kentucky County’s Residents, Report Finds (West Virginia Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2pbyTZa
  • Alaska Villages Run Dry And Residents Worry About A ‘Future No Water’ (NPR) https://n.pr/2keObKq
  • ‘Critical’: parts of regional NSW (New South Wales) set to run out of water by November (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2kOSdJK
  • In a sign of cleanup success, dolphins are living and giving birth in the Potomac (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2OO2JOj
  • Algae Blooms Fed by Farm Flooding Add to Midwest’s Climate Woes (Inside Climate News) http://bit.ly/2lZqWo8                             All that water has flushed vast amounts of fertilizer and manure into waterways, triggering a potentially unprecedented season of algae blooms.
  • Saving California’s Kelp Forest May Depend On Eating Purple Sea Urchins (NPR) https://n.pr/2lQv5Li
  • As Bering Sea ice melts, Alaskans, scientists, and Seattle’s fishing fleet witness changes ‘on a massive scale (Seattle Times) http://bit.ly/2kM3sCI
  • The Battle Over Fish Farming In The Open Ocean Heats Up, As EPA Permit Looms (NPR) https://n.pr/2nSzgHl
  • Ships fitted with ‘cheat devices’ to divert poisonous pollution into sea (The Independent) http://bit.ly/2oFpVD8
  • ‘Everywhere we looked’: trillions of microplastics found in San Francisco bay (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2LQKbej                       Most comprehensive study to date finds plastic in sediment collected from bay and tributaries and digestive tracts of fish

 

Food Culture & History

  • New Oakland soul food spot reminds us vegan food is part of black culture (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/33tc9ml
  • Mexican Grandmother creates a YouTube channel to teach homemade recipes. It already has 265 thousand subscribers (The Mazatlán Post) http://bit.ly/2m2EkIA
  • The Ethics of Eating (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2LNBAc5              How our food culture is killing us.
  • The Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program: A 50-Year-Old Blueprint (KQED) http://bit.ly/2oVkMHq

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Woman Was Buying Dinner For Homeless People When Taco Bell Kicked Them Out (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2lXkIW8  Shannon Gridley said the treatment she and her dinner guests faced at a Louisville Taco Bell was “dehumanizing.”

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • New Report Finds That More Food Is Lost in Fields Than Previously Believed (Food Tank) http://bit.ly/2kT8wFu
    • Study: On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements (Resources, Conservation and Recycling) http://bit.ly/2YAuFpO
  • Coca-Cola will no longer use plastic shrink-wrap on can multipacks sold in the UK (enviro30) http://bit.ly/2mYJZ2s
    • Coca Cola – 3m metric tonnes plastic packaging annually, does their action plan really stack up? (enviro30) http://bit.ly/2n4oVb7
  • Nestlé, Tim Hortons named Canada’s top plastic polluters again (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) http://bit.ly/35w5TMy
  • Shocking photo shows Caribbean Sea being ‘choked to death by human waste’ (The Telegraph) http://bit.ly/2m0VMgo

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • KFC is serving fried chicken sandwiches between 2 glazed doughnuts at dozens of locations, and people are freaking out (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2knuy33
  • General Mills Recalls 600,000 Pounds of Flour Due to E. Coli Contamination Risk (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2mLpYwi

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • A 5.6 – Pound Avocado in Hawaii Set a New World Record, and It Made Enough Guacamole for 20 People (KTLA5) http://bit.ly/2VBAofl

 

Children & School Food

  • Why school cafeterias should he the frontlines of policy change (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2moXBE1                                           Healthier children, better wages, stronger local economies, sustainable food – the fight for of them start with school lunches

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • ‘Such brutality’: tricked into slaver in the Thai fishing industry (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lYBwff
  • Company shorted H-2A visa workers in pay, violated safety and health housing standards (Miami Herald) https://hrld.us/2lZpNgk
    • Fainting And Freezing In The Fields: Alleged Labor Trafficking Victim Tells Of Mistreatment in Wisconsin, Georgia (Wisconsin Public Radio) http://bit.ly/2ALvpix
  • ‘It’s Not Shameful to Work in the Fields. But It’s Hard.’ (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2oVoXTC Americans don’t want these jobs, or can’t do them – so nearly a quarter of a million guest workers do them instead.
  • 4,200 truck drivers lost their jobs in September as a recession slams America’s $800 billion trucking industry (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/31XHLAg
  • World’s richest man cuts health benefits for 1,900 Whole Foods workers (Front Page Live) http://bit.ly/2kq33WD
  • Philly airport workers are being forced to sign away their rights to take their employer to court (The Philadelphia Inquirer) http://bit.ly/2m1wFtM
  • ‘We’re organizing to improve lives’: New York fast-food workers push to unionize (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/358vnPL   Manhattan-based local union that works with Fight for $15 has launched effort to unionize Chipotle and McDonald’s workers
  • Poultry Workers and Allies Organize In The Wake of Anti-Immigrant Raids (Labor Notes) http://bit.ly/2ou9ERl
  • Grocery Workers’ Union Cancels all Kroger Contracts due to Unfair Labor Practices by Fred Meyer; further details to follow on September 22nd. (UFCW 5550 http://bit.ly/2kSNzur

 

Protests

  • The Library of Congress’ cafeteria is serving up a punny impeachment themed dessert (The Week) http://bit.ly/35a2Jhe

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Big Meat Files Suit to Stop California Measure Improving Animal Welfare (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/32Yyisq               California’s Proposition 12, passed in November, won praise from animal rights groups.
  • Nestlé violates law in India, conducts clinical trials on premature infants for baby food (National Herald India) http://bit.ly/335Vhlu
  • Farm bankruptcies rise as trade war drags on (UPI) http://bit.ly/2oCwtCH
    • Farmers rip Trump trade: We’ve lost everything since he took over (MSNBC) https://on.msnbc.com/331ujeH Bob Kuylen, vice president of the North Dakota Farmer’s Union, says he lost $400,000 because of President Trump’s trade ware with China. He says farmers have “pretty much lost all of our markets since Trump took over.”
    • Trump Trade War: Farmers Are Going To ‘Lose Farms That They’ve Had In Their Families For Generations,’ Says Land O’Lakes CEO (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/3241kH0
    • US Farms Face Long-Term Losses From Trump Trade War, BCG Warns (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/35syRg3
  • Why community-owned grocery stores like co-ops are the best recipe for revitalizing food deserts (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/35bCoPS

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Pesticide formulations as sold and used must be tested for toxicity and carcinogenicity (GMWatch) http://bit.ly/2nYXOic
  • EU approves ground breaking New ‘Right to Repair’ Laws Requiring Appliances to Be Easier to Fix (Good News Network) http://bit.ly/2pxebDg
  • France Is the First Country to Ban Plastic Cups, Plates, and Cutlery (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2m8qQdV
  • France bans fracking and oil extraction in all of its territories (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2nF5R3z                                                              French parliamentarians have passed a law banning fossil fuel extraction. President Macron says he wants France to lead the world with switch to renewables
  • House Approves “Sweeping” Provisions That Target Toxic “Forever Chemicals” (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2mJVKdc
    • Trump Threatens to Veto First Ever Congressional Action on “Forever Chemicals” (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2mLibi0
  • Trump Administration Moves To End 20% Cap On Non-Tipped Work For Servers (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/33lojxv
    • The Trump Administration Wants Restaurant Servers To Do More Work For Less Pay (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Otubk5
  • Universal Free School Lunch Can End Cafeteria Shaming. But Now It’s Under Threat. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2nDoK6R
  • Trump Administration Proposes Yet Another Food Benefit Cut (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2paVRPZ
    • Restricting SNAP benefits could hurt millions of Americans – and local communities (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2npRksE
    • Warnings That Millions More Could Go Hungry as Trump Pushes $4.5 Billion in Food Benefit Cuts (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2o80bQ7                                                                                  “The Trump administration’s latest proposal to cut SNAP would leave millions of people, including struggling families, seniors and people with disabilities, with less help putting food on the table.”
  • Trump Has Gutted an Agency That’s Vital to American Farmers (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2Oph5EC                                             Move to Kansas City leads to mass departures of DC researchers             Some growers worry they will lack essential data for decisions
  • The USDA Gives Fewer Loans to Women and Minority Farmers, a Government Watchdog Finds (Pacific Standard) http://bit.ly/2Mcw4Pm
  • USDA Inaction Leaves Organic Dairy Farmers in a Very Vulnerable Position, Congress is Forced to Take Action (Organic Insider) http://bit.ly/31M7awD
  • Why President Trump gutting USDA’s research service is so dangerous (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2kpcHbQ   Since the 19th century, Americans have benefited from access to rigorous, unbiased statistics about our foodways.
  • Trump’s NLRB, Trying to Cut Protections for Millions of Temps and Fast-Food Workers, Trips Up Again (ProPublica) http://bit.ly/2lwgyV1                                                                                            The labor-relations board’s attempt to kill an Obama rule protecting third-party employees fizzed once because of a conflict of interest. Now, two representatives charge, there’s a new conflict and it involves the agency’s own temps.

 

  • Trump Labor Department Slammed for ‘Wholly Inadequate’ Overtime Pay Rule That ‘Leaves Behind Millions of Workers’ (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2l01Oh8                                           “Once again, President Trump has sided with the interests of corporate executives over those of working people.”
  • Perdue to small farmers: Stop whining, your demise is inevitable (Wisconsin Examiner) http://bit.ly/2M5XhnV                              Trump’s ag secretary conveys the administration’s contempt for rural people
    • Wisconsin Governor Rips Sonny Perdue For Warning Small Dairy Farms Won’t Make It (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/35awqyL                                                                                 Make no mistake about it, Trump’s administration is nor friend to America’s Dairyland.”
    • ‘Unacceptable’: Family Farms, Ag Advocates Hit Back After Sec Perdue Says Small Dairy Farms Destined to Die (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2oDGfo4                                                              “Five years of plunging farm prices, increasing bankruptcies, and climbing suicide rates were not discussed by Perdue. His message to them was basically, stop whining, your demise is inevitable.”
    • Ag secretary: No guarantee small dairy farms will survive (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2p03BnR President Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary said Tuesday during a stop in Wisconsin that He doesn’t know if the family dairy farm can survive as the industry moves toward a factory farm model.
  • Trump Administration threatens jail time for California officials over river project (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2muvenZ
  • Trump’s USDA Is Letting Factories Troubling Safety Records Slaughter Chickens Even Faster (ProPublica) http://bit.ly/31RAJNd                                                                                Workers are getting injured, but the Department of Agriculture says their safety is not its responsibility.
  • Amid National Drinking Water Crises, EPA Moves to Weaken Lead Protections (National Resources Defense Council) https://on.nrdc.org/2MtCIRo
  • California bans controversial pesticide (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2B8mwzD                                                                                      Sales of chlorpyrifols will stop in early 2020 and complete ban on usage of the pesticide will stop in late 2020.
  • Hollywood and Silicon Valley can no longer silence women with this contract clause (Vox) http://bit.ly/31cm9i1                       California finally bans forced arbitration at work.                                          This covers all workers, including those in food services and agriculture.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Bee population recovering due to regenerative farming, producers say (Global News Canada) http://bit.ly/2IHG1mU

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

  • A Chinese hog farmer is breeding giant, polar bear size pigs that weigh over 1,100 pounds, while the country contends with pork shortages (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/325n9WD
  • Rare California trout species returns to native habitat (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2mhfox8
  • Salmon return to Oregon river by the hundreds to spawn after $2M restoration project (KATU2) http://bit.ly/33quqki
  • Global Warming Pushing Pacific Salmon to the Brink, Federal Scientists Warn (Inside Climate Change) http://bit.ly/2kQgQ94
    • Okanagan Sockeye Salmon (Gastro Obscura) http://bit.ly/2mgw8nO                                                                          Around British Columbia’s Osoyoos Lake, community efforts have revived the population of a fluorescent fish.
  • The Strange, Uncertain Fate of the World’s Most Valuable Salmon Habitats (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2oUvPjO               Alaska’s Bristol Bay is a rare pristine salmon fishery. Can it survive a rapidly changing climate – and massive, Trump – backed mine?
  • Scientific and Traditional Knowledge Is Helping Save the World’s Largest Freshwater Fish (Food Tank) http://bit.ly/2n2epkz
  • How To Teach a Frog to Love (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2B73mKw                                                                       Amphibians are dying off faster than any other vertebrate group in the world. Can hormones and IVF save them?
  • Scientists: Yes, That Lobster You’re Boiling Alive Is Probably In Real Pain (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2n1Yv9P

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • Gene-edited animals will intensify factory farming and the climate crisis, could harm human health (Friends of the Earth) http://bit.ly/2lZGIiO                                                                                            New report highlights urgent need for safety assessments, oversight
    • Report: Genetically Engineered Animals: From Lab to Factory Farm (Friends of the Earth) http://bit.ly/2lWDmNF
  • A Trail That Gene-Hack Mosquitoes to Stop Breeding Has Backfired Spectacularly (Science Alert) http://bit.ly/2kFItlj

 

Poisons

  • New Study: US agriculture 48 times more toxic to insects than 25 years ago (Friends of the Earth) http://bit.ly/2ozYCKv
    • Study: An Assessment of acute insecticide toxicity loading (AITL) of chemical pesticides used on agricultural land in the United States (PLOS One) http://bit.ly/2OKKpXU
  • Billions Of Birds Have Disappeared From North America in Recent Decades: Study (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2krlkmg
    • Vanishing: More Than 1 in 4 Birds Has Disappeared in the Last 50 years (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) http://bit.ly/2kYh5Pg
    • Huge decline in songbirds linked to common insecticide (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2mh5PxP  Neonics – pesticides introduced to plant at the seed stage – act like an appetite suppressant for birds, making them lose weight within hours.
    • Dead Bird Nests Contain 36 Different Pesticides, Including DDT (ach news) http://bit.ly/2kNcr6L
  • Biosolids: mix human waste with toxic chemicals, then spread on crops (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MAbUyX

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update September 15, 2019

 

  • Going Home With Wendell Berry (The New Yorker) http://bit.ly/2kETrHy                                                                                            The writer and farmer on local knowledge, embracing limits, and the exploitation of rural America.
  • A Shared Place (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2khyEJT              Wendell Berry’s lifelong dissent
  • Why Growing Food is The Single Most Impactful Thing You Can Do in a Corrupt Political System (Realfarmacy) http://bit.ly/2kMx8Q9
  • Store It: Interactive storage guide – how to keep your food fresh for as long as possible (savethefood.com) http://bit.ly/2TUyrtv
  • Inmates have turned the Maine State Prison grounds into a lush garden (Bangor Daily News) http://bit.ly/2lDvLDK
  • Literal Sh*t Storm: Warnings of Major Manure Threat as Hurricane Dorian Barrels Toward North Carolina Factory Farms (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kw4DWW                                            “The heavy rainfall could flood poorly located factory farms, spreading untold tons of hog, chicken, and turkey waste along the coastal plain.”
  • The Best Place for Harvesting Solar Energy Is Not Where I Expected It to Be (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2k8pDTx                And the same land can produce loads of food and electricity simultaneously.
  • Phosphate fertilizer ‘crisis’ threatens world food supply (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lEA1Tg                                                                      Use of essential rock phosphate has soared, but scientists fear it could run out within a few decades
  • Why the UK Is Wary of American “Chlorinated Chicken” (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kAFElk                                                                            The US government is looking to change this attitude.

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Farmers Needs a Bill of Rights (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kKbJqT                                                                                        Besides a fair income, just like other workers, the Farmers Bill of Rights seeks to guarantee farmers fair and open markets that are not dominated by a handful of corporations.
  • 15% of American Farms Don’t Have Access to the Internet (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2koEpFT                                              Believe it or not, this is an improvement.
  • Farmers at the Iowa State Fair Say They’re Backing Trump’s Trade War (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/30pGK39
  • Another Toll Of Donald Trump’s Trade War: Farmer Suicides (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2kAxppf                                         Mounting financial stress is linked to grim tally in rural America.
  • The World’s Largest Urban Farm Is Set to Open in Paris (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kdzAiA                                                                            The urban farm trend continues to grow. Literally, and in multiple ways.
  • Young dairy farmers continue Marin – Sonoma ranching tradition, stick to organic milk (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kJxwyP
  • The Dirt on Dirt Capital (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2KPivWt       It’s a for-profit company that seems willing to take on more risks than other lending institutions.
  • Farmers Union Vice President Says Farmers Have ‘Pretty Much Lost All Our Markets Since Trump Took Over’ (Newsweek) http://bit.ly/2lYL0qN
  • National Farmers Union Head Scorches Trump: He’s Offended ‘Pretty Much Every Ally’ On Earth (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m6l4d7
  • California crab fishermen are testing “ropeless” gear to save whales – and themselves (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2k65MUS

 

Land and Soil

  • How Did African-American Farmers Lose 90 percent of Their Land? (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2zfb8B0                                              A combination of obscure legal mechanisms and racist institutions enabled – and continues to enable developers to weasel it away.

 

Climate

  • Who’s Burning the Amazon? Rampant Capitalism (Wired) http://bit.ly/2ztPf1f                                                                                         Market forces and the administration of Jair Bolsonaro are supercharging the deforestation that’s imperiling the world’s biggest tropical rainforest.
  • Record hot summer burned the first fruit of my apple tree – and left a bad taste in my mouth (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2k6syfs
  • North Carolina Braces for Another Flood of Hog Poop (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2lDlNlC                                                                                    For the third time in four years, a hurricane threatens on of the country’s epicenters of pig and poultry farming.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • What’s the Difference Between Heirloom, Beefsteak, Plum, Cherry, and Grape Tomatoes? (Eater) http://bit.ly/2Noz39z            And one more question: Why are grocery store tomatoes so bad?
  • This Apple Might Be the Most Anticipated Piece of Produce in History (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2k5jmYB                                        Get ready for Cosmic Crisp mania.
  • The Nation’s First Hemp Seed Bank Will Be in New York (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/30tkZzc                                                                            The CBD market thanks you.
  • Almost All American Strawberries Are Grown With Toxic Chemicals (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2kvAneP                                      For a century, the industry has used fumigants to farm berries year-round.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • States cut water use as Colorado River runs low. That’s actually good news. (grist) http://bit.ly/2zHLKo5
    • Wellspring of Resilience: How Do We Provide Water Security in an Uncertain World? (The Nature Conservancy) http://bit.ly/2L7CWOt
  • How to address America’s lead crisis and provide safe drinking water for all (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2kxTAwf
  • This is our “Chernobyl”: Frontline’s “Flint’s Deadly Water” exposes shocking Legionnaires’ crisis (Salon) http://bit.ly/2khjCE4
    • Months after dire warning, Flint spills 2 million gallons of raw sewage into river (Michigan Live) http://bit.ly/2ZwA1XR
  • High levels of arsenic found in bottled water sold at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods (CBS17) http://bit.ly/32196RD
  • Nestlé Plans to Plunder 1.1M Gallons a Day from Florida Natural Springs (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2Uhw9oz
  • The Frightening Spread of Toxic Algae (The New Republic) http://bit.ly/2L6DcNL
    • Toxic Algae warning for Sacramento area waters. Keep an eye on your dogs (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2m1lfWZ
    • Mississippi Beaches Have Been Vacant For 2 Months As Toxic Algae Bloom Lurks Offshore (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2kzzt0R
    • ‘It can kill you in seconds’: the deadly algae on Brittany’s beaches (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2lEckuu                            Activists say stinking sludge is linked to nitrates in fertilizers from intensive farming
  • Researchers Have Identified How Naval Sonar Is Killing and Beaching Whales (Sea Voice News) http://bit.ly/34bHaMI
    • So Many Dead Whales Are Washing Up On The West Coast That NOAA Is Pleading For Help (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2MLLVam
  • Collapse of kelp forest imperils North Coast ocean ecosystem (The Press Democrat) http://bit.ly/2lYln9x

 

