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

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for January 31, 2019

     

    • Is Organic Food Over? (Eater) https://bit.ly/2Qu4zki                              As corporations rush in to make a buck, some farmers are pushing back – and fighting for the soul of organic food
    • The Dirty Truth About Oat Milk (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2sEe5bi                                                                                                    It could help save or soil.
    • How to save shelf-life: cutting down on food waste across its supply chain (Green Biz) https://bit.ly/2CXHrWX
    • Why Sustainable Agriculture Should Support a Green New Deal (Independent Science News) https://bit.ly/2DMRm2Y
    • Academics across the country say agribusiness has outsized influence on their research (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2sXrlrp

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • ‘No deal would be horrific’: Welsh farmers brace themselves for BREXIT (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2WgtQml
    • How Racism Has Shaped the American Farming Landscape (Eater) https://bit.ly/2CPGOOX                                                                          US agriculture is just as segregated as it was a century ago, with farmers of color at a significant disadvantage.
    • ‘It’s tough sleeping at night’: ranchers seek to protect herds as wolves move in (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Fks9hz
    • A new way to curb nitrogen pollution: Regulate fertilizer producers, not just farmers (GreenBiz) https://bit.ly/2ROhWkZ
    • One of the Nation’s Oldest Food Banks Adds Culinary Education to its Offerings (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2Td9c4l

     

    Land and Soil

    • Quebec City’s Disappearing Agricultural Land (CityLab) https://bit.ly/2Mj5vry                                                                                              As agricultural areas are snatched up and transformed into new housing developments, one farmer keeps fighting.
    • ‘We’re black sheep’: the people who are fascinated by soil in cities (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2CofmHO

     

    Climate

    • Global Commission Calls for a Food Revolution to Solve World’s Climate and Nutrition Problems (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2szvFgv
      • Scientists Call for ‘Global Agricultural Revolution’ and ‘Planetary Health Diet’ to Save Lives – and Earth (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2CwmYYG                                                                “The food we eat and how we produce it determines the health of people and the planet, and we are currently getting this seriously wrong.”
    • Industrial Agriculture, an Extraction Industry Like Fossil Fuels, a Growing Driver of Climate Change (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2TdraUs
    • Obesity, climate change and hunger must be fought as one, health experts declare (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2WvCsFK
    • Animals dying of thirst in central Australia may be culled as 2,500 camels shot in Western Australia (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Hvy2LJ
    • It’s ‘Going to End with Me’: The Fate of Gulf Fisheries in a Warming World (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2S9JAYZ
    • Load up on Tabasco Sauce Now, Because the Island It Comes From Is Sinking (Food and Wine) https://bit.ly/2WrmPPu

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

    • The United Nations backs seed sovereignty in landmark small-scale farmers’ right declaration (GreenBiz) https://bit.ly/2RRSmvh
      • United Nations Declaration the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas https://bit.ly/2S8cp81

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • Not a drop to drink (MacLeans) https://bit.ly/2CM3Fef              Member of the Neskantaga (Canada) First Nation are set to take their first sips of safe tap water in 25 years. Many refer to it as ‘the moment,’ and it’s a matter of life and death…
    • Warning: A ‘Shrinking Window’ of Usable Groundwater (The Revelator, Center for Biological Diversity) https://bit.ly/2RGxK8y
    • Coal Ash Is Contaminating Groundwater in at least 22 States, Utility Reports Show (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2TU0Uyu                                                                                                So far, utilities have acknowledged the presence of enough health-harming contaminants like arsenic to trigger cleanup rules at 70 coal-fired power plant sites.
    • Report: Power Plants are Leaking Cancer Causing Toxins into groundwater Across Texas (Texas Observer) https://bit.ly/2TWeGjU
    • Records Show 100 Percent of Texas Coal Power Plants Contaminating Groundwater (Earth Justice) https://bit.ly/2DiV58f
    • Trans Mountain pipeline work destroyed salmon habitat, scientists say (National Newswatch) https://bit.ly/2RQI6DL
    • Flint schools receive water stations, filtration systems from billionaire Elon Musk (ABC12) https://bit.ly/2FuqshC                          We should maintaining our infrastructure, not relying on billionaires to supply what they see fit…