Food Culture & History

  • My Life Spent in Mexico City’s Food Markets (City Lab) http://bit.ly/2lLEmUC                                                                                            The relationship between the writer and her food merchants is a familial on extending through generations, and beyond the hunt for that one perfect taco.
  • How Asian Americans Use Kitchen Gardens To Reclaim Their Heritage (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2lTLbUb                      Growing produce that’s common in Asia has become a radical act of cultural preservation.
  • Super Sad True Chef Story (Eater) http://bit.ly/2zeLPPF                The French brigade system and ritual of staging had defined what it means to train as a fine dining chef for more than a century – and it broke me after a week.
  • The Human Cost of Viral Food Crazes (Rolling Stone) http://bit.ly/2lAgzHh                                                                                                 A Popeyes chicken sandwich has driven people to sue the chain and even hold up stores at gunpoint. What the hell is going on?
  • Chipotle I Smothering Mexican American Burrito Culture (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2lIb35k                                                            And I don’t mean with a delicious green chile sauce.
  • Radical Roots: Harvesting legacies from Vermont’s back-to-the-land movemenet. (The Progressive) http://bit.ly/2kBeLOj

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Thousands of Silicon Valley College Students Struggle with Homelessness, Hunger (San Jose Inside) http://bit.ly/2m7SCHP
  • In Santa Cruz, Clandestine Food Bank Draws 100s Of Farmworkers (Patch) http://bit.ly/2k9Drgm                            Farmworker families afraid of getting assistance from food banks due to recent immigration raids now participate in secret food handouts.
  • Fewer Households Are Going Hungry. But Cuts In Food Aid Loom (NPR) https://n.pr/2m7fSph
    • Wisconsin, Texas, Washington among state to be hit hardest by Trump’s new food stamp restrictions (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2lY6ZOy                                                              New analysis shows that seniors and residents of some states will suffer the most from a proposal to redefine SNAP eligibility.
  • The Story Behind José Andrés Nonprofit Serving Hurricane Dorian Victims (Eater) http://bit.ly/2kxasDx
    • Celebrity chef José Andrés prepared to serve tens of thousands of meals to Dorian victims (abc7NY) https://7ny.tv/2lJttTe
    • Chef José Andrés hopes to serve at least 10,000 meals to people in the Bahamas (CNN) https://cnn.it/2kzSSP5
  • After Hurricane Dorian, Celebrity cruise ship in Bahamas reroutes to deliver food, aid (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2kpuaRJ                                                                            The Celebrity Equinox’s kitchen staff is preparing 10,000 meals, with guests even pitching in to help in the aftermath of the hurricane.
  • Schools in England Are Increasingly Hosting Food Banks to Pupils and Families (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2k8KtSI                      Schools are becoming a “fourth emergency service,” a head teachers’ leader said.
  • Climate Crisis Leaves More Than 2 Million People in Somalia Facing Severe Hunger (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2m6pEYR
    • Nearly 2.3 Million Zambians Face Starvations as a Result of Low Rainfall (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2kysDbW
  • The “eat less meat” movement is growing. Does it distort science? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2lYvOKf
  • A new nutrition group aims to erase the link between value and massive portions (Quartz) http://bit.ly/2kAkNhQ                            Extra large is the problem. The trick is convincing Americans to think about food in a new way> Extra large isn’t extra good.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • The City Has Food to Share. Do You Know Where to Find It? (City Lab) http://bit.ly/2m1MSz1                                                                                   A New York – based design duo proposes a “forage beacon” that makes it clear when food – like fruit, nuts, and vegetables – is ripe and safe to eat in the city.
  • Plastic food packaging was most common beach trash in 2018 (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2koCrp0
  • Italy passes law to send unsold food to charities instead of dumpsters (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2k3aK4I
  • This Canadian Worm Farm Turns Office Waste Into Plant Food (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kAZih1                                                 Waste not, want not – these worms do the work for you.
  • German Study: Alarming Levels of Dangerous Plastics in Children’s Bodies (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2kAVcFQ    Children from poorer families had more plastic residue in their bodies than those from higher-income homes.
  • Marine plastic pollution hides a neurological toxin in our food (msn) http://bit.ly/2m6pIaV
    • Today’s special: Grilled salmon laced with plastic (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2mfnOEZ          We used to think microplastics stayed in a fish’s guts. Chilled new research suggests the tiny particles migrate into its flesh.
  • Worms fail to thrive in soil containing microplastics – study (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2kIKRYb                                                            Finding could have implications for farming – as worms are vital part of farmland ecosystem

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Organic food health benefits have been hard to assess, but that could change (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/2m37WW0
    • Is Organic Produce Superior In Taste And Nutrition? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2lJKRaF                                    “Organic food is more nutritious than non-organic food, but not in the way that you might think.” As or taste, it’s a mixed bag.
  • The Benefits of Bacteria in Organic Apples (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2k8uLXD                                                                                               A new study shows there is more “good” bacteria in organic apples.
  • How One Boston Hospital Is Feeding Patients Through Its Rooftop Farm (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2kofdzk
  • It doesn’t matter if it’s sugary or diet: study links all soda to an early death (Omaha World Herald) http://bit.ly/2kAHC5d
    • Study: Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Mortality in 10 European Countries (Journal of the American Medical Association) http://bit.ly/2m5wEVL
  • Tyson Issues Fourth Recall of the Year For Having Non-Food Material in Its Chicken (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2HhLQ9W    How come stuff keeps ending up in frozen chicken products?
  • Some Fish Are Still Full of Mercury, for a Worry Reason (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2lCBv0w                                                          Emissions of mercury have declined, but levels in fish could still increase thanks to overfishing and a changing climate.
  • Outbreak linked to imported papayas that distributor refused to recall is over (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/2lMSX2i
    • Papayas Keep Making People Sick (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2krhklY                                                                                    There have been eight significant outbreaks of Salmonella connected to the fruit.
  • Two Major Brands Recall Flour Because of E. Coli Concerns (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2mcCEvP                                       Check the labels on your 5-pound bags from King Arthur and Pillsbury

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • In the largest prosecution of organic fraud in US history, Iowa grain seller sentenced to 10 year in prison (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZlmfDf
  • StarKist tuna company ordered to pay $100M for price-fixing conspiracy (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2lLZYAw
  • Maurice the noisy rooster can keep crowing, court rules (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2kxfIH4                                                                French judge ruffles feathers by rejecting complaint about bird’s dawn squawking

 

Children & School Food

  • “Going to bed hungry’: the harrowing reality of poor children living in DC (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/30Mmusm                          New study shows kids in the District of Columbia are the most underprivileged in the country, facing daily threats of homelessness and food insecurity
  • Ohio boy had lunch taken away at school due to negative balance on his birthday (10TV WBNS) http://bit.ly/2kjqdOm

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • Restaurant Owners Should Embrace – and Pay Above – the $15 Minimum Wage (eater) http://bit.ly/2kjlpsk                                        Dirty Candy chef-owner Amanda Cohen on the necessary shift higher wages can bring
  • Low Wages, Sexual Harassment and Unreliable Tips. This Is Life in America’s Booming Service Industry (Time) http://bit.ly/2PpaPyB
    • Judge calls for retrial in French Laundry pregnancy discrimination case (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kHnGh2
  • Migrant farmworkers deserve respect – and a path to citizenship (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2lIpO8o
  • Hands that feed us (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2m635U1                                                                           Immigrant food workers, in their own words.
  • Chasing Blueberries: The Uncertainty Of Life As A Maine Berry Picker (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m7X6hl                           Migrant workers face a number of challenges as the industry turns to mechanization and faces fluctuating weather patterns.
  • Why It’s Immigrants Who Pack Your Meat (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2Lmvv4W                                                                                      What Trump has called an “invasion” was actually a corporate recruitment drive.
  • “You Cannot Hire American Here’: Employers on Why They Hire Undocumented Workers (KQED) http://bit.ly/2Z9ckoZ
  • Worker Sues Whole Foods After Getting Bitten by a Black Widow Spider in the Produce Cooler (Vice) http://bit.ly/2L6cpQn  There are bad days at work, there are really bad days at work, and then there’s a day that Richard Highsmith had, deadly arachnid included.
  • She blew the whistle on Koch Foods. This little-known visa kept her from being deported by ICE (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2My0zSe
  • Spot Coffee workers vote to form a union; campaign called ‘groundbreaking’ (The Buffalo News) http://bit.ly/31XnYQR
  • Why labor in America is once again a growing force to be reckoned with (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2kGK1LI
    • The Next Wave of Labor Unrest Could Be in Grocery Stores (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2ma0sk4                                                           It already is on the West Coast
  • How Central American migrants helped revive the US labor movement (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2kyWlxu

 

Protests

  • How Grocery Stores Became A Cultural Flashpoint In The Gun Debate (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m9Omau

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • The Magical Staying Power Of The New York City Dollar Pizza Slice (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2m6bMgV
  • Yogurt Billionaire’s Solution to World Refugee Crisis: Hire Them (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2ko2QTW                                           Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant who used a small business loan to build a best-selling yogurt brand in the US, has a plan to solve the world’s growing refugee crisis: Give them jobs.
  • Faced With Soaring Costs of Private Insurance, Poll Shows 58% of Small Business Owners Support Medicare for All (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2lIKehG                                                            “Medicare for All is the only solution to our healthcare cost crisis that will offer relief to workers and small businesses alike.”
    • Whole Foods is cutting medical benefits for hundreds of part-time workers (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2kKb48K
  • In ‘Disgusting’ Move, Jeff Bezos Abruptly Cuts Health Benefits for Nearly 2,000 Part-Time Whole Foods Workers (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2lOW6yC
  • In Nebraska, fight over Costco chicken farms escalates (FERN’s AG Insider) http://bit.ly/2kHfH3x
  • LA’s First Cannabis Restaurant Had to Split Into Two Businesses to Comply With State Law (Eater) http://bit.ly/2kGEt3N                It’s tricky for cannabis consumption lounges to operate in California, but Lowell Café found a way                                                                                        
  • DoorDash is still pocketing workers’ tips, almost a month after it promised to stop (Vox) http://bit.ly/341fyKe
    • It is illegal for employers to steal employee tips. US Dpt. of Labor Fact Sheet #15, Requirements #4 http://bit.ly/2L66Rph
  • Supermarket chain forced to spend more than $4 million on ozone-depleting chemical leaks (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2zvT7i4                                                                                        Winn-Dixie’s parent company is fourth major supermarket chain to settle with the Department of Justice for violations of the Clean Air Act.
  • How companies are trying to de-rainforest their supply chains at the Amazon burns (Fast Company) http://bit.ly/2m9wHzT          Beef and leather and soy markets are the root cause of the destruction of the Amazon. Can companies make changes to their supply chains that will save what is left?
  • Thailand’s big retailers will stop handing out plastic bags in January 2020 (eNViro30) http://bit.ly/2k7aW2S
  • Sainsbury’s firs UK supermarket to remove plastic bags for loos fruit, vegetables and bakery items (eNViro30) http://bit.ly/2kDZyM8
  • This Infographic Shows How Only 10 Companies Own All The World’s Food Brands (The Hearty Soul) http://bit.ly/2m4uzcD
  • Truckers voted for Trump in droves. Now they say his trade war is ‘killing’ their ability to make a living. (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2m6q5lX
  • Tyson Sued For Pretending It’s a Responsible, Ethical Company (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2MFf9I3                                                      Two groups are angry at Tyson for its feints towards positive environmental practices.
  • Wendy’s Billionaire Owner Spurns Farmworkers While Profiting Off Pension Funds (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2lFJtFR
  • The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders: A Tokyo Restaurant Where All the Servers Are People Living with Dementia (Open Culture) http://bit.ly/30sgLrA
  • ‘It smells like a decomposing body’: North Carolina’s polluting pig farms (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2NEiKFM
    • For years, complaints about North Carolina’s hog pollution vanished in state bureaucracy (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2HvebcW                                                              Now officials are posting the complaints online. What changed?
  • Monsanto Emails Show Employees Wanted to “Beat the Shit” Out of Concerned Moms (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2k5HTwO
    • Monsanto Doctor Wanted to ‘Beat the Sh*t Out of’ Group of Mothers: Emails (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Ugptqx       One advocate said the emails revealed “the utter contempt that Monsanto has for public health and for consumers, including mother who only want to protect their kids’ health.”

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

Because ‘A World Without Insects Is Not Worth Living In,’ Germany Announces Plan to Ban Glyphosate (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2ktg4i5                                                                                                “What we need is more humming and buzzing.” 

  • Germany to Ban Glyphosate From End of 2023 (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2m1pFgF
  • Brexiteers promised a dawn for UK farming, not agricultural Armageddon (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Lje6Kp                                    A new report sounds the death knell for Britain’s farms in the event of no deal. It’s not the vision our farmers were sold
  • Activists commend Museveni (President of Uganda) for second rejection of GMO bill (Enviro News Nigeria) http://bit.ly/2k45uOe                                                                                            On Tuesday August 27, 2019, Museveni for the second time declined to sign a controversial genetic engineering regulation bill into law, citing safety and security concerns.
  • Almost every country in the world agrees deal to cut plastic pollution – except US (Independent) http://bit.ly/2kuIuYU  ‘Countries have decided to do something which will translate into real action,’ says UN leader
  • Much “Foreign Aid” Is Taxpayer-Funded Plundering of the Global South (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2lL7Lyw
  • A cynical way to make poor people disappear (Politico) https://politi.co/2k66tO6                                                                                  The Trump administration is redefining poverty in order to reduce safety net benefits for low-income Americans.
  • Trump’s EPA Said This Bee-Killing Insecticide is Safe, Now Beekeepers are suing (Earth Justice) http://bit.ly/2m0tK4s      Sulfoxaflor is toxic for insects already dealing global pollinator collapse
  • EPA Approval of Controversial Pesticide Causes Concerns for Bees and Birds (Audubon) http://bit.ly/2kAFjz5              Sulfoaflor, seen as a replacement for bee-killing chemicals known as neonics, might be just as dangerous.
  • White House officials are balking at the ballooning cost of Trump’s botched farm bailout: report (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2lPJ3gc
  • The 4-month-long tomato trade dispute with Mexico is ending, but at what cost to eaters? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2klTp7r
    • US Consumers Saved (Barely) From a Bleak Winter of Expensive Tomatoes (Eater) http://bit.ly/2ZaPGMU                  But the quality of the fruit could get worse
  • Hidden Trump Report Reveals Water Plan Will Harm Endangered Whales and Salmon (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2KOlmyS                    It’s become a familiar story with the Trump administration: Scientists write a report that shows the administration’s policies will cause environmental damage, then the administration buries the report and fires the scientists.
  • 5 takeaways from the financial records of a controversial dairy-promoting nonprofit (checkoff) that gets its money from farmers (Journal Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2lzpdGa
    • A nonprofit that’s supposed to promote dairy pays its leader millions – while the farmers who fund it are going out of business (journal sentinel) http://bit.ly/2k96r7Z                      Dairy Management Inc. spends $160 million a year from farmers’ milk checks on promotions and partnerships, but sales continue to fall.
  • USDA’s research employees were just offered drastically reduced buyouts (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZeJuD9
  • How Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce Killed an anti-pollution bill of rights (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2PnJE7t
  • 70 US Mayors Issue Scathing Letter Demanding Trump USDA Call Off Effort to Strip Food Stamps From 3 Million People (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2U00Z4T                                 “Executive action should not be used to hurt individuals, families, and communities.”
  • Montreal wants to ban use of herbicide glyphosate, calling it a public health issue (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) http://bit.ly/2kBNF9F                                                                                   ‘Failing to act would be irresponsible’
  • Bill aims to ban sale of foie gras in New York restaurants over ‘cruel’ process (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2ML9P5A                          If bill passes, anyone violating the law could be liable to a $1,000 fine, up to 1 year in jail or both

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Why have 500m bees died in Brazil in the past three months? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2HxK04M                                                      The likely culprit of the sudden deaths? The loosening of pesticide restrictions
  • Bees Are Dropping Dead in Brazil and Sending a Message to Humans (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2ZzNzSj
  • Bolsonaro Greenlights New Pesticides While Environmentalists Mourn 500 Million Dead Bees in Brazil (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/32cHMjf
  • The Importance of Having Insects (Bay Nature) http://bit.ly/2m9SuHJ                                                                                                A number of sensational new papers warn of a global insect die-off. Has the apocalypse arrived in California?
  • Study: More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (PLOS One) http://bit.ly/2lEWm3h
  • Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) http://bit.ly/2m9SVSn
  • Status changes in the wild bees of north-eastern North America over 125 years revealed through museum specimens (Wiley) http://bit.ly/2m1JxQv
  • The Insect Apocalypse Is Here (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2lKZyug
  • California’s most famous butterfly nearing death spiral (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kdhopg
  • Return of long-lost bees creating a lot of Presidio buzz (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2kDuMmB

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

  • Drug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Overuse of Antibiotics in Cattle Farming (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2HBv6e6
  • More Than 1,000 Salmon Return To Penobscot River For The First Time Since 2011 (Maine Public) http://bit.ly/2lymi0h

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • Bill Gates Donates $15 Million to Campaign Pushing GMOs on Small Farmers Around the World (Organic Consumers Association) http://bit.ly/2ZtnlSx
  • Treadmill of Magic Seeds and Broken Promises: Dismantling the Myth of Bt Cotton Success in India (Counter Punch) http://bit.ly/2kISgXE
  • Dairy Ice Cream, No Cow Needed: These Egg And Milk Proteins Are Made Without Animals (NPR) https://n.pr/31GbE7i

 

Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

  • The Epstein funded MIT lab has an ambitious project that purports to revolutionize agriculture. Insiders say it’s mostly smoke and mirrors. (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2lNR7yj

 

Poisons

A Big New Study Finds Bee-Killing Pesticides Aren’t Even Worth it for Soybean Farmers (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2kAsvsE                 The science suggests the chemicals cripple a whole host of pollinators – and offer very little economic benefit.

  • Not Just the Bees, First-of-Its-Kinds Study Shows Neonics May Be Killing Birds Too (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2lWt9kb
  • Nebraska could soon be at center of national legal battle over Roundup (Omaha World Harold) http://bit.ly/2lK6mIf
  • Popular pesticide (imidacloprid) throws off birds’ feeding and migration schedules (PBS) https://to.pbs.org/2mgnjKT            Delays during migration can imperil birds’ chances of successful breading season.
  • Bolsonaro greenlights new pesticides even as advocates mourn half billion dead bees in Brazil (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2NoUs2r
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update August 21, 2019

 

  • Activist blacksmith teaches gun violence survivors to melt down guns and turn them into farm implements (boingboing) http://bit.ly/2YHbsXX
  • Is The Movement To Eat Less Meat Actually Making A Difference? (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/333jjhO                  Americans are eating less meat and more plant-based foods these days. Here’s how it’s affecting the environment.
  • Can Chefs Learn to Love Cooking Without Fire? (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/316IT3o                                                                                                  A push to electrify buildings suggests the end is nigh for gas ranges.
  • The secret History of Why Soda Companies Switched From Sugar to Hight-Fructose Corn Syrup (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2YmBiRG                                                                                        Nixon, Reagan, and a Midwestern Machiavelli all figure.
  • Being Born on a Farm Could Be Key for a Strong Immune System (modern farm) http://bit.ly/31gMxrP                                                            The scoop is in the poop, according to a recent study.
  • Iraq’s burning problem: the strange fires destroying crops an livelihoods (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2OZP0p8                              Fires in northern Iraq have reduced a potentially bumper harvest to ashes. The government blames mischance – but is something more sinister afoot?

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • The Bright Side of the Current Farm Crisis: An Opportunity For Change (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2Ywd6Mz
  • Indiana Farmers Union Joins Fight Against Noxious 8,000-Hog Agribusiness Operation (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2HbY0RA  The state’s Right to Farm laws protect massive agribusiness at the expense of the community and family farms, the lawsuit argues.
  • This US heartland has been flooded for five months. Does anyone care? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31pNQVh                                    About half a million acres of land in the rural Yazoo backwater area in Mississippi is underwater, a devastating blow for a poor region where agriculture is the economy’s lifeblood
  • American farmer: Trump ‘took away all of our markets’ (Yahoo Finance) https://yhoo.it/2GFSR4i
    • China is sourcing more of its farm goods from other countries, ant that’s a bad sign for the US (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2T4vKVG
  • Putting pigs in the shade: the radical farming system banking on trees (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2JY5c5J
  • Imperfect science of intensive farming (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2yiLU4h                                                                                                    … It was science that gave us DDT, thalidomide and lead in petrol; and science told us it would be find to give antibiotics prophylactically to intensively reared livestock…
  • Inside The Tiny Country Where Robots Grow The Food (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2YkZHC1                                                   The wave of machines taking over farms in the Netherlands has helped propel its rise to the world’s second-biggest good exporter after the U.S.

 

Land and Soil

 

Climate

  • Climate change’s deadliest effects are unfolding under the sea (grist) http://bit.ly/2Kfy4Wa
    • Global Warming is Pushing Pacific Salmon to the Brink, Federal Scientists Warn (Inside Climate News) http://bit.ly/2H3w6Y0
    • Record high temperatures in Alaska have sent salmon into cardiac arrest (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2z29cfa
  • World Must Protect Land To Avoid Climate Disaster, New UN Report Warns (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2MRuuEr            Averting catastrophic warming requires rapid, global change to land use and food production, the assessment says.
  • Drastic Changes to Food Production and Consumption Needed to Save Planet From Catastrophic Warming, IPCC Reveals (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2yGxfQA
  • We must change food production to save the world, says leaked report (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2YJZzfw
  • Report: Climate Change and Land (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) http://bit.ly/31o9Dg7                                          An IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems
  • Tree-damaging pests pose ‘devastating’ threat to 40% of US forests (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/33EaCdR                                  About 450 overseas pests have been introduced to US forests, a climate crisis resource, due to international trade and travel
  • A Time of Reckoning in the Central Valley (Bay Nature) http://bit.ly/31jPE26                                                                                    Climate change is upending agriculture and land use in California’s Central Valley

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Gorgeous Portraits of America’s Wild (and Surprisingly Delicious) Edible Plants (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2z6cSMR        Photographer Jimmy Fike spent 12 years chronicling and feasting upon 140 varieties.
  • We Ignore Thousands of Threatened Plant Species at Our Own Peril (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2YPc5iF                                                      More than 20 percent of the world’s known plant species are threatened with extinction.
  • Devastating Banana Fungus Arrives in Colombia, Threatening The Fruit’s Future (NPR) https://n.pr/2TDaAOU
  • The world faces a dwindling supply of this crucial resource need to grow food (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2YNQfw0                  Phosphate…

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • ‘Biggest Crisis No One Is Talking About’: Quarter of Humanity Faces ‘Extremely High Water Stress’ Intensified by Climate Emergency (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/33ken8n
    • 17 Countries, Home to One-Quarter of the World’s Population, Face Extremely High Water Stress (World Resource Institute) http://bit.ly/30gOtQE
  • Bottled water distributions begin as lead water poisoning crisis erupts in Newark, New Jersey (World Socialist Web Site) http://bit.ly/2Kz7Xuv
  • 9 Foods That Are Making the Drought Even Worse (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2yLJVWB                                                                                 It takes more than 1,500 gallons of water to make a chocolate bar…
  • Pennsylvania is Discharging Radioactive Fracking Waste Into Rivers As Landfill Leachate, Impacting the Chesapeake Bay & Ohio River Watersheds (Public Herald) http://bit.ly/31mCEZB
  • ‘It’s Raining Plastic’: Researchers Find Microscopic Fiber in Colorado Rain Samples (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2T5zS81
  • Beavers on the coast are helping salmon bounce back. Here’s How. (National Geographic) http://bit.ly/2OYhAaj                            The arrival of beaver dams in the Pacific Northwest’s Elwha River delta may surprising benefits.

 

Food Culture & History

  • 100 Years Ago, Farmers and Socialists Established the Country’s First Modern Public Bank (In These Times) http://bit.ly/2ZttAld
  • Don’t trash the best part of the melon (Salon) http://bit.ly/31FVquZ                                                                                        When you throw out your honeydew and cantaloupe seeds, you’re missing the best part

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Huge New Survey Finds That Sugary Soda Taxes Work (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2Ozsx1O
    • Study: Impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes on purchases and dietary intake: Systematic review and meta-analysis (World Obesity) http://bit.ly/31dpwWn

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • 7 Ways to Stop Wasting Food, Save Money and Save the Planet (Global Citizen) http://bit.ly/2GIuBOI                                                 Around a third of food is wasted globally.
  • We’re leaving so much food on farms to just in the fields (Fast Company) http://bit.ly/2ypU8aX                                                                 Most of the reports you hear about food waste don’t even include the amount that’s left behind on farms, but new research shows it’s a lot.
  • Research: On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements (Resources, Conservation and Recycling) http://bit.ly/2YAuFpO
  • What Grocery Stores Won’t Tell You About Plastic (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2OUwcrn                                                                          Huge companies like Walmart could slash single-use plastics – if they really wanted to.
  • The bowls at Chipotle and Sweetgreen are supposed to be compostable. They contain cancer-linked “forever chemicals.” (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/31GRt9j                             Testing by The New Food Economy reveals an industry secret: All fiber bowls contain PFAS,  a troubling class of chemicals with no known half-life, even when they’re certified compostable. It gets worse from there.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • New York City Is Giving Out Prescriptions For Free Fruits And Vegetables (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2N37vGH                         For people with low access to healthy food and high blood pressure, it’s free money for groceries.
  • The Best Probiotics (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/31pqHCj                   An apple contains about 100 million bacteria – a more diverse range than any  dietary supplement.
  • An Apple a Day: Which Bacteria Do We Eat With Organic and Conventional Apples? (Frontiers In Microbiology) http://bit.ly/33o7x1m
  • Leafy Greens With Listeria Sold at Major Supermarkets (Consumer Reports) http://bit.ly/2LVarp7                                  Consumer Reports found the bacteria in prewashed and unbagged products. Here’s how to stay safe when eating greens.
  • Scientists say many UTIs are caused by E. coli in food – when will the government believe them? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/31GW5MQ                                                                                      And why are we allowing contaminated foods into consumer food system?

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

  • Seafood company president pleads guilty to mislabeling millions of dollars worth of crab meat (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Mjn39H
  • People Keep Stealing Industrial Hemp, Which Will Not Get Them High (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/31cEKLg                                  They’re in for a major disappointment if they try to smoke it.
  • Racoon Caught Inside High School Vending Machine, Lurking Among Snacks (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2YPlh6R                  The little guy was freed from the machine after the snack caper gone wrong.

 

Children & School Food

  • Exploring Farm to Head Start Across Minnesota: Lessons from IATP’s Farm to Head Start (Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2PgdGdl
  • Why does participation in the federal summer meal program keep dropping? (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Ywx4G0      Only one in seven kids eligible for free summer lunch actually gets one, a new report finds.
  • Report: Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report 2019 (Food Research & Action Center) http://bit.ly/2K799E1
  • 500,000 Children Could Loose Free School Lunch Under Trump Administration’s SNAP Plan (Eater) http://bit.ly/33jbyV4              The Department of Agriculture conveniently left out its own estimated impact on schoolchildren in its formal proposal to overhaul food stamps

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • Nestle admits slavery in Thailand while fighting child labor lawsuit in Ivory Coast (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31HJc58          The company has won plaudits for its admission of forced labor in the Thai seafood industry but much of the supply chain remains hidden.
  • The restaurant industry is turning to prisons to find workers (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2OiRnTA                                                  A new $4.5 million grant to the National Restaurant Association will go toward training inmates on front-of-house and kitchen skills.
  • Why It’s Immigrants Who Pack Your Meat (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/2KRA3Ag                                                                                      What Trump has called an “invasion” was actually a recruitment drive.
  • ‘On the Clock’ is a horrifying look at low-wage work in America (Houston Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2T4wxGw
  • The restaurant industry has a mental health crisis (The Outline) http://bit.ly/2KZTFCr                                                                                  Servers, line cooks, and dishwashers all over America are struggling to find help in an industry that often exacerbates the problem.
  • Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought For Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents (Democracy Now) http://bit.ly/2Z6JqkH
    • ICE raids seven Mississippi chicken plants, in the largest single state action in agency history (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2z2zLkv
    •  “We Had a Future We Built Here” (Slate) http://bit.ly/2TBrNYQ                                                                                      The ICE raids devastated the immigrant community in Morton, Mississippi. Then came a mass firing.
  • Mississippi ICE raids hit food processing plants; 680 workers arrested (MSN) http://bit.ly/2YuEdYg
  • Here’s why the aftermath of ICE raid is devastating – and not just for immigrants (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/30bW1V0

 

Protests

  • 58 arrested and fined outside American Airlines HQ in catering workers protest (Dallas News) http://bit.ly/2Mjpb1k

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Australia’s First Rescued-Food Supermarket Opens (Broadsheet) http://bit.ly/30dyxyZ                                                                                          Base on OzHarvest’s “take what you need, give if you can” model.
  • Is the US chicken industry cheating its farmers? (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/31QL3EM                                                                                  Leaked documents reveal remarkable power US poultry industry holds over farmers struggling to stay afloat on thin margins
  • Following weeks of controversy, GrubHub announces restaurant friendly reforms (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Z7A2RD                                                                                          The company says it will set up a system to transfer web domains to restaurant owners, and will also improve the policy for its controversial phone charges.
  • Meatpacking giant Tyson wants fewer government inspectors. The USDA is listening (MSN) http://bit.ly/2KM7K69                  Tyson, one of the country’s largest meatpakers, is petitioning the Trump administration to reduce the number of government inspectors at a Kansas beef plant – a proposal that has raised alarms among some consumer and food safety advocates, who fear the changes could jeopardize public health.
  • Tyson want fewer government inspectors in one of its beef plants. Food safety advocates are raising alarms. (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2YKYedk                                                              Consumer advocates warn that the changes could threaten food safety by keeping red flags out of the sight of expert inspectors.
  • Impossible Foods, Impossible Claims (Medium) http://bit.ly/2Ykwyf2                                                                                            The company has courted ethical foodies, but how sustainable is this meat alternative?
  • An Inside Look At How Monsanto, PR Firm And A Reporter Giver Readers A Warped View Of Science (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/303kgo7                                                                                      Dogged for years by bad press, Monsanto hit reboot with Ketchum.
  • Revealed: how Monsanto “intelligence center’ targeted journalists and activists (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2KRQjRU  Internal documents show how the company worked to discredit critics and investigated singer Neil Young
  • Now Earning 278 Times More Than Average Worker, New Study Shows CEO Pay Has Grown More Than 1,000% Since 1978 (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2KM4V53                               “Corporate greed is eviscerating the working class.”
  • Report: CEO compensation has grown 940% since 1978 (Economic Policy Institute) http://bit.ly/2YLIKpz                    Typical worker compensation has risen only 12% during that time

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • European Regulators Praised for Declaring There Is ‘No Safe Exposure Level’ for Pesticide Tied to Brain Damage in Children (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2YoKy7w                                    Advocates celebrating the announcement noted that, by contrast, “the Trump administration is kowtowing to chemical agribusiness.”
  • Trump’s Policies Are Putting Our Food Supply at Risk (Truthout) http://bit.ly/31ASyjh
    • The Climate Crisis Is ‘a Perfect Storm’ Headed for the World’s Food Supply (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/31ogXs0
    • America’s Farmers, Reeling From Floods, Face a New Problem: No Water (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2MKNXXr                                      The breach of an irrigation canal left more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Nebraska and Wyoming without water at a critical point in the growing cycle.
  • Bipartisan bill on food expiration labels could cut many tons of food waste (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/33B6MSX
  • Midwest farmers going broke at record rates thanks to Trump’s trade war (Salon) http://bit.ly/31G82T4                                    Bankruptcies have doubled in the biggest farm states, with falling prices and the trade war largely to blame
  • Farmers Reel After Sonny Perdue Mocks Them As ‘Whiners’ Amid Trade War Bankruptcies (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2KIA2hW
  • Minnesota farmer tears up while telling CNN how Trump’s ‘very scary’ trade war has harmed her family (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2KzwtLY
  • Nearly 100 percent of Trump funds designed to help farmers went to white farmers (grist) http://bit.ly/2LVLEkN
    • Majority of Trump’s Trade Aide Went to Biggest Farms, Study Finds (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/32X5rFL
    • Trump’s big farmer grift: He’s giving millions to the rich wile starving the poor (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2H6sDIo
  • The Golfer In Chief Is Also the Goatherd In Chief, Saving Him Tens of Thousands (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2ZaJpMl    Trump owns eight goats and farms 113 acres of hay at his New Jersey golf resort, slashing his property tax bill by some $88,000 a year.
  • Top Scientist Quits USDA, Says Trump Admin Tried to Bury Study Linking Climate and Nutrition (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2GUqkbe
  • Visa Program Leave Cultural Exchange Workers Vulnerable to Exploitation (Capital and Main) http://bit.ly/2YPuBYh  Participants in the US Summer Work Travel program have been victims of wage theft, harassment and even human trafficking.
  • With Ridiculous Timing, USDA Suspends Its Honey Bee Monitoring Program (modern farmer) http://bit.ly/2LTUkbp
  • EPA Wants to triple level of rocket fuel chemical allowed in drinking water (Think Progress) http://bit.ly/2YCFQT5
    • Vintage EPA photos reveal what US water ways looked like before pollution was regulated (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2YPZlbF
  • Biotechnology Oversight Gest and Early Make-Over by Trump’s White House and USDA: Part 1 – The Executive Order (NC State University) http://bit.ly/2yYKhsT
    • Biotechnology Oversight an Early Make Over by Trump’s White House and USDA: Part 2 – The USDA-APHIS  Rule (NC State University) http://bit.ly/2N6sdpc
  • USDA to biotech: Call your own compliance (Institute For Agriculture and Trade Policy) http://bit.ly/2OWcPhC
  • Rep. Ilham Omar Introduces Zero Waste Act as Part of Green New Deal (Democracy Now) http://bit.ly/2ZzgsLd
  • Impossible Foods Nabs FDA Approval to Sell in Grocery stores in September (Eater) http://bit.ly/2GXyL5J
  • Tony Evers order new farm rules to limit nitrate pollution in drinking water (Kenosha News) http://bit.ly/2OD3meM
  • Trump defends a pesticide linked to developmental disorders. California will ban it (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2H8nwqR
  • Minneapolis becomes the first major American city to ban new drive-through windows (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2YX1bb2                                                                                        Citing the climate benefits of taking cars off the road, the city council says no new facilities can be built.
  • New York City Is Giving Out Prescriptions For Free Fruits And Vegetables (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2N37vGH                        For people with lower access to healthy food and high blood pressure, it’s free money for groceries.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • Morgan Freeman Converted His 124-Acre Ranch Into A Giant Honeybee Sanctuary To Save The Bees (Forbes) http://bit.ly/2Zwom80

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • FDA finds a surprise in gene-edited cattle: antibiotic resistant, non-bovine DNA (New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2KNDI23
  • Dairy Ice Cream, No Cow Needed: Egg And Milk Proteins Are Made Without Animals (NPR) https://n.pr/31GbE7i

 

Poisons

  • Insect ‘apocalypse’ in US driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides (National Geographic) https://on.natgeo.com/2KyT3n1                                                                Bees, butterflies, and other insects are under attack by the very plants they feed on as US agriculture continues to use chemicals known to kill.
  • A New Study Reveals Just How a Bee’s World Has Become (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2TBU2ac                                            Here’s what happened when farmers started using a new class of insecticides.
  •  ‘Alarming’ Explosion of Toxic Pesticide Use Causing Insect Apocalypse in United States: Study (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2YvKdjt                                                                                  “Insect abundance has declined 45 percent. This is a global crisis – we must ban neonics to save the bees!
  • Toxic Pesticides Are Driving Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in the US, Study Warns (Smithsonian) http://bit.ly/2yJDLWS
  • An assessment of acute insecticide toxicity loading (AITL) of chemical pesticides used on agricultural land in the United States (PLOS One) http://bit.ly/2OKKpXU
  • ‘Catastrophe’ as France’s bird population collapses due to pesticides (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2KlsYZw
  • Glyphosate Should Be Phased Out Worldwide. Devastating Health Impacts (Global Research) http://bit.ly/2OMc7n7
  • Corporations can legally put carcinogens in our food without warning labels. Here’s why (Salon) http://bit.ly/2Tjn2Dh
  • After Poisoning Downs 24 Students In Port Dickson, Malaysia: PANAP Calls For Pesticide-Free Buffer Zones Around Schools (Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific) http://bit.ly/2K5k6pH
  • US Annually Uses 388 Million Pounds of Potentially Fatal Pesticides Banned in the EU, China and Brazil (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2ysdEDO

 

Education & Training

  • UK Charity’s Prison Restaurant Programme Does Reduce Reoffending (Eater) http://bit.ly/333P22l                                                The Clink operates restaurants in four UK prisons

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update July 27, 2019

 

  • We Have the Money to Fix Our Food System (Other Words) fhttp://bit.ly/2YAczFu                                                                                                    Imagine supporting farmer markets, child nutrition, and local agriculture with money we spend on factory farms.
  • Poor People’s Moral Budget: Everybody Has the Right to Live (Institute for Policy Studies) http://bit.ly/2FYCy27
  • True cost of cheap food is health and climate crises, says commission (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2YvTjMF                                            Radical change needed to make UK food and farming system sustainable within 10 years
  • US agriculture needs a 21st century New Deal (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2FZTaGC                                                                                                If policymakers can envision a contemporary version of ideas in the original New Deal, a climate-friendly and socially just American agriculture is within reach.
  • After 10 Years of Rapid Growth, What Does Organic Mean Today (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2YhO4Qr                                                                    Four experts weigh in on how booming interest in organic food has changed the industry, and what it means for farmers, policy makers, and eaters.
  • Organics detective (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/2Jqoj88                  US farmers stalk fraudulent imports to save their markets
  • Who should profit from Mexico’s nitrogen fixing corn? (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2StRx9l                  The effort to commercialize Oaxaca’s Miraculous maize spotlights the limitations of policies designed to safeguard genetic resources of indigenous communities around the world.
  • The Truth About “Sustainable” Palm Oil (Sapiens.org) http://bit.ly/2KlzMrf                                                                                                  In West Papua, Indonesia, both conventional and “green” palm oil projects dispossess and exclude Indigenous people from their lands.
  • The Scary New Math of Factory Farm Waste (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2WZih6P                                                                                         Factory farms are exempt from reporting requirements under the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Now a new tool can provide solid evidence of the environmental harm they can cause.
  • Revealed; rampant deforestation of Amazon driven by global greed for meat (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2FZXFAT

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Farmers and Ranchers Head to DC to Level the Playing Field (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2GmuFnl                                                                          Saying they have endured years of unfair contracts, discrimination, and retaliation from a handful of big companies that control the industry, farmers and ranchers are asking USDA to enforce the GIPSA rules.
  • Mid-Sized Farms Are Disappearing. This Program Could Reverse the Trend. (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2XSRgP4
  • Organic Farm in West Virginia Is Imperiled by Gas Pipeline Construction (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2JLZUu8
  • Farmed salmon is now a staple in diets – but what they eat matters too (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/31DRkof
  • Ranchers Group Sues Packers for Conspiracy to Decrease Cattle Prices (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/31BnCAc
  • The Shoreline Still Provides Dinner, Despite Climate Change and Private Property (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2JdvAqE                                          The mighty geoduck clam is a local food source, native to my island home. But digging for it demands a license, fortitude, and fast shoveling.

 

Land and Soil

  • In Just One Decade, Corporations Destroyed 50 Million Hectares of Forest – An Area the size of Spain (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Igy3Bn                                                                                        “These companies are destroying our children’s future by driving us towards climate and ecological collapse.”