     

    Food Culture & History

    • Cooking Against Capitalism: Oaxaca’s Traditional Kitchens (Roar) https://bit.ly/2DdORq0                                                                                        After an earthquake in late 2017 destroyed their outdoor kitchens, Tehuantepec locals opted to rebuild themselves rather than relying on state support.
    • Stinking rich? Rare durian fruit go on sale for $1,000 each (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2ThRv3D                                                            (Durian) Variety called ‘J-Queen’ goes on sale in Indonesia and comes from trees it creator claims fruit once every three years
    • The Great Boston Molasses Flood: why the strange disaster matters today (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QH9qyF
    • California Archive Project Provides Access to Historic Ag & Community Records (UC Observer) https://bit.ly/2Fc0jFW

     

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

    • Shutdown’s Toll: For the First Time, “People Are Having to Stand in Line to Get a Hot Plate of Food (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2TdHSmL                                                                                              It’s like “something from the Great Depression, but the crisis inflicting this on them is entirely artificial.”
    • José Andrés Just Defended Furloughed Workers and Immigrants in One Swoop (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2QUz2YY
    • Chef José Andrés To Give Free Meals To Federal Workers Affected By Shutdown (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2QQFFvw                                                                                    The celebrity chef’s nonprofit World Central Kitchen usually brings free meals to disaster victims, as it did after the California wildfires and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
    • Jose Andres’s Nonprofit served 11,400 Meals to Furloughed Workers in One Day (Eater) https://bit.ly/2BbNXJl                            World Central Kitchen’s #ChefsForFeds initiative has expanded beyond the nation’s capital to 133 locations
    • Food Banks Usually Replenish Their Resources in January. This year, they Got the Shutdown Instead. (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2RP9l1u                                                                                                   “If this goes on into March, it’s going to be extraordinarily difficult.”
    • City College of San Francisco free food market for students in need (San Francisco Examiner) https://bit.ly/2CXiB9t
    • Syrian refugee whose falafel shop was named the ‘Nicest Place in America’ feeds government workers during shutdown (ABC News) https://abcn.ws/2Ftd6mw

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

    • A coalition of giant brands is about to change how we shop forever, with a new zero-waste platform (Fast Company) https://bit.ly/2RT48FJ

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • Lettuce Recalls: The Truth About Why They Keep Happening (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2VHLW08                                                Here’s why your salad seems susceptible to E. coli outbreaks than other foods you buy.

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • The sugar Conspiracy (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/28PiU51             In 1972, a British scientist sounded the alarm that sugar – and not fat – was the greatest danger to our health. But his findings were ridiculed and his reputation ruined. How did the world’s top nutrition scientists get is so wrong for so long?
    • Sugar’s sick secrets: How industry forces have manipulated science to downplay the harm (University of California San Francisco) https://bit.ly/2FshRwA
    • EU approval of glyphosate based on review that plagiarized Monsanto studies (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2svc3Kg
      • 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

     

    Training & Education

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • The Rise Of the 4-Day Week (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2FlNckK                                                                                  Companies around the world are cutting people’s workweek but not their wages in an effort to avoid burnout and improve wellbeing.
    • Mar-a-Lago Pastry Chef Claims He Was Fired in Retaliation for Uncovering Sexual Harassment (Eater) https://bit.ly/2Tfiqxi        Graham Randall is bringing a lawsuit against the Trump-owned property for violating Florida’s Civil Rights Act
    • In California, Wonderful Citrus strike exposes a murky world of unequal pay for farmworkers (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2CTQfNk
    • Could California produce soon cost you more? Farms face labor shortages, immigration woes (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2B7HIX0
    • These Burgerville employees organized the first official fast-food labor union in the country (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2B40LRR                                                                                        Oregon fast-food workers did what many in the industry thought was impossible.
    • Our View: It’s time to think big in Maine agriculture (Press Herald) https://bit.ly/2SeTwAr                                                                        State policy can encourage cooperative to small farmers get more food to market.