 

Climate

  • Farmers Have a Secret Weapon to Save Your Food From Climate Chaos (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2LsAa7k                                      There’s a smart way to adapt to increasing storm surges.
  • USDA Scientists Are Quitting In Droves. That’s Really Bad News For Climate Research (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Yyi6fA
  • Mississippi farmers forced to leave thousands of acres unplanted this season (Marketplace) http://bit.ly/2wH2tGm
  • Climate Change-Fueled Valley Fever is Hitting Farmworkers Hard (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2xnliig                                                              The potentially deadly disease is caused by a soil-borne fungus made worse by rising rates of dust storms. In California’s Central Valley, farmworkers are bearing the brunt of the problem.
  • Bananas Are Facing Extinction – And It’s Our Fault (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/31ELOBu                                                                                    The world’s favorite fruit, known for its health benefits, is under attack by two dangerous diseases.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • The Potato Guardians (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/2Kmwxji                                                                                                    In the Peruvian Andes, Indigenous potato farmers are working with researchers to develop climate-smart spuds.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Victory in Illinois: Coal plant found guilty of polluting groundwater with coal ash (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2LtTCjS                                                                                                               “Today is a huge victory for Waukegan residents who have fought for years to see corporations like NRG Energy held accountable for the toxic waste that has been illegally dumped on our Lake Michigan lakefront.”
  • Nestle’s Ice Mountain Bottled Water Leaves Nothing for Michigan’s Trout (Natural Resources Defense Counsel) https://on.nrdc.org/2EZDC5g
  • Chevron Spills 800,000 Gallons of Oil, Water in California (Courthouse News Service) http://bit.ly/2XWxVLO
    • Pipe Spills oilfield wastewater on pastureland in Western North Dakota (Billings Gazette) http://bit.ly/2YfWJ62
  • Massive review of fracking science confirms the industry poses a serious threat to both environment and human health (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/31XcVIe
    • Babies Born Near Oil and Gas Wells Around Are Up to 70% More Likely to Have Congenital Heart Defects, New Study Shows (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Z4cY2X
    • Study: Greater prevalence of congenital heart defects in high intensity oil and gas areas (EurekaAlter)
  • Court to Big Fracking Company: Trespassing Still Exists – Even For You (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2I596J9
    • “No Evidence” That Fracking Can Be Done Without Threat To Human Health (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2YeHvus
    • Total Ban on Fracking Urged by Health Experts: 1,500 Studies Show ‘Damning’ Evidence of Threats to Public Health, Climate (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2RyMdAP
  • Court Nixes Federal Approval For Cadiz Pipeline To Suck Water Out Of the Mojave To Sell (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Y8MkFE                                                                                            The 43-mile pipeline was approved by the Trump administration after former Cadiz lobbyist David Bernhardt became deputy secretary of the interior.
  • ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) says Black Warrior River safe one week after huge (Tyson) waste spill, Riverkeepers disagree (abc3340) http://bit.ly/2XRd7pR
  • North Dakota pipeline leak spills into Missouri River tributary (Billings Gazette) http://bit.ly/2MpSgr9
  • Feds declare emergency as gray whale deaths reach highest level in nearly 20 years (San Jose Mercury News) https://bayareane.ws/2R2hM62                                                                                                NOAA declares “unusual mortality event” after at least 70 West Coast strandings this spring
  • Monterey Bay has more microplastics than Great Garbage Patch, researchers say (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2XFU6qE
    • ‘Incredibly sobering’: New study finds Monterey Bay littered with tiny pieces of plastic. (Santa Cruz Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2My3U4B
    • Microplastics Have Invaded the Deep Ocean – And The Food Chain (NPR) https://n.pr/2ZvcqDb
  • The US wants to dump 1.5 tons of rat poison pellets on the Farallon Islands. Biologists say it’s for the best. (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2FX4l2Y
  • Heatwave cooks mussels in their shells on California shore (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2YkT57B                                                                            Temperatures lead to what appears to appears to be largest local die-off in 15 years, raising fears for broader ecosystem.
  • The Largest Algae Bloom in World History Is Now Off the Florida Coast (Vice) http://bit.ly/2FX6R99                                                                        Researchers are tracking the algae Sargassum, which has created record blooms nearly every year since 2011.
  • Red Tide is Back in Florida. Is Big Sugar to Blame? (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2XGs0i0                                                                                               The rise of toxic algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico is pitting tourism against agriculture as the state looks for solutions.
  • There’s An Environmental Disaster Unfolding In The Gulf of Mexico (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Y7dYCe
  • Sun, Sand and Sewage: Report Shows Many US Beaches Unsafe for Swimming (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2XZR3O3
  • Carnival slapped with a $20 million fine after was caught dumping trash into the ocean again (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2WsT8MS

 

Food Culture & History

  • The Surprising Links Between Family Dinner and Good Health (Yes!) http://bit.ly/31n1Bok                                                                           Adults who prepare quality meals for children are offering something more important than a nutrition lesson.
  • Everyone Knows the Benefits of Meal-Sharing. Here’s How to Actually Do It (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2I4Kdx0
  • Anthony Bourdain Knew There Was Nothing More Political Than Food (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2WUpvbp                                                      The chef and author demanded that we consider the humanity of so many who were wrongly portrayed by the rest of the media.
  • Inside Pasta Factories: Amazing Photographs Show How Pasta Production Really Looked Like From the Early 20th Century (Vintage Everyday) http://bit.ly/2WppyYr
  • The archaeology of Neolithic cooking traditions: archaeobotanical approaches to baking, boiling and fermenting (archaeology international) http://bit.ly/2Xi6eAY

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Report: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019 (Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN) http://bit.ly/2O9vupW
  • Tramp Administration Moves to End Food Stamps for 3 Million People (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2YbAN80
    • The Trump Administration Just Proposed Kicking 3.1 Million People Off Food Stamps (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2Of3Vvi   A rule change could strip the poor of more than $2.5 billion in nutritional assistance.
  • 1 in 12 senior citizens didn’t have enough food in 2017 – and the Trump administration is threatening to make is worse (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2Wh7HaY
  • West Oakland neighborhoods welcome first full-service grocery store in decades (East Bay Times) https://bayareane.ws/2I77i2q    Community Foods Market will open Saturday, filling a void left in the mid 1970s
  • It’s Great That We Talk About ‘Food Deserts’ – But It Might Be Time to Stop (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2LGwwH5                   Food access is s systemic issue with racial, cultural and socioeconomic roots, so let’s not assume that a grocery store will solve the problem.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • A New Warehouse in Los Angeles Will Prevent Millions of Pounds of Food Waste (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2JJtLmV                  Food Forward’s new Produce Pit Stop will bring fresh food to more people in need in eight Southern California counties, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Almost every country in the world agrees deal to cut plastic pollution – except US (Independent) https://ind.pn/2wJgfsf

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Doctors May Soon Be Prescribing Vegetables Instead of Drugs To Prevent Disease (Tech Times) http://bit.ly/31oFPRt
  • Do Processed Foods Make You Fat? A New Study Has Stunning Results (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2I5JJa4                                                  Government scientists wanted to know.
  • It’s Not Just Salt, Sugar, Fat: Study Finds Ultra-Processed Foods Drive Weight Gain (NPR) https://n.pr/2Fe75bJ
  • Study: Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake (Cell Metabolism) http://bit.ly/2MQezIc
  • Cholesterol Redux: As Eggs Make A Comeback, New Questions About Health Risks (NPR) https://n.pr/2Kk4a5t
  • Corporations can legally put carcinogens in our food without warning labels. Here’s why (Salon) http://bit.ly/32J411e           Cheerio’s has so much glyphosate in it, it should be labeled as toxic. Corporate free speech precedents prevent that
  • People eat at least 50,000 plastic particles a year, study finds (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MBFW8S                                                          Health effects of ingestion of microplastics via food, water and breathing still unknown
  • 3M Knew About PFAS Food Contamination In 2001 (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2XPg5LK
    • Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found In Maine Farms Fertilized With Sewage Sludge (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2WIQ6nF
    • There Is Something Called “Forever Chemicals” Coursing Through the US Food Supply (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2FbPUHC                                                                                                                         The FDA found that chocolate cake had levels over 250 the federal guidelines.
  • That chocolate cake won’t last forever, but the chemicals in it might (grist) http://bit.ly/2FdrIEK
  • Here’s Everything We Know About The ‘Forever’ Chemicals in Food (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Frde4D
  • Several Ragú Sauces Recalled For Possible Plastic Fragment Contamination (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2ZqImIX
  • Outrage Over Ice Cream Licker Should Prompt Us To Ask: What Is a Crime? (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2LBmbg7

 

Children & School Food

  • Virginia school district buys food truck to provide students with free meals during summer (ABC News) https://abcn.ws/2IipMga
  • Parents are warned their child could be put in foster care over lunch debt (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2XXqJnO                    “This is a failure to provide your child with proper nutrition and you can be sent to Dependency Court for neglecting your child’s right to food,” the Pennsylvania district wrote.

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • CBO Analysis Shows $15 Federal Minimum Wage Would Raise Pay for 27 Million Workers and Lift 1.3 Million Out of Poverty (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2G9jcHm                                                      “It has been more than 10 years since congress raised the minimum wage – the longest stretch in history. This is a shameful benchmark. Congress should immediately pass the Raise the Wage Act.”
  • There Are More Women Farmers Than Ever, But They Make Less Than Men. Why? (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2Jii9pm                The number of female farmers is up by 27 percent in the last five years.
  • USDA’s independent researchers vote overwhelmingly to form union (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Zlrx25
    • “Everyone here is just so depressed”: USDA’s research employees have two weeks to decide whether to move to Kansas (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2XhLB44
  • Thousands Of Grocery Store Workers To Vote Today (6-24-19) On Strike Authorization (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/2ZYmViE
  • Grocery Workers Stand Up (Jacobin) http://bit.ly/2XJFYAv
    • Report: How Wages and Working Conditions for California’s Food Retail Workers Have Declined as The Industry Has Thrived (Food Labor Research Center, UCB) http://bit.ly/2Sb54lM

 

Protests

  • ‘Seeds of Resistance’: Ponca corn planted in path of Keystone XL Pipeline (indianz) http://bit.ly/2WHQ702
  • McDonald’s Can’t Fool Its Shareholders: Big Chicken Is Bad Business (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2ZZ9oHs

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Walmart’s Super-Sized Impact on the Food System (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2JRpZXo                                                                                                  A new report details how the largest US food retailer leverages its unprecedented size to force lower prices, short-change workers and farmers, and create fewer food choices.
  • Report: Walmart’s Monopolization of Local Grocery Markets (Institute For Local Self-Reliance) http://bit.ly/30P049H
  • Major UK supermarket chain gets rid of plastic bags in produce and baker sections (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2IZIrOf            “We are absolutely committed to reducing unnecessary plastic packaging in Sainsbury’s stores.”
  • How America’s food giants swallowed the family farms (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2ZiYn3z
    • How a Top Chicken Company Cut Off Black Farmers, One by One (Propublica) http://bit.ly/2NkkuW1                                              The Trump administration has weakened legal protections for farmers and eased off enforcing rules on powerful meat companies.
  • DowDupont Lavishes Campaign Cash On Politicians Who Voted Against a Ban on its Blockbuster Pesticide (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2XG6eIc                                                                                                      Chlorpyrifos has been linked to brain damage in kids.
  • Monsanto, Bayer struggle to keep up with growing Roundup cancer litigation (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/31Dkl36                     More than 13,000 plaintiffs have filed suit against Monsanto in the United States.
  • Big Chicken wants in on the plant-based meat options and that’s a good thing (Salon) http://bit.ly/2XNzGiF
  • GrubHub is buying up thousands of restaurant web addresses. That means Mom and Pop can’t own their slice of the internet (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZRX7om
  • Foreign-Owned Meatpacker Receives Trade War Bailout, Critics Say it Won’t Help Farmers (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/2ILSDc1
  • People of color are creating new kinds of cooperative cafes and restaurants in Oakland (SF Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2LFLoW7
  • This Refugee-Run Catering Company Cures Homesickness With Hummus (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2XQ2ML9                                    Eat Offbeat serves meals created and prepared by refugee chefs.
  • The Food Business Incubator That Helps Immigrant Women Pursue The American Dream (NPR) https://n.pr/2KlzUXQ
  • Why Some Wineries Are Becoming ‘Certified B Corp’ – And What That Means (NPR) https://n.pr/2WPENKM
  • Paying Farmers Fairly Could Curb Climate Change and Hunger (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2YmMo4N                                                                          Parity is the core of agriculture’s potential to address overpopulation.
  • Taking Farmers For A Ride (Other Words) http://bit.ly/2FZVNs5    Trump’s trade disruptions are inflicting real pain, but they’re also exposing the frailty of an agricultur economy built for big business

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Canada Unveils Plan To Ban Single-Use Plastics As Early AS 2021 (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2RkWIaW
  • The Mexican ambassador to the US explains Trump’s claim of a new agricultural deal (Vox) http://bit.ly/2X6hHnn                          Trump said Mexico will soon increase its spending on US agricultural products. The ambassador said that isn’t exactly the case.
  • Bavaria to pass ‘save the bees’ petition into law in landmark move (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2XqV1yd                                                      Weight of 1.75m signatures persuades German state to bypass referendum and order action to protect pollinators
  • The USDA Didn’t Publish Its Plan to Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change. Where They Need it the Most (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2JOkCcU                                                                                        Three ecological disasters that are worthy of hair-on-fire attention by USDA researchers.
  • EPA: Factory Farms Don’t Need To Report Emissions (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2SBP8ct                                                                                                    Environmental groups say a new rule from the agency eliminates one of the only tools providing communities near CAFOs with information about toxic substances in the air.
  • EPA expands use of pesticide considered ‘very highly toxic’ to bees (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2GmFZQn
  • How USDA distorted data to conceal decades of discrimination against black farmers (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/322aFzu
  • Trump’s EPA just gave a controversial pesticide the green light (grist) http://bit.ly/2Y8qIbG
    • EPA will not ban use of controversial pesticide linked to children’s health problems (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2M1SSCU
  • Supreme Court sides with retailers in SNAP data case (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2xmauB6                                                        New we’ll never know how much money the Walmarts of the world make from taxpayer-funded benefits. Because it’s “confidential.”
  • Trump EPA Oks ‘Emergency’ Use of Bee-Killing Pesticide on 13.9 Million Acres (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2IZ5Qzz
  • Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change (Politico) https://politi.co/2RKVaXL                                    The Trump administration has stopped promoting government funded research into how higher temperatures can damage crops and pose health risks.
  • Trump’s Agriculture Department Is Downplaying Its Own Climate Research When Farmers Need It Most (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2FFnqGE                                                                                                                        As growers strain under the effects of global warming, “the federal government should be doing everything it can.”
  • ‘Dangerous Proposal’: USDA Seeking to Replace Government Inspectors at Beef Slaughter Plant With Private Employees (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2XwCKPZ
    • As Tyson continues its push to privatize plant inspections, five workers were just hospitalized after a chemical spill (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2KNEwq4
  • Trump’s EPA Transferred Financial Liability For Mining Pollution To Taxpayers (The Intellectualist) http://bit.ly/2I5FkUE
  • Chicken Farmers Thought Trump Was Going to Help Them. Then His Administration Did the Opposite. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2QYsNVF                                                                                            The Agriculture Department is barley enforcing regulations on big meat companies
  • More and more workplace discrimination cases are being closed before they are investigated (Vox) http://bit.ly/2XMxXa8                  It’s a problem that starts with Congress.
  • Senate hearing on agriculture and climate change featured industry speakers, no climate scientists (Think Progress) http://bit.ly/2wyIDwV                                                                                                Big Beef has some thoughts a out the Green New Deal and government regulation.
  • Did Senate Republicans Just Get Serious About Agriculture and Climate Change? (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2WYZurB                  Not quite. “But you have to crawl before you can walk.”
  • Maine’s New Ag Commissioner Seeks to Develop a Robust Regional Food Economy (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2I4Lvbk
  • Perspective: (MO) State officials nix local control to favor factory farms (New Tribune) http://bit.ly/2GnmqqV
  • Michigan Prosecutors Drop Flint Lead Poisoning Charges, Pledging Expanded Case (Democracy Now!) http://bit.ly/2ImKsE9
  • New California bill could revolutionize how the US tackles plastic pollution (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2WKqt6e                                A sweeping “circular economy” bill in the California legislature aims to drastically reduce plastic waste and boost domestic recycling.
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sides with growing fruits and vegetables over aesthetics (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/2RzLCz1
  • Boston Brings Sustainability, Equity to Its Food Purchasing (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2IjUQMT                                                                              The first Northeast city to adopt environmentally responsible purchasing guidelines city-wide, Boston also makes a explicit push for racial equity in its food procurement program, which will benefit schools and many more.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • US beekeepers lost 40% of honeybee colonies over past year, survey finds (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Iy1qiI                                           Study marks worst winter on record for beekeepers, despite intensive push to stem losses.
  • More Bad Buzz For Bees: Record Number Of Honeybee Colonies Died Last Winter (NPR) https://n.pr/2xbS8T2
  • Those honeybees you’re so worried about? They’re killing off wild bee species (grist) http://bit.ly/2FHNl0j

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

  • The Philippines Is Rallying Behind Its Disappearing Dwarf Buffalo (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/2IQ5CcH                                          From Indigenous groups to international conservation organizations, everyone is getting in line to save the critically endangered tamaraw.
  • On a tiny, isolated island, USDA scientists race to prep for the pork-pocalypse (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Ls5Tpa
    • A Nasty Swine Virus in China Means Big Trouble for US Farmers (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2XSp3Yu                                         Not for the reason you think.
  • Why billions of baby chickens are killed every year (Vox) http://bit.ly/2FbF4l0                                                                                                  It’s not for food! It’s much darker than that.

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • As a GMO Stunt, Professor Tasted Pesticide and Gave it To Students (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/2KQk7zK                            People who offer to taste pesticides are not doing science. They are promoting corporate products, in this case Bt Brinjal.

 

Poisons

  • Roundup’s Risks Could Go Well Beyond Cancer (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/31nP6ZK                                                                                          Evidence of the cheap herbicide’s danger to biological function continues to mount. Why are US regulators not listening?
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update July 14, 2019

 

  • We Have the Money to Fix Our Food System (Other Words) http://bit.ly/2YAczFu                                                                                      Imagine supporting farmer markets, child nutrition, and local agriculture with money we spend on factory farms.
  • Poor Peoples Moral Budget: Everybody Has the Right to Live (Institute for Policy Studies) http://bit.ly/2FYCy27
  • US agriculture needs a 21st century New Deal (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2FZTaGC                                                                                                  If policymakers can envision a contemporary version of ideas in the original New Deal, a climate-friendly and socially just American agriculture is within reach.
  • Organics detective (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/2Jqoj88                 US farmers stalk fraudulent imports to save their markets
  • The Truth About “Sustainable” Palm Oil (Sapiens.org) http://bit.ly/2KlzMrf                                                                                                    In West Papua, Indonesia, both conventional and “green” palm oil projects dispossess and exclude Indigenous people from their lands.
  • The Scary New Math of Factory Farm Waste (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2WZih6P                                                                                    Factory farms are exempt from reporting requirements under the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Now a new tool can provide solid evidence of the environmental harm they can cause.
  • Revealed; rampant deforestation of Amazon driven by global greed for meat (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2FZXFAT

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Mid-Sized Farms Are Disappearing. This Program Could Reverse the Trend. (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2XSRgP4
  • Farmed salmon is now a staple in diets – but what they eat matters too (The Conversation) http://bit.ly/31DRkof
  • Ranchers Group Sues Packers for Conspiracy to Decrease Cattle Prices (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/31BnCAc
  • The Shoreline Still Provides Dinner, Despite Climate Change and Private Property (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2JdvAqE                                            The mighty geoduck clam is a local food source, native to my island home. But digging for it demands a license, fortitude, and fast shoveling.

 

Land and Soil

  • In Just One Decade, Corporations Destroyed 50 Million Hectares of Forest – An Area the size of Spain (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2Igy3Bn                                                                                        “These companies are destroying our children’s future by driving us towards climate and ecological collapse.”

 

Climate

  • Farmers Have a Secret Weapon to Save Your Food From Climate Chaos (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2LsAa7k                                      There’s a smart way to adapt to increasing storm surges.
  • USDA Scientists Are Quitting In Droves. That’s Really Bad News For Climate Research (Vice) http://bit.ly/2Yyi6fA
  • Mississippi farmers forced to leave thousands of acres unplanted this season (Marketplace) http://bit.ly/2wH2tGm
  • Climate Change-Fueled Valley Fever is Hitting Farmworkers Hard (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2xnliig                                                            The potentially deadly disease is caused by a soil-borne fungus made worse by rising rates of dust storms. In California’s Central Valley, farmworkers are bearing the brunt of the problem.
  • Bananas Are Facing Extinction – And It’s Our Fault (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/31ELOBu                                                                                The world’s favorite fruit, known for its health benefits, is under attack by two dangerous diseases.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • The Potato Guardians (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/2Kmwxji                                                                                                    In the Peruvian Andes, Indigenous potato farmers are working with researchers to develop climate-smart spuds.

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • Victory in Illinois: Coal plant found guilty of polluting groundwater with coal ash (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2LtTCjS                                                                                        “Today is a huge victory for Waukegan residents who have fought for years to see corporations like NRG Energy held accountable for the toxic waste that has been illegally dumped on our Lake Michigan lakefront.”
  • Nestle’s Ice Mountain Bottled Water Leaves Nothing for Michigan’s Trout (Natural Resources Defense Counsel) https://on.nrdc.org/2EZDC5g
  • Massive review of fracking science confirms the industry poses a serious threat to both environment and human health (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/31XcVIe
  • Court to Big Fracking Company: Trespassing Still Exists – Even For You (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2I596J9
    • “No Evidence” That Fracking Can Be Done Without Threat To Human Health (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2YeHvus
    • Total Ban on Fracking Urged by Health Experts: 1,500 Studies Show ‘Damning’ Evidence of Threats to Public Health, Climate (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2RyMdAP
  • Court Nixes Federal Approval For Cadiz Pipeline To Suck Water Out Of the Mojave To Sell (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Y8MkFE                                                                                          The 43-mile pipeline was approved by the Trump administration after former Cadiz lobbyist David Bernhardt became deputy secretary of the interior.
  • ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) says Black Warrior River safe one week after huge (Tyson) waste spill, Riverkeepers disagree (abc3340) http://bit.ly/2XRd7pR
  • Feds declare emergency as gray whale deaths reach highest level in nearly 20 years (San Jose Mercury News) https://bayareane.ws/2R2hM62                                                                NOAA declares “unusual mortality event” after at least 70 West Coast strandings this spring
  • Monterey Bay has more microplastics than Great Garbage Patch, researchers say (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2XFU6qE
    • ‘Incredibly sobering’: New study finds Monterey Bay littered with tiny pieces of plastic. (Santa Cruz Sentinel) http://bit.ly/2My3U4B
    • Microplastics Have Invaded the Deep Ocean – And The Food Chain (NPR) https://n.pr/2ZvcqDb
  • The US wants to dump 1.5 tons of rat poison pellets on the Farallon Islands. Biologists say it’s for the best. (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2FX4l2Y
  • Heatwave cooks mussels in their shells on California shore (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2YkT57B                                              Temperatures lead to what appears to appears to be largest local die-off in 15 years, raising fears for broader ecosystem.
  • The Largest Algae Bloom in World History Is Now Off the Florida Coast (Vice) http://bit.ly/2FX6R99                                                  Researchers are tracking the algae Sargassum, which has created record blooms nearly every year since 2011.
  • Red Tide is Back in Florida. Is Big Sugar to Blame? (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2XGs0i0                                                                                                  The rise of toxic algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico is pitting tourism against agriculture as the state looks for solutions.
  • Carnival slapped with a $20 million fine after was caught dumping trash into the ocean again (Business Insider) http://bit.ly/2WsT8MS

 

Food Culture & History

  • The Surprising Links Between Family Dinner and Good Health (Yes!) http://bit.ly/31n1Bok                                                                            Adults who prepare quality meals for children are offering something more important than a nutrition lesson.
  • Everyone Knows the Benefits of Meal-Sharing. Here’s How to Actually Do It (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2I4Kdx0
  • Anthony Bourdain Knew There Was Nothing More Political Than Food (The Nation) http://bit.ly/2WUpvbp                                                      The chef and author demanded that we consider the humanity of so many who were wrongly portrayed by the rest of the media.
  • Inside Pasta Factories: Amazing Photographs Show How Pasta Production Really Looked Like From the Early 20th Century (Vintage Everyday) http://bit.ly/2WppyYr
  • The archaeology of Neolithic cooking traditions: archaeobotanical approaches to baking, boiling and fermenting (archaeology international) http://bit.ly/2Xi6eAY

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • 1 in 12 senior citizens didn’t have enough food in 2017 – and the Trump administration is threatening to make is worse (AlterNet) http://bit.ly/2Wh7HaY
  • West Oakland neighborhoods welcome first full-service grocery store in decades (East Bay Times) https://bayareane.ws/2I77i2q  Community Foods Market will open Saturday, filling a void left in the mid 1970s
  • It’s Great That We Talk About ‘Food Deserts’ – But It Might Be Time To Stop (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2LGwwH5                  Food access is s systemic issue with racial, cultural and socioeconomic roots, so let’s not assume that a grocery store will solve the problem.

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Wasted! The Story of Food Waste (Wastedfilm) http://bit.ly/2wM7q0O
  • Almost every country in the world agrees deal to cut plastic pollution – except US (Independent) https://ind.pn/2wJgfsf

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Doctors May Soon Be Prescribing Vegetables Instead of Drugs To Prevent Disease (Tech Times) http://bit.ly/31oFPRt
  • Do Processed Foods Make You Fat? A New Study Has Stunning Results (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2I5JJa4                              Government scientists wanted to know.
  • It’s Not Just Salt, Sugar, Fat: Study Finds Ultra-Processed Foods Drive Weight Gain (NPR) https://n.pr/2Fe75bJ
  • Study: Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake (Cell Metabolism) http://bit.ly/2MQezIc
  • Cholesterol Redux: As Eggs Make A Comeback, New Questions About Health Risks (NPR) https://n.pr/2Kk4a5t
  • People eat at least 50,000 plastic particles a year, study finds (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2MBFW8S                                                              Health effects of ingestion of microplastics via food, water and breathing still unknown
  • 3M Knew About PFAS Food Contamination In 2001 (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2XPg5LK
    • Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found In Maine Farms Fertilized With Sewage Sludge (The Intercept) http://bit.ly/2WIQ6nF
    • There Is Something Called “Forever Chemicals” Coursing Through the US Food Supply (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2FbPUHC                                                                                    The FDA found that chocolate cake had levels over 250 the federal guidelines.
  • That chocolate cake won’t last forever, but the chemicals in it might (grist) http://bit.ly/2FdrIEK
  • Here’s Everything We Know About The ‘Forever’ Chemicals in Food (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2Frde4D
  • Several Ragú Sauces Recalled For Possible Plastic Fragment Contamination (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2ZqImIX

 

Children & School Food

  • Virginia school district buys food truck to provide students with free meals during summer (ABC News) https://abcn.ws/2IipMga

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • CBO Analysis Shows $15 Federal Minimum Wage Would Raise Pay for 27 Million Workers and Lift 1.3 Million Out of Poverty (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2G9jcHm                                                      “It has been more than 10 years since congress raised the minimum wage – the longest stretch in history. This is a shameful benchmark. Congress should immediately pass the Raise the Wage Act.”
  • There Are More Women Farmers Than Ever, But They Make Less Than Men. Why? (Modern Farmer) http://bit.ly/2Jii9pm                  The number of female farmers is up by 27 percent in the last five years.
  • USDA’s independent researchers vote overwhelmingly to form union (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Zlrx25
    • “Everyone here is just so depressed”: USDA’s research employees have two weeks to decide whether to move to Kansas (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2XhLB44
  • Thousands Of Grocery Store Workers To Vote Today (6-24-19) On Strike Authorization (Labor 411) http://bit.ly/2ZYmViE
  • Grocery Workers Stand Up (Jacobin) http://bit.ly/2XJFYAv
    • Report: How Wages and Working Conditions for California’s Food Retail Workers Have Declined as The Industry Has Thrived (Food Labor Research Center, UCB) http://bit.ly/2Sb54lM

 

Protests

  • ‘Seeds of Resistance’: Ponca corn planted in path of Keystone XL Pipeline (indianz) http://bit.ly/2WHQ702
  • McDonald’s Can’t Fool Its Shareholders: Big Chicken Is Bad Business (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2ZZ9oHs

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Major UK supermarket chain gets rid of plastic bags in produce and baker sections (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2IZIrOf          “We are absolutely committed to reducing unnecessary plastic packaging in Sainsbury’s stores.”
  • How America’s food giants swallowed the family farms (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2ZiYn3z
    • How a Top Chicken Company Cut Off Black Farmers, One by One (Propublica) http://bit.ly/2NkkuW1                                              The Trump administration has weakened legal protections for farmers and eased off enforcing rules on powerful meat companies.
  • DowDupont Lavishes Campaign Cash On Politicians Who Voted Against a Ban on its Blockbuster Pesticide (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2XG6eIc                                                                                Chlorpyrifos has been linked to brain damage in kids.
  • Monsanto, Bayer struggle to keep up with growing Roundup cancer litigation (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/31Dkl36          More than 13,000 plaintiffs have filed suit against Monsanto in the United States.
  • Big Chicken wants in on the plant-based meat options and that’s a good thing (Salon) http://bit.ly/2XNzGiF
  • GrubHub is buying up thousands of restaurant web addresses. That means Mom and Pop can’t own their slice of the internet (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2ZRX7om
  • Foreign-Owned Meatpacker Receives Trade War Bailout, Critics Say it Won’t Help Farmers (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/2ILSDc1
  • People of color are creating new kinds of cooperative cafes and restaurants in Oakland (SF Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2LFLoW7
  • This Refugee-Run Catering Company Cures Homesickness With Hummus (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2XQ2ML9                                  Eat Offbeat serves meals created and prepared by refugee chefs.
  • The Food Business Incubator That Helps Immigrant Women Pursue The American Dream (NPR) https://n.pr/2KlzUXQ
  • Why Some Wineries Are Becoming ‘Certified B Corp’ – And What That Means (NPR) https://n.pr/2WPENKM
  • Paying Farmers Fairly Could Curb Climate Change and Hunger (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2YmMo4N                                                                        Parity is the core of agriculture’s potential to address overpopulation.
  • Taking Farmers For A Ride (Other Words) http://bit.ly/2FZVNs5    Trump’s trade disruptions are inflicting real pain, but they’re also exposing the frailty of an agricultur economy built for big business

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Canada Unveils Plan To Ban Single-Use Plastics As Early AS 2021 (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2RkWIaW
  • The Mexican ambassador to the US explains Trump’s claim of a new agricultural deal (Vox) http://bit.ly/2X6hHnn                          Trump said Mexico will soon increase its spending on US agricultural products. The ambassador said that isn’t exactly the case.
  • Bavaria to pass ‘save the bees’ petition into law in landmark move (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2XqV1yd                                                      Weight of 1.75m signatures persuades German state to bypass referendum and order action to protect pollinators
  • How USDA distorted data to conceal decades of discrimination against black farmers (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/322aFzu
  • Supreme Court sides with retailers in SNAP data case (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2xmauB6                                                      New we’ll never know how much money the Walmarts of the world make from taxpayer-funded benefits. Because it’s “confidential.”
  • USDA indefinitely suspends bee tracking survey as states get apprpoval to use bee-killing pesticide (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2LcYlHB
  • Trump EPA Oks ‘Emergency’ Use of Bee-Killing Pesticide on 13.9 Million Acres (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2IZ5Qzz
  • Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change (Politico) https://politi.co/2RKVaXL                            The Trump administration has stopped promoting government funded research into how higher temperatures can damage crops and pose health risks.
  • Trump’s Agriculture Department Is Downplaying Its Own Climate Research When Farmers Need It Most (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2FFnqGE                                                                                            As growers strain under the effects of global warming, “the federal government should be doing everything it can.”
  • ‘Dangerous Proposal’: USDA Seeking to Replace Government Inspectors at Beef Slaughter Plant With Private Employees (EcoWatch) http://bit.ly/2XwCKPZ
    • As Tyson continues its push to privatize plant inspections, five workers were just hospitalized after a chemical spill (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2KNEwq4
  • Trump’s EPA Transferred Financial Liability For Mining Pollution To Taxpayers (The Intellectualist) http://bit.ly/2I5FkUE
  • Chicken Farmers Thought Trump Was Going to Help Them. Then His Administration Did the Opposite. (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2QYsNVF                                                                                            The Agriculture Department is barley enforcing regulations on big meat companies
  • More and more workplace discrimination cases are being closed before they are investigated (Vox) http://bit.ly/2XMxXa8                  It’s a problem that starts with Congress.
  • Senate hearing on agriculture and climate change featured industry speakers, no climate scientists (Think Progress) http://bit.ly/2wyIDwV                                                                                            Big Beef has some thoughts a out the Green New Deal and government regulation.
  • Did Senate Republicans Just Get Serious About Agriculture and Climate Change? (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2WYZurB                   Not quite. “But you have to crawl before you can walk.”
  • Maine’s New Ag Commissioner Seeks to Develop a Robust Regional Food Economy (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2I4Lvbk
  • Michigan Prosecutors Drop Flint Lead Poisoning Charges, Pledging Expanded Case (Democracy Now!) http://bit.ly/2ImKsE9
  • New California bill could revolutionize how the US tackles plastic pollution (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2WKqt6e                              A sweeping “circular economy” bill in the California legislature aims to drastically reduce plastic waste and boost domestic recycling.
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sides with growing fruits and vegetables over aesthetics (Food Safety News) http://bit.ly/2RzLCz1
  • Boston Brings Sustainability, Equity to Its Food Purchasing (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/2IjUQMT                                                                                  The first Northeast city to adopt environmentally responsible purchasing guidelines city-wide, Boston also makes a explicit push for racial equity in its food procurement program, which will benefit schools and many more.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • US beekeepers lost 40% of honeybee colonies over past year, survey finds (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/2Iy1qiI                              Study marks worst winter on record for beekeepers, despite intensive push to stem losses.
  • More Bad Buzz For Bees: Record Number Of Honeybee Colonies Died Last Winter (NPR) https://n.pr/2xbS8T2
  • Those honeybees you’re so worried about? They’re killing off wild bee species (grist) http://bit.ly/2FHNl0j

 

Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

  • The Philippines Is Rallying Behind Its Disappearing Dwarf Buffalo (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/2IQ5CcH                                        From Indigenous groups to international conservation organizations, everyone is getting in line to save the critically endangered tamaraw.
  • On a tiny, isolated island, USDA scientists race to prep for the pork-pocalypse (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2Ls5Tpa
    • A Nasty Swine Virus in China Means Big Trouble for US Farmers (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2XSp3Yu                                    Not for the reason you think.
  • Why billions of baby chickens are killed every year (Vox) http://bit.ly/2FbF4l0                                                                                                It’s not for food! It’s much darker than that.

 

GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

  • As a GMO Stunt, Professor Tasted Pesticide and Gave it To Students (Earth Island Journal) http://bit.ly/2KQk7zK                People who offer to taste pesticides are not doing science. They are promoting corporate products, in this case Bt Brinjal.

 

Poisons

  • Roundup’s Risks Could Go Well Beyond Cancer (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/31nP6ZK                                                                      Evidence of the cheap herbicide’s danger to biological function continues to mount. Why are US regulators not listening?

 

GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for June 1, 2019

 

  • The Quest to Return Tomatoes to Their Full-Flavored Glory (Smithsonian) https://bit.ly/2UCj3ot                                                          We’ve bred the original tomato taste out of existence. Now geneticists are asking: Can we put it back?
  • Report: The State Of The World’s Biodiversity For Food And Agriculture (FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) https://bit.ly/2KxMcgF
  • What’s Causing an Outbreak of a Mysterious Fungal Infection? America’s Farms Offer a Clue. (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2KC5lOq                                                                             Fungicide use “most likely” played a role in the rise of a deadly drug-resistant germ.
  • Globe to gut: inside Big Good (Nature) https://go.nature.com/2HVXJU1                                                              Felicity Lawrence absorbs three books on the illogical route from farm to fork.
  • Food Routs: Growing Bananas in Iceland and Other Tales from the Logistics of eating
  • The Grand Food Bargain: and the Mindless Drive for More
  • Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food
  • University of California System Halts Use of Glyphosate Herbicide (Independent Science News) http://bit.ly/2W927CG
  • A goat herd is helping Trump pay tens of thousands of dollars less in property taxes on his New Jersey properties (Business Insider) https://bit.ly/2I2ktCI
  • ‘Regenerative agriculture’: World-saving idea or food marketing ploy? (grist) https://bit.ly/2Ikzzmj                                                                    As with many things, it depends on who is saying it and in what context…
  • News Release: General Mills to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030 (General Mills) https://bit.ly/2ITBQHi                                                      Yet more greenwashing…

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • How Black Farmers Are Trying To End Centuries Of Racism In America’s Food System (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2YXhTm4  Prejudice, violence, and poverty have pushed black farmers off their land. A growing movement is calling for reparations.
  • ‘Numb to it’ – Farm family moves forward despite dead cows, beach where their filed used to be (Lincoln Journal Star) http://bit.ly/2GA3q96
    • ‘Just a terrible mess’ – Ranchers, farmers left with dead animals, flooded fields, work to be done (Lincoln Journal Star) https://bit.ly/2Ua1JXC
  • Citrus Farmers Facing Deadly Bacteria Turn to Antibiotics, Alarming Health Officials (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2HJmWzE            In its decision to approve two drugs for orange and grapefruit trees, the EPA and the FDA, which fear that expanding their use in cash crops could fuel antibiotic resistance in humans.
  • ‘Hand that’s feeding the world is getting bit.’ Farmers cope with floods, trade war (Kansas City Star) https://bit.ly/2VBQg0r
  • As farmers fight for the right to repair their tractors, an antitrust movement gains steam (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2InABy4                                                                              Proprietary tools and restrictive user agreements keep farmers from fixing their own machines. A vocal faction of producers, legislators, and advocates wants to change that.

 

Land and Soil

  • Study: Property rights and rural justice: A study of US right-to-farm laws (Journal of Rural Studies) https://bit.ly/2Z53oxs
  • Millions of Acres of the Amazon are at Risk Due to the Trade War Between the US and China (Pacific Standard) http://bit.ly/2ID73h4                                                                                              The feud’s effect on the soybean trade could be the main culprit behind increased destruction of the Amazon.

 

Climate

  • A the heat rises, farmworkers band together (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2HtBuVa              From wildfires to extreme temperatures, climate change is driving activism in the farm fields.
  • Research: Climate Impacts of Cultured Meat and Beef Cattle (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems) https://bit.ly/2P7u3oB

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

 

Water & Our Oceans

    • ‘He Doesn’t Trust Water.’ 5 Years Later, Flint Sees Few Signs of Relief (Time) http://bit.ly/2GI7BQr

           It’s too hopeful to think the Flint, Michigan water crisis is over…

     

    • Water in Paradise, Site of worst California fire, contaminated with cancer chemical (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2UJVk6w
      • Rare ‘toxic cocktail’ from Camp Fire is Poisoning Paradise water. It could cost $300 million to fix. (Sacramento Bee) http://bit.ly/2UMhULV
    • Toxic Oilfield Wastewater Used to Grow California Food, Including Organics (Food and Water Watch) http://bit.ly/30wtFVR

          In spring 2018, news of the water crisis in South Africa ricocheted          around the world – then the story disappeared. So what happened?