     

    Protests

    • Protesters Flip Script On Trump At Farmers Convention: ‘Lock Him Up’ (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2VRA0Ji

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • Bees face yet another lethal threat in dicamba, a drift prone pesticide (Reveal News) https://bit.ly/2Wfj2om

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • Animals, Workers and Consumers Suffer Under USDA Slaughter Programs (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2UeHwwj
    • “Wild-caught,” “organic,” “grass-fed”: what do all these animal welfare labels actually mean? (Vox) https://bit.ly/2Ru3R7r                   A shopper’s guide to the labels on meat, dairy, and eggs.
    • Animal rights group accused of encouraging ‘illegal behavior’ with map of farms and abattoirs (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Mq602M                                                                                    Aussie Farms says online map will allow consumers to make ‘informed choices’

     

    • The dying pig in the aisle: How McDonald’s came to transform animal welfare (Green Biz) https://bit.ly/2sOkuR6
    • ‘It’s medieval’: why some cows are living most of their lives tied up (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2SD41Kt

     

    Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • A serial entrepreneur is opening the only black-owned grocery store in Detroit (The Renewal Project) https://bit.ly/2TMGdV6
    • ‘It’s surreal’: Seattle’s Pike Place Fish market sold to fish-throwing employees (Seattle Times) https://bit.ly/2uDRUDr
      • People over profit: Famed Seattle fish market sold to longtime employees – instead of highest bidder (Daily Kos) https://bit.ly/2VY34Px
    • Who owns a pizza recipe? (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2TpUpDF                                                                                              This is a legal argument I have seen play out over decades as a chef. Time after time the courts have said that you can’t stop anyone from imitating what you are doing. If the recipe is published and under copyright, then you need to change the ingredients…
    • One of America’s biggest hospitals invests in the meal-delivery space (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2TpNz0S
      • Munchery: How a venture – backed startup swindled a group of women and minority owned companies out of over $50,000 and is getting away with it (Medium) https://bit.ly/2SnEite
    • McCain Foods closes the California facility responsible for 2018’s largest food safety recall (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2CTViNL
    • How Driscoll’s Reinvented the Strawberry (The New Yorker) https://bit.ly/2TPRrIx                                                                                              The berry behemoth turned produce into a beauty contest, and won.
    • From field to fork; Tyson harnesses ag tech for sustainable food production (Green Biz) https://bit.ly/2sJvD5P                                Really?
    • With the end of 365 stores, Whole Foods cements its future as Amazon’s house brand (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Ww94iG
    • No Sweethearts candy this Valentine’s Day after company goes out of business (Cincinnati.com) https://bit.ly/2T6H1E9
      • New Report Traces Hidden Connections Between Food Loss, Hunger, Consumer Demand and Climate Change (World Economic Forum) https://bit.ly/2Tctv1R
      • Report: Innovation with a Purpose: Improving Traceability in Food Value Chains through Technology Innovations (World Economic Forum) https://bit.ly/2FFF2DO
    • Labor Market Is Doing Fine With Higher Minimum Wages (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2TcqTBm                                        Predictions of job losses and slower economic growth haven’t panned out.