    • Dozens of Endangered Orcas Seen Off California Coast For First Time In 8 Years (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2VuPP8i
    • Walruses Are Jumping Off Cliffs to Their Deaths – Yes, Because of Climate Change (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2ZqDmof

     

Food Culture & History

  • These Indigenous Women Are Reclaiming Stolen Land in the Bay Area (Yes!) http://bit.ly/2VQaPcO                                                          Through a voluntary land tax and donations from land owners, this organization is working to create an alternative land base for Indigenous people in California’s East Bay.
  • Iran’s saffron cultivation system recognized as ‘cultural heritage’ FAO (MEHR News Agency) https://bit.ly/2UXZkzJ
  • Pompeii ‘fast food’ bar unearthed in ancient city after 2,000 years (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2v3t7s8
  • An Archive of 3,000 Vintage Cookbooks Lets You Travel Back Through Culinary Time (Open Culture) https://bit.ly/2US602u

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Canada: Why millions of dollars in federal grocery subsidies haven’t lessened food insecurity in the North (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) https://bit.ly/2YSLY70
  • After the floods, a struggle on the Pine Ridge Reservation for food and water access (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2GnYhQq
  • I Volunteered At 200 Food Banks Across the U.S. Here’s What I Learned About Hunger In America. (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2PpLvFa

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Recycling Isn’t About the Planet. It’s About Profit. (Slate) https://bit.ly/2Z1y7LG                                                                                      When you drop a bottle in a blue bin, you’re joining the unruly transglobal trash trade.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Is Pizza Sauce a Vegetable? Amy Klobuchar Has Changer Her Answer on School Lunch Controversy (Education Week) http://bit.ly/2H74m5r
  • Food-poisoning outbreak that has sickened over 100 people in 6 states is likely from ground beef (nbc news) https://nbcnews.to/2IjSIWD
  • Pre-Cut Melon Sold in 16 States Recalled Amid Salmonella Outbreak (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2v3i2aJ                                Caito Foods LLC, which distributes its fruit to Walmart, Target and Kroger, issued a  similar recall last year.

 

Children & School Food

  • Could Urban Farms Be the Preschools of the Future? (City Lab) https://bit.ly/2IwOp9q                                                                                                A group of architects proposed a new design to help raise environmentally responsible kids.

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • ‘When Workers Fight, Workers Win’: Union Declares Victory as Stop & Shop Strike Ends With Deal to Raise Wages (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2KToknP                                                                        “Stop & Shop  workers sent a message to their company by collectively standing up for themselves, their families, and good jobs, that resonated not only with the company, but all of America.”
  • Stop & Shop Strikers Are Standing Up for All Grocery Workers (Truthout) http://bit.ly/2URhdBf                                                              The current New England grocery workers’ strike will likely have long-lasting national significance. The strike that started April 11th with 31,000 Stop & Shop grocery works at about 240 supermarkets in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut…
  • Class-action complaint brought against Berkeley Bowl by former employee (The Daily Californian) http://bit.ly/2USTn89
  • California’s Finest Restaurants Pay Workers of Color $6 per Hour Less Than White Workers (Mother Jones) http://bit.ly/2K3vaoR

 

Protests

  • The Farworkers Who Pick Your Halo Mandarins Juist Organized a Massive Labor Strike (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2Zaxob5

Nearly 1,800 fruit pickers – many undocumented – spontaneously walked out of The Wonderful Company’s citrus orchards earlier this year to oppose a pay cut and third-party labor contracts.

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Toronto restaurant fights food waste by chopping menu prices till all the dishes are gone (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/2JPd1uJ
  • Everything is Organic at this Burger Chain. Even the Pickles (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2G3UFme                                                Nic’s opened two years ago in the Chicago area and is thriving. But sometimes the chain must scramble to find organic ingredients.
  • The Dirty Secret Behind The Perfect Fruits and Vegetables At Your Grocery Store (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2UB2eGB
  • Beef Packing Merger Threatens America’s Last Competitive Cash Cattle Market (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/2KBEceL
  • How a New Corporate Model in Hog Farming Puts Rural Communities at Risk (Food and Power) http://bit.ly/2IlaYyU
  • Promotion of GMO-Derived Impossible Burger at World’s Largest Natural Food Trade Show Denounced as Deceptive (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2D5nhec

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • Veggie discs? Seitan slabs? EU meat fans want to rebrand vegetarian food (grist) https://bit.ly/2KdiNrY
    • ‘Veggie discs’ to replace veggie burgers in EU crackdown on food labels (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2TRO7vX          Vegetarian food producers must revise name if MEPs agree new rule to protect meat terms
  • The End Of Plastic Cutlery, Plates And straws: EU Market Says Goodbye To Single-Use Plastic Products (Forbes) http://bit.ly/2vkbViq
  • Malawi Bans Import of Glyphosate Herbicides after US Cancer Verdict (Sustainable Pulse) https://bit.ly/2FXgrIm
  • Gillibrand introduces bill to ban harmful pesticides from school lunch (The Hill) http://bit.ly/2JjKy0a
  • USDA orders Scientists to say published research is ‘preliminary’ (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2XyyeNd
  • NIH study finds heavily processed foods cause overeating and weight gain (National Institutes of Health) http://bit.ly/2WNOU3n
  • ‘Finally!’: Court Orders EPA to Stop Stalling Potential Ban on Pesticide Tied to Brain Damage in Kids (Common Dreams) http://bit.ly/2VoncMY                                                                                           “We hope Trump’s EPA finally decides to protect the future of countless children and the health of millions of farmworkers.”
  • “Organic” Hydroponic Operations Allowed to Spray Glyphosate on the Soil (The Cornucopia Institute) https://bit.ly/2ItL2Ah
  • Democrats Just Introduced Sweeping #MeToo Legislation. It Would Have a Huge Impact on the Service Industry. (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2D8VmKF                                                                      Low-wage and service industry workers stand to gain the most.
  • USDA paid over $15 billion to ag and dairy subsidy recipients in 2018 (La Crosse Tribune) http://bit.ly/2W2IdKj
  • Trump farm bailout will go to Brazilian owned meatpacking firm, USDA says (Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2w8IOPr
  • Attorneys General Sue Trump Administration Over School Nutrition Rollbacks (NPR) https://n.pr/2GDNjYj
  • Prepare for sticker shock. The US – Mexico Tomato War is on (The New Food Economy) http://bit.ly/2JszGh5
  • Trump Is About to Make the Pork Industry Responsible for Inspecting Itself (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2Ktus69
    • Trump administration to slash USDA pork inspections, including tests for salmonella, E. coli (Daily Kos) https://bit.ly/2G1KYoz
  • When the government mandates work requirements for food stamps, who actually profits? (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2v0cOw8                                                                                        When Wisconsin implemented work requirements, it cost double what it was supposed to and lifted only a tiny fraction of participants out of poverty. The contractor it hired violated civil rights and was accused of coercing labor.
  • Maine Legislature Oks Bill To End ‘Food Shaming’ Students Who Can’t Afford Meals (Huffington Post) http://bit.ly/2DxJkui              The bill prevents public schools from punishing, stigmatizing and refusing meals to students who either cannot pay or have a negative balance in their lunch account.
  • Maryland lawmakers double down on contentious oyster restoration efforts (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Z1vuJL
  • Judge determines Flint residents can Sue US government for water crisis (Nation of Change) http://bit.ly/2UyCs5s
  • Flint Receives $77 Million to Fund New Water Projects (Color Lines) http://bit.ly/2Z19pKt                                                                                Five years after the water crisis began, the city continues to recover with projects to protect residents and update infrastructure.

 

Pollinators & Insects

  • To save the monarch butterfly, Mexican scientists are moving a forest 1,000 feet up a mountain (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2vk2gZd

 

Poisons

  • Monsanto hit with staggering $2 billion verdict in Roundup cancer suit (San Francisco Chronicle) http://bit.ly/2WT4kn5
  • The herbicide dicamba is sparking a civil war in farm country (Food & Environment Reporting Network) http://bit.ly/30qV0sN
  • Study: Lethal and sublethal synergistic effects of a new systemic pesticide flupyradifurone (Sivanto), on honey bees (The Royal Society) https://bit.ly/2WYa4LLBees can be exposed to multiple pesticides that may interact synergistically, amplifying their side effects. Attention has focused on neonicotinoid pesticides, but flupyradifurone (FPF) is a novel butenolide insecticide that is also systemic and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonist. 
  • Across Midwest Farm Fields, Pesticide Exposure Is Tracked Evenly Or Not At All (Harvest Public Media) http://bit.ly/2QbfpgF
  • Toxins in Canada (Canada’s National Observer) https://bit.ly/2PaPe9b                                                                                                A series exploring the pros and cons of pesticide use in Canada, the strengths and weaknesses of its regulatory landscape and who exercises the greatest influence on the landscape.
  • Family farm documentary was part of pesticide PR strategy (Canada’s National Observer) https://bit.ly/2VQHDPC
  • Fired Quebec scientist blew the whistle on pesticide lobby influence (Canada’s National Observer) https://bit.ly/2HARi9T
  • Dying from cancer, this man’s case has stunning repercussions in Canada (Canada’s National Observer) https://bit.ly/2IlU8Qi
GrowCalgary Blog Posts

Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for April 7, 2019

 

  • Jim Hightower: Silicon Valley’s Next Target: America’s Farmers (Other Words) https://bit.ly/2F2IEgC                                                  They’re building robots to siphon farm profits out of local communities and into the pockets of rich investors.
  • A Surplus of Meat And Dairy Puts a Strain On US Markets and Storage (Harvest Public Media) https://bit.ly/2U9QEXl
  • After mega-dairy was shut down, Oregon lawmakers consider a moratorium on new operations (Food and Environment Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2UovfK7
  • EU issues ‘no deal, no meal’ Brexit threat to British fish and chips (The Telegraph) https://bit.ly/2G5U2tK
  • A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2OS8vft                                                                 The rise of Candida auris embodies a growing public health threat: drug resistant germs.                                                                                                         This time it is fungus…

 

Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

  • Short of Workers, US Builders and Farmers Crave More Immigrants (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2HXeHlS                                                          As a tight labor market raises costs, employers say the need for low-wage help can’t be met by the declining ranks of the native-born.
  • Farmers Bet Big on the South’s First Organic Hemp Cooperative (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2CJlJXe                                                                          In Kentucky, hemp is poised to become a big industry, reviving the fortunes for famers who once made their living growing tobacco.
  • The Hidden Catastrophe of the Midwest’s Floods (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2TN4GOq                                                                                      The “bomb cyclone” threatened the region’s most valuable resource.
  • ‘It’s Probably Over for Us’: Record Flooding Pummels Midwest When Farmers Can Least Afford It (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2TMOPj8
  • Historic Midwest Flooding Has Devastating Consequences for Farmers (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2YfVMI6
  • Estimated 11,900 South Dakota wells potentially contaminated with floodwater (News Center 1) https://bit.ly/2HXiI9a
  • Flooded-out farmers tell ag leaders it will be hard to recover without federal assistance (Des Moines Register) https://bit.ly/2TFhwtn
  • Missouri River Flooding Didn’t Just Damage Farms, It Impacted The Global Supply Chain (KCUR) https://bit.ly/2FKDkjy
  • How Are New York’s Organic and Grassfed Farms Faring Amid a Devastating Dairy Crisis? (Edible Manhattan) https://bit.ly/2HUxu0u
  • Climate Change Is Already Reshaping How We Farm (The Nation) https://bit.ly/2JJ7Eiu                                                                                 After years of struggling through summer heat and wildfire smoke, farmers in Washington are building their own, cooperatively run, future.
  • Optimizing management of dairy goat farms through individual animal data interpretation: A case study of smart farming in Spain (Agricultural Systems) https://bit.ly/2FjBvIX
  • Why transitioning a farm from one generation to the next is trickier than ever (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2TsA8g1

 

Land and Soil

  • The zoo beneath our feet: We’re only beginning to understand soil’s hidden world (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2I087uQ
  • Study: Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems (Science Direct) https://bit.ly/2qMJBTU

 

Climate

  • ‘We Can’t Trust the Permafrost Anymore’: Doomsday (seed) Vault at Risk in Norway (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2UfpYE0
  • The Hidden Catastrophe of the Midwest’s Floods (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2TkdbeZ                                                                                            The “bomb cyclone’ threatened the region’s most valuable resource.
  • Climate Change and the Death of the Small Farm (The New Republic) https://bit.ly/2V8cOpe                                                                        The catastrophic flooding in the Midwest is forcing more farmers to consider a stark choice: quit or consolidate.

 

Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

  • Dan Barber’s Seed Company Seeks to Sow the ‘Democratization of flavor’ (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2teB7sv

 

Water & Our Oceans

  • An indigenous in Washington is strategically placing beavers around to help salmon (Business Insider) https://bit.ly/2VrSmQB
  • US schools are failing to protect kids from lead in drinking water, report finds (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2CCDBTx
  • Mining companies polluted waters, leave taxpayers holding the tab (Helena Independent Record) https://bit.ly/2TB0IU7
  • ‘Monumental step backwards’ – the $1b gas pipeline project dividing New York (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2HISDuk                   Environmental groups oppose the underwater pipeline that would bring fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York
  • Flint residents can sue former Gov. Snyder over water disaster, judge rules (Detroit Free Press) https://bit.ly/2U31RnI
    • Citing ‘Conscience Shocking’ Conduct Federal Judge Reinstates Former Governor Snyder in Flint Water Lawsuit (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2uFpIzC                                                     City residents, and the judge, “could have taken protective measures, if only they had known what the Governor knew. Instead, the Governor misled them into assuming that nothing was wrong.”
  • This Humble Mollusk Can Save Shorelines From Rising Seas (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2JMs1v9                                                                                              As entire islands disappear from Chesapeake Bay, the oyster is enlisted as a first line of climate defense.
  • Whale Ate 88 Pounds of Plastic Before Washing Up Dead in Philippines (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Y8DrfO

 

Food Culture & History

  • Stop Calling It “Ethnic Food” – and More Tips on How to Talk About Eating (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2UWLB9g                            It seems the wider food world is discovering that food, including how we describe it in a wider context, is political…

 

Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

  • Scottish Food Poverty Is Twice as Bad as Previously Feared (Global Citizen) https://bit.ly/2U56anq                                                      Food bank use might be worse than thought across the rest of the UK, too.
  • Thousands of CUNY students experience homelessness and food insecurity, report says (NY Daily News) https://bit.ly/2FGpOw6
  • New Book: Majority of Vermont’s Migrant Farm Workers Are Food Insecure (The University of Vermont) https://bit.ly/2CZT8x5
  • Jerri Evans Strives To Bridge The Gap Between Low-Income Communities and Healthy Food (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2uELq73                                                                                                “You deserve to be able to walk down the street and get something healthy and not have to search for it.”
  • Unhealthy diets now kill more people than tobacco and high blood pressure, study finds (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2OWhmgf
    • Study: Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990 – 2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (The Lancet) https://bit.ly/2uIe9HU

 

Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

  • Food Waste Is A Major Problem. Confusing Date Labels Are Making It Worse (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2FQhj1z                     More than a third of the food in the United States goes to waste – about 400 pounds a year per American.

 

Healthy Food & Food Safety

  • Healthy food prescriptions could save billions in healthcare costs (Popular Science) https://bit.ly/2TW5aBP
    • Study: Cost-effectiveness of financial incentives for improving diet and health through Medicare and Medicaid: A microsimulation study (PLOS) https://bit.ly/2UPy6rB
  • The Dangerous Food Additive That’s Not on the Label (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2JpcuRS                                                                                           Perchlorate, a byproduct of bleach and packaging, is found organic, conventional, and bulk foods alike – and it has an outsized impact on children’s health.
  • Yes, there really are more rubber chunks and plastic pieces turning up in meat (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2uACQpT
  • California company recalls avocadoes as precaution against listeria: Is your fruit safe? (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2JB6R31
  • Report: Eating Without Reservation: Ensuring Food Safety in New York City (CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute) https://bit.ly/2TwN7NP

 

Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

 

Children & School Food

  • All 1,700 NYC Public Schools Adopt Meatless Mondays (Veg News) https://bit.ly/2VTfcAg                                                                          Over one million students will now eat vegetarian food every Monday with plenty of vegan options.
  • The Largest Public School System in the World Just Went Vegetarian on Mondays (Edible Manhattan) https://bit.ly/2U3gg8x
  • A hidden scandal: America’s school students exposed to water tainted by toxic lead (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2TjDPJz
  • Indiana school district turns unused cafeteria food into take-home meals for kids (abc3340) https://bit.ly/2VhDdBd

 

Labor, Unions & Coops

  • ‘Cheat Working Americans, You’ll Go to Jail’: Warren Unveils Bill to Punish Criminal CEOs (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2K4oTLn                                                                                                                                  “For far too long, CEOs of giant corporations that break the law have been able to walk away while consumers who are harmed are left picking up the pieces.”
  • Fast food workers declare victory after McDonald’s withdraws opposition to minimum wage hikes (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2Wv7jBB                                                                                    There are cracks in the corporate coalition against a $15 hourly wage, but just how deep they run remains to be seen.
  • Documentary short honors the humble dishwasher, who deserves your damn respect (AV Club) https://bit.ly/2HWPW9B
  • Food & Wine Shares Its List of Great Restaurants to Work For (Grub Street) https://grb.st/2TZZ9Ec                                                    Restaurants are notorious for not always being the best places to work. The industry has a 72.5 percent turnover rate and a long history of abusive work environments, among other things…
  • Cornish daffodils left to rot from lack of eastern European workers due to Brexit (Cornwall Live) https://bit.ly/2OWqba8
  • Trump Juist Blamed Union Dues, Which Are Paid By Workers Not Companies, For GM’s Layoffs (Labor 411) https://bit.ly/2Oj1YKP
    • Donald Trump erroneously says Lordstown workers could have saved plant by lowering union dues (Cleveland.com) https://bit.ly/2Frr4UX
  • Low-wage federal workers still want their shutdown pay, please (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2FsN9Cg                                                    The government shutdown ended almost two months ago. Its financial toll on contractors lingers like a bad hangover.
  • Workers at Little Big Burger Form Union, Joining Portland Fast Food Labor Drive (Willamette Week) https://bit.ly/2FcuPfy        “Soon there won’t be a burger flipped in this town that isn’t flipped by a union hand.”

 

Protests

  • In Nationwide Protests, Workers Declare McDonald’s Move to End Lobbying Against Minimum Wage Isn’t Enough (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2K2FKxY                                                              Cooks, Cashiers Call Fast-Food Giant’s Announcement ‘A Day Late, $15 and a Union Short’
  • Wendy’s Owner Gives Big to Trump While Refusing Farmworkers’ Demands (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2uKsFyX                            Since January 2013, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has been mount an effort to pressure Wendy’s to participate in its Fair Food Program, which ensures better wages and safer working conditions for Florida’s tomato pickers…
  • Florida Atlantic University Student Government Joins University of Michigan, University of Florida in unanimously approving resolution to boot Wendy’s from campus! (CIW Online) https://bit.ly/2VjUFVz

 

Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

  • Couple Launches Black-Owned Restaurant in Alabama That Allows Customers to Pay What They Can (Westside Gazette) https://bit.ly/2U0Dye4
  • After 15 years of selling tamales on the streets, La Guerrera’s Kitchen gets a brick-and-mortar in Oakland (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2UASwrv
  • The Trump Administration Is Moving to Deregulate Pork Inspections. What Could Go Wrong? (Esquire) https://bit.ly/2KecAMi                                                                                                                                               “This could pass and everything could be okay for a while, until some disease is missed and we have an outbreak all over the country. It would be an economic disaster that would be very hard to recover from.”
  • Trump Administration to Give More Power Over Meat Inspections to Pork Industry (Daily Beast) https://bit.ly/2D5JPvF
  • Burger King to Trial Meat-Free Impossible Whopper (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2FW4i7V
    • Sorry vegans, Burger King’s Impossible Whopper won’t do anything to save animals (Independent) https://ind.pn/2CY2cm9                                                                                The hope that if we buy enough vegan products that capitalism’s merciless exploitation of the vulnerable will magically end is fairy-tail stuff
  • Taco Bell Begins Testing Vegetarian Menu As More Chains Jump On Plant-Based Food Bandwagon (Forbes) https://bit.ly/2G3zFxv
  • Nestle to face lawsuit saying Poland Spring water is not from a spring (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2CK2bSH                                  Poland Spring in Maine, which labels name as a source of the water, ‘commercially ran dry’ nearly 50 years ago, complains says
  • Monsanto Seeks to Expand Use of Devastating Herbicide to GMO Corn (Center for Food Safety) https://bit.ly/2YyUxDG
  • A Second US Jury Finds That Roundup Causes Cancer (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2HNOZzA
    • Monsanto Must Pay $81 Million After Jury Finds Roundup was a Significant Factor in Man’s Cancer (US Public Interest Research Group) https://bit.ly/2I4p2Mh
    • Roundup Trial: Monsanto Used Fake Data to Win Over Regulators (Courthouse News) https://bit.ly/2HZBsEV
  • Consumer Campaign Calls on Wendy’s to “Hold the Antibiotics” from its beef supply chain (US Public Interest Research Group) https://bit.ly/2Wzcsbw
  • Yes We Can: Eating Healthy on a Limited Budget (Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior) https://bit.ly/2OgkC5H
  • Ripple effect: Study reveals NYS apple industry’s true economic impact (Cornell University) https://bit.ly/2HxneM6

 

Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

  • In Rural America, Farmers Reap What the President Sows (The American Prospect) https://bit.ly/2G2K1NV                                     Trump’s proposed USDA budget cuts send the wrong message to America’s struggling farms.
  • Studies Show the Dangers of Proposed Changes to Food Stamps      (Color Lines) https://bit.ly/2TorYoR
    • More than 750K could lose food stamps under Trump administration proposal (Wave3News) https://bit.ly/2U11SIH
    • Trump’s Stricter Work Requirements for Food Stamps, Might Actually Lead to Fewer Jobs (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2HGzDNZ                                                                                  And the rule would hit those in “deep poverty” the hardest.
  • Taking money out of the economy and reducing economic activity reduces jobs.
    • Issue Brief: Proposed Changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Waiver to Work-Related Time Limits (Mathematica Policy Research) https://bit.ly/2UxpPIY
    • Report: The Antipoverty Effects of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (The Urban Institute) https://urbn.is/2uqU2hp
    • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Statement: Partisan House Farm Bill Would Turn Clock Back on Efforts to Reduce Hunger and Hardship https://bit.ly/2JVBvnz
    • Puerto Rico faces food-stamp crisis as Trump privately vents about federal aid to Hurricane Maria – battered island (MSN) https://bit.ly/2TYteUI
      • Trump Complains Puerto Rico Getting ‘Too Much’ disaster Aid as More Than 1 Million Face Food Crisis (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2TDT4Zm
    • Forty-Seven Senators Oppose the Trump Administration’s Proposed SNAP Restrictions (Pacific Standard) https://bit.ly/2FJK0OE
      • Republicans Couldn’t Cut Food Benefits With Legislation, But They Have A Backup Plan (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2HXZS2j                                                                                      The Trump administration wants to cut benefits for 755,00 people through regulation.
    • ‘Turning Its Back on Millions of Workers,’ Trump Administration Moves Backward With New Overtime Rule (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2Ok6DvM                                                                                        Labor advocates say president is once again “siding with corporate interests over those of working people”
    • US District Court rules against farmers in wage lawsuit (Vegetable Growers News) https://bit.ly/2Hy98KB
      • Court Upholds Department Of Labor Wage Rates for Migrant Farmworkers (Public Citizen) https://bit.ly/2YFAMe3                Ruling will protect foreign and US workers’ earnings
    • Federal Oversight of Workplace Deaths Is Declining (The Nation) https://bit.ly/2UXZHae                                                                                              A drop in federal safety inspectors has coincided with an increase in deaths in workplaces monitored by OSHA.
    • Bipartisan Demand for Checkoff Reform Renewed with Filing of US Senate Legislation (Organization for Competitive Markets) https://bit.ly/2CJRJKZ
    • NYT: Trump Admin. Sides With Pesticide Makers, Against Endangered Species (News and Guts) https://bit.ly/2UogaHX
    • It just became easier for employers to dump retirees’ pensions (CNN) https://cnn.it/2Ft8hsg                                                                            Traditional pensions are disappearing in America, and the federal government just made it easier for employers to get rid of them.
    • Will 2020 Democrats address ag-industry concentration? (Des Moines Register) https://bit.ly/2ux6a0h
      • Warren and Sanders are Talking Tough About Corporate Control of Food (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2FJRKin                        Could food policy finally become a key presidential issue?
    • In Iowa, Sanders Addresses ‘Rural Community Issues We Almost Never Hear About’: Factory Farms and Big Ag (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2U5DXwT                                                                                          “We have seen family farmers by the thousands go out of business, as the prices that they receive for their products decline rapidly, and large agribusiness corporations and factory farming take over agriculture.”
    • Elizabeth Warren lays out plan to target corporate agriculture, support family farmers (Des Moines Register) https://bit.ly/2FJmXDA
      • Will Elizabeth Warren’s Plan to Break Up Agribusiness Help Small Farmers (Pacific Standard) https://bit.ly/2FFvs1c
      • Team Warren: Leveling the Playing Field for America’s Family Farmers (Medium) https://bit.ly/2CGlxYK
    • Trump administration sues California to block water plan for fish (The Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/2FLCOBX
    • ‘Meals under wheels’: More states make to legal to eat roadkill (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2HQKIMv                                          Critics warn about the risks of diseased meat and worry that over eager drivers may intentionally strike down animals.
    • From ‘Too Radical’ to Spreading Nationwide: Maryland Becomes 6th State to Pass $15 Minimum Wage (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2TWuGC8                                                                                    “We’re not done. Next we will pass a national $15 minimum wage,’ said Senator Bernie Sanders
    • (California) Bill Would Bring Local, Organic Food to Schools (Farmers Guild) https://bit.ly/2YNbZV6                                              AB958 recognizes benefits for California’s health, environment & economy.
    • California bill curbing use of contractors would not exempt Uber, Lyft, other tech firms (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2I0Zuzp
    • Michigan OKs Nestlé Water Extraction, Despite 80K+ Public Comments Against it (NPR) https://n.pr/2TTHbmi
    • Oregon House approves 10-year ban on ‘fracking’ (KOIN6) https://bit.ly/2FnunfO                                                                                                        Currently no fracking operations in Oregon
    • Iowa Governor Signs ‘Ag-Gag 2.0’ Into Law After First One Struck Down (Harvest Public Media) https://bit.ly/2U8IZrE
      • ‘Boycott Iowa’: latest twist in legal tussle between animal campaigners and US farmers (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2F5VSZN                                                                             Twenty-five states have attempted to introduce legislation to chill animal right activism, and six have succeeded, as a string of ‘ag-gag’ laws are overturned in courts
    • South Dakota Criminalizes Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline (Color Lines) https://bit.ly/2HzFFjo                                                              The state’s tribal communities say the government is placing the interests of big business over their safety. 
    • After Nebraska governor steps in, community board Oks a Costco linked CAFO (Food and Environment Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2ClIsZp
    • Georgia’s controversial bill to legalize oyster farming nears approval (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2CRkZ2d
    • Portland’s ban on synthetic pesticides goes into effect (Portland Press Herald) https://bit.ly/2FucsD5                                                    Private property owners can use only organic treatments for gardens and lawns.

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • The Oregon Zoo Plans to Release a Record Number of Endangered Butterflies Into the Wild This Month (Willamette Week) https://bit.ly/2U2lfpa

     

    Animals, Fish & Sea Animals

    • Deadly chicken disease spreads to Bay Area, flocks at risk (The Mercury News) https://bayareane.ws/2UJatkJ                                First-ever case of Virulent Newcastle Disease spreads to Bay Area in Northern California leads to cancelation of events
    • How should we treat fish before they end up on our plates? (High Country News) https://bit.ly/2U6NR1j                                            Seafood harvesting is brutal – but it doesn’t have to be.

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

     

    Poisons

    • New study shows link between prenatal and infant pesticide exposure and autism in children (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2UR9Ipz
      • Study: Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study (The British Medical Journal) https://bit.ly/2FtaLFF
    • Study: Organic diet intervention significantly reduces urinary pesticide levels in children and adults (Science Direct) https://bit.ly/2By0VkS
    • New Report Shows Roundup Weedkiller Exposure Massive Health Problems in Americans (Weed Killer Crisis) https://bit.ly/2TGelBD
    • What pesticide monitoring misses (Food and Environment Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2TpYbfH                                                  A new “dirty dozen” list is a reminder that the real risks from chemicals in our food – for farmworkers and children, in particular – are being ignored.
    • Pesticide residues found in 70% of produce sold in US even after washing (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2HvqgAG              Conventionally farmed kale could contain up to 18 pesticides
    • With Conventional Farmers Embracing Dicamba, Specialty Crops Likely Next In Line For Damage (Harvest Public Media) https://bit.ly/2YnmdeC
    • Study: Exposure to Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Risk for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Meta-Analysis and Supporting Evidence (Science Direct) https://bit.ly/2SSZs2r
    • Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and risks associated with exposure: a consensus statement (Environmental Health) https://bit.ly/2ujyYJA
    • What’s the world’s most widely used herbicide doing in tiny critters? (Environmental Health News) https://bit.ly/2U2krRa    Glyphosate-based herbicides are not supposed to harm wildlife. But lab studies keep finding otherwise.

     

    Education & Training

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for March 19, 2019

     

    • Reporting on rural America: Pamela Dempsey talks about what’s missing (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2Hp55PJ
    • CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) launches new project: “Roadmap to an Organic California” (Organic Report) https://bit.ly/2GNCEeZ
    • In New Orleans, Graison Gill Upends a Flour Industry 200 Years in the Making (Food & Wine) https://bit.ly/2EJgY1d
    • Regenerative agriculture could save soil, water, and the climate. Here’s how the US government actively discourage it. (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2CoS6Kq
    • How the vegan food trend made a star of the pungent jackfruit (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2U7pwEA                                                    The easy to grow crop has the potential to be much more than just a fashionable alternative to meat in the west
    • Oyster mushrooms helped clean up after California’s wildfires. Why is it so hard to make a business case for “mycoremediaiton?” (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2tA8J1i
      • Mushrooms Clean Up Toxic Mess, Including Plastic. So Why Aren’t They Used More? (Yes!)                                                    Proponents say this natural alternative to wildfire cleanup is potentially cheaper.
    • Your fancy new brunch place is probably colonialist, and you’re a colonizer (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2VaI6vo    Gentrification is just the latest iteration of colonization. But now it comes with Egg Benedict and bottomless mimosas.
    • Here’s what we know about that “zombie deer” disease everyone’s fretting over (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Nz7U1U
    • An invasive, elusive 20-pound rodent threatens California agriculture (Food & Environment Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2RzhSS2
    • Serotonin and the Garden of Good Eating (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2HabajC                                                                                          The day I joined my community garden marked not just the beginning of my healing, but also the start of my family’s suburban homesteading journey.
    • Detroit man suing three women he says called police on him for ‘gardening while black’ (The Hill) https://bit.ly/2H51erB
    • Seaweed Straw “Looks, Feels, and Acts Like Plastic,” Says Startup (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2W1MzRu

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • Why Are So Many Farmers Markets Failing? Because The Market Is Saturated (NPR) https://n.pr/2FjdxPe                                                      As with CSAs and the proliferation of meal delivery businesses has competition threatening our farmers markets.
    • I’ve been a farmworker all my life. Here’s why you should buy organic food (The Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/2u5ASNO
    • European farms could grow green and still be able to feed population (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2u7dqQg                  Research shows loss in yields could be offset by reorienting diets away from grain-fed meat
    • New Report Puts Farmers Back in Charge of Organic Certification (The Cornucopia Institute) https://bit.ly/2W3B2RA  USDA Has “Willfully Failed” on Congressional Mandate to Prevent Fraud
    • Nepalese Rice Farmers Boost Yields By Sowing Fewer Plants and Cutting Water (NPR) https://n.pr/2sYB550
    • Monsanto loses millions of dollars after Indian farmers switch to indigenous seeds (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2TEFbyQ        Monsanto claims that the genetically modified cotton seeds they sell are superior. So why are so many people trying to switch?

     

    Land and Soil

    • By Reconnecting With Soil, We Heal the Planet and Ourselves (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2EqlCku                                                                Leah Penniman writes that Black people in the US have had a sacred relationship with soil that far surpasses enslavement and sharecropping.
    • How to Turn Dirt Into Soil (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2XIzPki              Simple steps for cultivating a revolution in your backyard.

     

    Climate

    • World’s food supply under ‘severe threat’ from loss of biodiversity (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2TgVXmR                  Plants, insects and organisms crucial to food production in steep decline, says UN
    • ‘Terrifying’: Rapid Loss of Biodiversity Placing Global Food Supplies at Risk of ‘Irreversible Collapse’ (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2Npe4RW                                                                              “This should be at the top of every news bulletin and every government agenda around the world.”
    • Italy May Need to Import Olive Oil After Extreme Weather Decimates Local Crops (Smithsonian) https://bit.ly/2tXY9kQ
    • Climate Change Takes A Bite Out of Global Fisheries, Study Finds (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2TkxP2B                                                      New research shows fish populations have declined by as much as 35 percent in some areas due to ocean warming.
    • The Ocean Is Running Out of Breath, Scientists Warn (Scientific American) https://bit.ly/2H4HjZg                  Widespread and sometimes drastic marine oxygen declines are stressing sensitive species – a trend that will continue with climate change
    • Rare Sunfish Washes up on Santa Barbara County Beach, Marking 1st Sighting in Northern Hemisphere (KTLA5) https://bit.ly/2GRp6Pv

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

    • Monsanto chooses Puerto Rico as regional site for seed production (The San Diego Union-Tribune) https://bit.ly/2GSyHpp

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • Lake Erie just won the same legal rights as people (Vox) https://bit.ly/2EmubvI                                                                                          Ohio voters passed groundbreaking legislation that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the lake when it’s being polluted.
    • New Study Ties Spike in Hospitalizations for Genital, Skin, and Urinary Ailments to Fracking in Pennsylvania (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2HigvEP
    • Drone footage shows extent of oil spill near St. Lazare, Manitoba (CBC) https://bit.ly/2GFJ5k3                                                                            Train carrying crude oil derailed early Saturday morning in western Manitoba
    • Most US coal plants are contaminating groundwater with toxins, analysis finds (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2HiKEDV                            Of 265 power plants that monitor groundwater, 242 report unsafe levels of at least one pollutant derived from coal ash.
    • Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water Leaves Military Families Reeling (MSN) https://bit.ly/2SnOUUL
    • An invasive black carp with human-like molars is threatening the Mississippi River Basin (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2U61AkK
    • Australia approves dumping of 1 million tons of sludge near Great Barrier Reef (Independent) https://ind.pn/2U2T0mW                Ditching of industrial waste treats world heritage waters ‘like rubbish tip’, critics say
    • This Project Aimed To Be A Model For Saving Farms And Fish In California. It Failed. (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2NxffPn        But a separate effort by a cattleman nearby shows how a ranch can thrive in a water-scarce future.
    • Sustainable oceans cannot be achieved without human rights (The Danish Institute for Human Rights) https://bit.ly/2NBV7vx

     

    Food Culture & History

    • Mexico’s First Mixe Fulbright Scholar Is Working to Improve the Lives of Indigenous Farmers (Remezcla) https://bit.ly/2j6qsKV
    • Must See Documentary Features Chefs You Should Know Leading “Kitchen Culture” Revolution [Trailer] (Women You Should Know) https://bit.ly/2Xd5xGn
    • Everything I Know About Health Food I Learned from My Mom’s Hippie Cookbooks (Bon Appetit) https://bit.ly/2SjBx8b                  Grain bowls, kombucha, and other ways we’re eating like it’s 1977.
    • The Latest Diet Trend Is Not Dieting (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2VgqEG1                                                                              “Intuitive eating” encourages people to eat whatever they want. It might be great advice.
    • A slave taught Jack Daniel how to make whisky. She’s made telling his story her life’s work. (Tennessean) https://bit.ly/2FirFbh

     

    Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

    • This City Made Access to Food a Right of Citizenship (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2Hdcdzj                                                                                                  A city in Brazil recruited local farmers to help do something US cities have yet to do: End Hunger
    • Food for the homeless: How startup projects are helping feed vulnerable people (Independent) https://ind.pn/2V1EdsM        There’s an ever-burgeoning number of food schemes aiming to help Britain’s 320,000 homeless people.
    • Here’s Why You Don’t Feel Full After Eating Junk Food (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2HhxMhG                                                You can eat an entire sleeve of Oreos or a bag of Hot Cheetos and still not feel satiated. It’s because your body knows things your brain doesn’t.
    • So we have a nutrition crisis that is killing people in every country. Now What? (Medium) https://bit.ly/2SNq1SE

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

    • Why Southeast Asia Is Flooded With Trash From America And Other Wealthy Nations (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2H6W0M5                                                                      Capitalism, greed and inequality have created a crisis in the global recycling system.
    • Is This the End of Recycling? (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2NTSIMY                                                                              Americans are consuming more and more stuff. Now that other countries won’t take our papers and plastics, they’re ending up in the trash.
    • ‘Plastic Is Lethal’: Groundbreaking Report Reveals Health Risks at Every Stage in Plastics Life Cycle (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2GYmIWk
      • Study: Plastic & Health: The Hidden Cost of a Plastic Planet (Center for International Environmental Law) https://bit.ly/2TYZrXT
    • Vanuatu Has One Of The World’s Strictest Plastic Bans. It’s About To Get Tougher. (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2SloL91  The measure, meant to curtail ocean pollution, outlaws products that get thrown away after a single use.
    • Grocery bags and takeout containers aren’t enough. It’s time to phase out all single – use plastic (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2BMJGwg
    • Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate (NPR) https://n.pr/2Db6Lsk                                                                      Oregon’s bottle deposit system is recycling more containers than ever before despite major disruptions in global recycling markets.
    • New warnings on plastic’s health risks as fracking industry promotes new ‘plastic belt’ build-out (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2tXSfjm                                                                                           And that’s the heart of the problem – the rush to make plastics from cheap fracked shale gas in America hasn’t been driving more polluting plants out of business, it’s been adding to the world’s new plastic production.
    • Report: Plastic & Health: The Hidden Cost Of A Plastic Planet (Center for Environmental Law) https://bit.ly/2TYZrXT
    • The Quest to Turn Food Waste into Road Salt (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2E1bJbL                                                                                        From cheese brine to beet juice, these local – sourced environmentally-friendly de-icers are turning waste into safe driving.

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • Sugary drink consumption in Berkeley down more than 50% since introduction of soda tax (Berkeleyside) https://bit.ly/2ty6Wtr
    • New York City banned trans fats a decade before the rest of the country. A new study finds eaters are healthier for it (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2GNAziZ
    • The Surprising Benefits of Serving Prisoners Better Food (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2NVy7aN                                                                  Inmates around the country are striking over dismal meals.
    • 150,000+ Pounds of Boston Market Meals Recalled After Customers Find Plastic and Glass (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2GO61xE
    • You Shouldn’t Microwave Food In Plastic Containers, Or Put Them In The Dishwasher, Says New Research (Tech Times) https://bit.ly/2HokkbI
      • American Academy of Pediatrics Says Some Common Food Additives Pose Health Risk to Children (American Academy of Pediatrics) https://bit.ly/2uKItlB

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • The Fish On Your Plate May Not Be What Ordered (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2SLuEg0                                                                                    A new investigation finds that one-fifth of US seafood tested is mislabeled.
    • Report: Casting a Wider Net: More Action Needed to Stop Seafood Fraud in the United States (Oceana) https://bit.ly/2VLVy9A
    • Full Load of Beer Spills Out After Semi Overturns Under 10 Freeway in West Covina (CBS Los Angeles) https://cbsloc.al/2EEDp6u
    • Lincoln The Goat Elected Mayor Of Small Vermont Town (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2EW0aEk                                                She beat out cats, dogs and a gerbil named Crystal to become mayor of Fair Haven.

     

    Children & School Food

    • Arkansas legislator proposes cutting lunch funding from struggling schools to improve reading skills (fox4kc) https://bit.ly/2VjY9HA
    • Instead of snacks, a vending machine at this elementary school is filled with books (CNN) https://cnn.it/2TCN4UG

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • State of Working America Wages 2018 (Economic Policy Institute) https://bit.ly/2Eq8LyS
      • Whopping 62 percent of jobs don’t support middle-class life after accounting for cost of living (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2Nv04Gt
    • New Jersey lawmakers want a $15 minimum wage, but not for farmworkers (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2EDgutD
    • Whole Food reportedly cuts worker hours to make up for its new $15 an hour wage (Fast Company) https://bit.ly/2TqWraA          After Amazon raised its company-wide wage floor to $15 last year, workers at Whole Foods are seeing their hours slashed.
    • Saru Jayaraman a relentless advocate for marginalized restaurant workers (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2EcODyR
    • Can an LA Ordinance Give Workers  Schedule Stability? (Capital and Main) https://bit.ly/2HlQuEP                                                                        A UCLA study found that 845 percent of the city of Los Angeles’ 147,000 retail employees lack fixed schedules.
    • Workers At Three Sonic Locations Quit After Owner Slashes Minimum Wage To $4 Plus Tips (Labor 411) https://bit.ly/2EoTHAl

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • Bees face yet another lethal threat in dicamba, a drift-prone weedkiller (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2NNdkGF
    • Massive Loss Of Thousands Of Hive Afflicts Orchard Growers And Beekeepers (NPR) https://n.pr/2Noph58

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • No-deal Brexit ‘could bring return of low-welfare egg imports’ (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2ES2lra                                                Farming and industry groups seek government assurances for consumers and UK farmers
    • Sea cucumbers are being eaten to death (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2SOBVLX                                            The marine animals are pricey status foods in China, fueling disastrous overfishing

     

    Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • Trader Joe’s Will Cut 1 Million Pounds of Plastic From Its Stores! (Greenpeace) https://bit.ly/2UDHvCN
      • Trader Joe’s Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics Nationwide Following Customer Petition (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2TkCSkj
    • How America’s food giants swallowed the family farms (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2HpPgs6                                                            Across the Midwest, the rise of factory farming is destroying rural communities. And the massive corporations behind the devastation are now eyeing a post-Brexit UK market
    • Kona Coffee Growers Sue Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and More for Selling Fake Kona (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2UmQNCS    Kona coffee has long been among the most expensive and prized coffees in the world.
    • We Tried The New Grocery Delivery Service That Helps You Skip Plastic (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2NAjidB                                      The Wally Shop delivers fresh produce and dry goods in cloth bags and glass jars
    • McDonald’s Hands Out Free Roald Dahl Books To Encourage Children To Read More (Independent) https://ind.pn/2Tv5YJH    The fast food giants will hand out 800,000 free books as party of the initiative
    • Plotted From A Prison Cot, Wrongly Accused Man Whips Smoothie Dream Into Reality (NPR) https://n.pr/2EsZMgj
    • To Revive Rural America, We Must Fix Our Broken Food System (The American Conservative) https://bit.ly/2SzJwhh              America’s agricultural system has become extractive, and more and more of the profits are flowing to a few.
    • Rural America I Reeling. What’s the Remedy? (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2ECJCQf                                                            While the US government has prioritized the bailout of Wall Street with public monies, it has marginalized distressed rural communities and failed to provide the necessary funds, expertise and assistance to help revitalize them
    • Trump’s Trade War Costs US More Than $3 Billion A Month, Economists Say (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2HeEULv
    • New Life for an Old Mill Town in Rural North Carolina (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2SRIKMV                                                                                            A grassroots co-op turns small individual investments into bigger returns.

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • The Pentagon Blew $22 Million of Taxpayer Money on Lobster Tail Last  Tail Last Year (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2Y7tShk
    • Trump Trade War Triggering $1.9 Billion Plunge In Farm Exports: USDA (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2VbrP9v                              Soybean exports to China have fallen more than 90 percent.
    • Trump Repeals OSHA Safety Standards (ucommblog) https://bit.ly/2En6DGK                                                                                        The new rule will hide accident and injury reports allowing bad bosses to continue unsafe practices
    • Nearly 1.4 Million Puerto Ricans Facing ‘Dangerous’ Food Stamp Cuts as Trump and Congress Fail to Act (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2SXo9Xl                                                                                          “The fact that we’ve had to reduce benefits to those that need it the most is alarming. Puerto Ricans are being treated unequally and that is unfair.”
    • Lawmakers Introduce Sweeping Legislation to Fix Nation’s Crumbling Water Infrastructure (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2IEU6Uy                                                                                          “Safe, clean, affordable drinking water is a human rights issue,” says one lawmaker. “There is not a human being who can live on this earth without water and we are treating it as if it’s a luxury.”
    • USDA has paid out $7.7 billion to help farmers hit by Trump’s tariffs (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2VeIp8x                              “Under the trade dispute, soybean exports to China alone have plummeted 22 million tonnes, or over 90 percent,” said the USDA
    • The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) renews call for USDA oversite of livestock gene editing (Global Meat News) https://bit.ly/2EnHehj
    • Arizona House Republicans Vote To Allow Sub-Minimum Wage For Younger Workers (Labor 411) https://bit.ly/2VuJol5
    • Arkansas approves expanded dicamba use, dismissing scientific and public concerns (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2TldtpM
      • Arkansas Tried to Restrict the Use of This Controversial Pesticide. Monsanto Fought Back and Won. (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2F2fGPe                                                                              Dicamba drift has damaged millions of dollars worth of crops, as well as wildflowers that honeybees rely on to produce honey.
    • California must abandon 535,000 acres of prized farmland to meet water conservation goals (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2VEACBd
    • Tennessee: No food for you: Conservatives vote against providing lunch to students with a meal debt (Real Facts Tennessee) https://bit.ly/2HhLEs4                                                                            Republicans voted 4-2 to defeat The Tennessee Hunger-Free Student Act – a bill with three measures to ensure students can eat school lunches and not be punished when parents fail to pay meal fees or a meal debt.
    • Baltimore files lawsuit demanding Monsanto pay to clean up PCB chemicals in city waterways (Baltimore Sun) https://bit.ly/2HpUG77
    • More Cities Ban Cashless Businesses, New York Wants to Follow (City Lab) https://bit.ly/2Hhs7rT                                                                  Some New Yorkers believe cash-free businesses violate civil rights and want to join cities like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington in banning them.

     

    Non-Governmental Organizations

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

    • How Bt brinjal hurt the farmers (Down To Earth) https://bit.ly/2NzQxOe                                                                                        New report says three-fourth of farmers who took up cultivation abandoned it in the next round
    • Report: Adoption & abandoning of Bt brinjal cultivation: Farmer’s Experience Survey (UBINIG) https://bit.ly/2VuoWAU                                                                                      On farm Trials on Bt brinjal Varieties during 2014-15
    • Here Come the Frankenfish: Critics Warn GE Salmon Import Approval Puts Consumers and Fisheries at ‘Serious Risk’ (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2VXbqGj                                    Consumer advocates charge the move “runs counter to sound science and market demand.”
    • Silicon Valley Startups backed by celebrities like Bill Gates are using gene-editing too Crispr to make meat without farms – and to disrupt a $200 billion industry (Business Insider) https://read.bi/2W3nd5W
    • Forget Growing Weed – Make Yeast Spit Out CBD and THC Instead (Wired) https://bit.ly/2TbLg5s                                                            We all knew this was coming, bioengineered cannabinoids…
    • Rising High: GM Yeast Generates Known and Novel Marijuana Compounds (Scientific American) https://bit.ly/2SylgMA
    • New “Speed Cloning” Could Help Genetically Engineer Disease-Resistant Crops Even Faster (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2Hn63foAnd what are the unintended consequences?

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

    • Is the world ready for lab-grown meat? (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2tNkcdK
      • Study: A Survey of Consumer Perception of Plant-Based and Clean Meat in USA, India, and China (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems) https://bit.ly/2HeiZUE
    • Is lab-grown meat actually worse for the environment? (Vox) https://bit.ly/2BSP2Gl                                                                                                A new study raises uncomfortable questions.
    • Study: Climate Impacts of Cultured Meat and Beef Cattle (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems) https://bit.ly/2DTUlFB
    • A pioneering retinal scan could diagnose “zombie deer” on the spot – if only scientists could fund it (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Uayocv
    • Strawberry farmers: Come with Harvest CROO if you want to live (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2IQo9IS

     

    Poisons

    • Buy organic food to help curb global insect collapse, say scientists (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2tz1kiM                                                      Urging political action on pesticide use is another way to help stem ‘collapse of nature’
    • The herbicide glyphosate persists in wild, edible plants says UNBC professor (Prince George Citizen) https://bit.ly/2SUxbt7

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for February 22, 2019

     

    • Northern California is suddenly awash in locally grown black truffles (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2Gtzfkg
    • The Dark Side of Innovation for Family Farmers: Reflections on an International Symposium on Innovation (Agroecology Now!) https://bit.ly/2S68f1j
    • US academics feel the invisible hand of politicians and big agriculture (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2CY4GzY
    • Dairy Dilemma: Food Shelters Awash In Surplus Milk They Can’t Afford To Store (WFPL) https://bit.ly/2BmR9Sz
    • This Magic Ratio Of Fat To Carbs Makes The Perfect Comfort Food (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2G9rvEV                                  Human breast milk contains a 1-2 ratio of fat to carbohydrates, suggesting some people may still be chasing the feeling it gave them.
    • Panicky Portlanders Strip Grocery Shelves Bare of Kale as Snowstorm Descends (Willamette Week) https://bit.ly/2GxujuN
    • Three Micheline stars! Meet the first woman to smash America’s boys club (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2DyVGBQ
    • Can Eating Organic Lower Your Exposure to Pesticides? (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2BFjRhL
      • What the pesticides in our urine tell us about organic food (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2SWYimA
      • Study: Organic diet interventions significantly reduce urinary pesticide levels in US children and adults (Environmental Research) https://bit.ly/2DLjuCu

    Highlights: Diet is a primary Source of pesticide exposure

    • Organic die reduced neonicotinoid
    • OP
    • pyrethroid, 2,4-D exposure in US families
    • 2,4-D exposure in US families
    • Greatest reduction observed for malathion, clothianidin, and Chlorpyrifos
    • It’s time to think big in Maine agriculture (Portland Press Herald) https://bit.ly/2WOrLhL                                                                                    State policy can encourage cooperative to help small farmers get more food to market.
    • How to Stop Hating Your Least Favorite Foods (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2XeLCHd                                                                                                I can’t stand cucumbers, but I’m ready to change if I can.

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • ‘This One Here Is Gonna Kick My Butt’ – Farm Bankruptcies Are Soaring (WSJ) https://on.wsj.com/2RSM7CU                                       Trade disputes over agriculture add pain to low commodity prices that have been grinding down American farmers for years
    • The Mental Health Crisis Hidden Behind Your Grocery Store Vegetables (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2SXkVao                            One of the nation’s biggest industries is staffing by workers facing grueling conditions and sky-high depression rates.
    • At 25 years, Straus diary still pioneering (Point Reyes Light) https://bit.ly/2SERKJW
    • Montana Ranchers are Kicking Up Dust to Bring Back Country of Origin Labels on Meat (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2WSf4Ck            Newly proposed bill would require COOL placards for beef ad pork sold in Montana, and supporters want to see the return of a national policy.
    • “This has poisoned everything” – pollution casts shadow over New Mexico’s booming dairy industry (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2tvnimJ                                                                                    Pollution from Cannon air force base has gone unreported for decades. Now it’s threatening the US food supply
    • California’s ‘dry farmers’ grow crops without irrigation (Santa Cruz Sentinel) https://bit.ly/2Du6IrQ                                                            The environmentally conscious practice relies on rainwater to grow seasonal crops

     

    Land and Soil

    • There’s More Foreign-Owned American Farmland Than the Size of Tennessee. That We Know Of. (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2WXRS60

     

    Climate

    • Study: Earth system impacts of the European arrival and Great Dying in the Americas after 1492 (Quaternary Science Reviews) https://bit.ly/2RuXvog
    • Extreme weather events are fueling ‘food shocks’ and jeopardizing global security (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2WFKcov                                                                                  Climate change is driving more severe weather which in turn is threatening food.
    • Climate Change Is Causing Food And Mental Health Crisis For These Indigenous People (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2UMLaOi

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • Wild rice waters a big reason Indian tribes oppose Enbridge pipeline project (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/2TyjhZO        Precious wild rice grows downstream from Enbridge’s proposed route across northern Minnesota.
    • Crew injured, diesel fuel spilled into river when train derails in remote Wyoming canyon (Casper Star Tribune) https://bit.ly/2tcVKlZ
    • Images taken from space in 2018 and 2019 show two very different Californias (SF Gate) https://bit.ly/2Bug3zC                          We have water!
    • Massive Pacific Coast Starfish Die-Off Is Linked To Global Warming (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2BdxnZC                             The “marine heat wave” is triggering a “continental-scale collapse of a pivotal predator,” says new study.
    • Study: Disease epidemic and marine heat wave are associated with the continental-scale collapse of pivotal predator (Pycnopodia helianthoides) (Science Magazine) https://bit.ly/2DQv4xy
    • After 16 Months Of Dead Fish, Manatees and Dolphins, Florida’s Red Tide Ebbs (NPR) https://n.pr/2BNQASb

     

    Food Culture & History

    • Bed-Stuy’s Trinidadian Bakery Wins James Beard Award (Patch Bed-Stuy) https://bit.ly/2t696As                                                                   A&A Bake & Double and Roti Shop has been deemed an American classic by the renowned culinary institute.
    • I’m a Queer Brown Immigrant Chef. I Don’t Have the Luxury of Staying Silent (Time) https://bit.ly/2tcC3uy
    • How corporations shaped the American diet, from Jell-O to pineapple pizza (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2S4Y4VW
    • Book Review: The Limits of Home Cooking (Pacific Standard) https://bit.ly/2WUHhsf                                                                                              A richly reported new book offering powerful insights into the cooking habits – and daily struggles – of working-class Americans.

     

    Hunger, Food Access & Security, Obesity, Malnutrition & Nutrition

    • 1.4 million Puerto Ricans face deep cuts in food aid without federal action (NBC News) https://nbcnews.to/2E4y61d                    The federal food assistance program Puerto Rico is set to run out of money next month.
    • GAO Report: Food Insecurity: Better Information Could Help Eligible College Students (US Government Accountability Office) https://bit.ly/2LYG8uT
    • Metro Buses Converted Into Mobile Food Markets For Low Income Neighborhoods (Black Business) https://bit.ly/2D8dSSj
    • Soda industry influence on obesity science and policy in China (Journal of Public Health Policy) https://bit.ly/2Rz9Yvh

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • Trump’s NYC eateries written up for ‘live mice,’ other ‘critical health code violations in recent months (New York Daily News) https://nydn.us/2Sawbf5

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • How NYU and Food-Service Giant Armark Stumbled Into a Black History Month PR Fiasco (NY Magazine) https://nym.ag/2UR1rl3
    • World War I Grenade Discovered Among Potatoes at Hong Kong Potato Chip Factory (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2DajQlY          The mud-caked device was found on Saturday morning in a shipment of potatoes from France.

     

    Training & Education

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • A minimum-wage worker needs 1.5 jobs just to afford half the rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in most of the US (Business Insider) https://read.bi/2MW4mGD
    • Worker Cooperatives Are More Productive Than Normal Companies (Yes!) https://bit.ly/1qoQace                                                  When maximizing profits isn’t the only goal, companies can actually work better.

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • Plummeting insect numbers ‘threaten collapse of nature’ (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2GAMHD1
      • Insects Are Dying En Masse, Risking ‘Catastrophic’ Collapse Of Earth’s Ecosystems (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2DqT88E
        • Study: Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers (Biological Conservation) https://bit.ly/2DQB6ya                                                                      Habitat loss by conversion to intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines.

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • California City Launches “Goat Fund Me” for Wildfire Preventing Goats (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2Tu8Qq9
    • Where beef is more than dinner (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2MMz6d4                                      Think a cow is only destined to be eaten? Think again. Cow parts are hot commodities in the biomedical research industry.
    • Down of the slow chicken (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2RwP3Vv                                                                  Big poultry producers are turning to slower-growing birds, making it possible to cut antibiotic use and improve animal welfare.

     

    Business, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • Calabash: An Afro-Caribbean, Malaysian and Persian restaurant-market takes shape in Oakland (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2BupQ93
    • The Last Pioneer (theLAnd) https://bit.ly/2IcD93t                                    A savage journey to the heart of the greasy-as-hell California fast food dream.
    • Munchery, Sprig: What went wrong with on-demand, artisanal food (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2TAqoRM
    • Costco to be the first major retailer to dump Monsanto’s Roundup and Glyphosate herbicide from its shelves (Waking Times) https://bit.ly/2TATzE2
    • Maine lobster orders tank as Chinese turn to tariff-free Canada (Portland Press Herald) https://bit.ly/2GoFpmJ
    • 50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat (NPR) https://n.pr/2UUDt8T
    • Danone is struggling to sell Its Earthbound Farms unit (New York Post) https://nyp.st/2tbah1q                                                                          Food conglomerates that have moved into the organics market are struggling, it might have something to do with integrity and green washing…
    • Some History: Carmel Valley-born Earthbound Farms Sells to massive WhiteWave Foods. (Monterey County Weekly) https://bit.ly/2RLQgbz

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • EU glyphosate approval was based on plagiarized Monsanto text, report finds (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2ALO3qS
      • Report: Detailed Expert Report on Plagiarism and superordinated Copy Paste in the Renewal Assessment Report (RAR) on Glyphosate (European Free Alliance) https://bit.ly/2VUqkhd
    • The White Earth Ban of Ojibwe Legally Recognized the Rights of Wild Rice. Here’s Why (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2SNm18H                    Finally plant species have rights, too.
    • President’s State of the Union Neglects Dire Farm Economy Conditions, NFU Says (National Farmers Union) https://bit.ly/2UINeGQ
    • “Pink Slime” gets reclassified as ground beef (Fox17 West Michigan) https://bit.ly/2IvGmvx
      • ABC News called it “pink slime.” Now, USDA says it can be labeled “ground beef.” (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2taFcuR                                                                                          On the semantics of a product that scandalized America—is now on a comeback tour.
    • Trump EPA Oks ‘Emergency’ to Dump Bee-Killing Pesticide on 16 Million Acres (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2In6Sa2
    • Trump Trade War Helps Push Farmers Into Record Number Of Bankruptcies (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2tfwpro
    • While Everyone Was Focused on the Shutdown, the White House Rolled Back Worker Safety Rules (Fortune) https://bit.ly/2S1da3G
    • Court orders ban of top-selling pesticide, says EPA violated law, ignored scientific studies (Chicago Tribune) https://bit.ly/2Gt2Bzx
    • Killing 22 Hogs a Minute, Meatpackers Test Old Limits of Safety (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2TtIm8z                                                Trump’s USDA is looking to speed up the slaughter line.
    • Trump’s EPA Refuses to Limit the Nasty Teflon Chemicals Lurking in Our Drinking Water (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2G7J4oI
    • Alberta to evict urban community farm that supplies shelters with organic produce (The Globe and Mail) https://tgam.ca/2WFhOCW
    • Illinois Governor to Sign Bill Raising Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour by 2025 (WSJ) https://on.wsj.com/2TUjcQz                      Business groups oppose labor-backed measure raising minimum from $8.25
    • (Maine State) Rep. Pleucker concentrates on bills supporting farms, pesticide control, municipal revenue (Penobscot Bay Pilot) https://bit.ly/2tgFvE9

     

    Non-Governmental Organizations

    • ‘Breathtaking and Terrifying’: UN Food Relief Agency Partners With CIA-Funded Software Firm Palantir (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2WN4Xi9                                                                                        Data privacy advocates decried the $45 million deal as “horribly irresponsible and potentially incredibly harmful.”

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

     

    Poisons

    • Culprit found for honeybee deaths in almond groves (Ohio State University) https://bit.ly/2TzunOs
      • Study: Combined Toxicity of Insecticides and Fungicides Applied to California Almond Orchards to Honey Bee Larvae and Adults (Insects) https://bit.ly/2tccI3T
    • Analysis Show Exposure to Monsanto’s Glyphosate-Based Roundup Increases Cancer Risk More Than 40% (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2Gt5YHA                                                                    “The future will wonder just what we thought we were doing blanketing the world in this poison.”
    • Study: Is soil contamination by a glyphosate commercial formulation truly harmless to non-target plants? – Evaluation of oxidative damage and antioxidant responses in tomato (Environmental Pollution) https://bit.ly/2NkT5Qg

     

    Education & Training

    • Rural colleges are ignoring one of their largest industries: agriculture (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2TqyJHD