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • The End of Plastic Cutlery, Plates and Straws: EU Market Says Goodbye To Single-Use Plastic Products (Forbes) https://bit.ly/2MtRt6v
    • Food in the nude – NZ ditching plastic packaging of fruit and vegetables in supermarkets (Mpumadlanga News) https://bit.ly/2DE8J6b
    • The White House quietly rolled back workplace safety rules during the shutdown (Vox) https://bit.ly/2UnhGpY                            Public health groups are suing the Trump administration for blocking a rule requiring employers to report details of workplace injuries.
    • ‘Absolutely Unconscionable’: Trump EPA Refuses to Limit Toxic Chemicals That Contaminate Drinking Water of Millions (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2RTeRjw
    • Farmers and ranchers lose vital support during shutdown (High Country News) https://bit.ly/2W2dgGr                                     The funding stalemate has halted Department of Agriculture programs that the rural West relies on.
  • Postcard from Iowa: How three farmers are coping with the government shutdown (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2UxdZOA
  • Meat packing giant JBS USA getting millions in subsidies meant for farmers impacted by trade war (The Tribune) https://bit.ly/2RUquWL
    • The EPA’s latest bad idea: Spraying streptomycin on our citrus fruits (Orland Sentinel) https://bit.ly/2FsYtji
    • Trump’s war on science: how the US is putting politics above evidence (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2FuqSFx                                Experts say the administration is blatantly dismantling proven programs, and the consequences could be dire
    • Craft Beer Taps Squeezed As Government Shutdown Delays New Releases (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2FyAxuO                                The government shutdown has prevented new breweries from opening.
    • Florida LOCALES Vote To Stop Using Prison Labor – And Others May Follow (The Appeal) https://bit.ly/2WqPDaY                                One commissioner wants the state Department of Corrections to show proof that his county isn’t just using prisoners as ‘slaves.’
    • Following Missouri’s lead, other states take on cell-cultured meat (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2G8zXU1
      • Beef-friendly Nebraska eyes regulations on the word ‘meat’ (Associated Press) https://bit.ly/2AKKZvn                                               … Nebraska lawmakers will consider a bill this year to prevent companies that package and sell food from advertising plant-based, insect-based and lab-grown products as meat…
    • Coastal Maine tourist destination looks to ban fast food restaurants from its downtown (Bangor Daily News) https://bit.ly/2W3DtEB

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

     

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

    • In the Future, Your Food Will Be Sweetened With Protein (Medium) https://bit.ly/2TPUY9M                                                                  How a network of startups and scientists are moving to use cutting-edge tech to fight the obesity epidemic

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for January 13, 2019

     

    • You Can Now Be Fined and Jailed for Calling This “Meat” (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2QohBQu                                                                       “No none who gets a veggie burger and bites into it is surprised when it’s not slaughtered animal meat.”
    • Build a $300 Underground Greenhouse for Year-round Fresh Food (Building Homes and Living) https://bit.ly/2Ssr7DP
    • For-Profit Chain (Le Cordon Bleu culinary schools) Cancels $494 Million in Student Debt to End State Investigations (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2Tt7I5U
    • Seth Holmes Discusses Migrant Workers, the US agricultural system, and Structural Inequality Exacerbated “through metaphors of ethnic difference” (Haas Institute for Fair and Inclusive Society) https://bit.ly/2AvYBKM
    • Working Paper: Power, Food and Agriculture: Implications for Farmers, Consumers and Communities (University of Missouri) https://bit.ly/2sciaTC
    • 4 Killed And Dozens Injured After Gas Explosion Rocks Bakery In Paris (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2smyZeL

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • Farmers at Gaza’s Edge Try to Make Ends Meet Between Economic Squeeze and Israeli Sniper Fire (The Intercept) https://bit.ly/2EThqKR
    • Iowa soybean farmers on shutdown: “it’s not worth putting up the wall to put us in this situation” (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2RIi1pE
    • Millet anyone? Facing soil crisis, US farmers look beyond corn and soybeans (The Christian Science Monitor) https://bit.ly/2VwCRaC
    • Navajo Beef Brings Traditional Practices and Modern Business to Ranching (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2Vpg9RI

     

    Land and Soil

     

    Climate

    • Black truffles are in trouble (Popular Science) https://bit.ly/2TFcE82                                                                                              Climate change is threatening to muffle the truffle shuffle.
    • Oceans Heating Up 40 Percent Faster Than Thought, 2018 Expected To See Record Temperatures, Scientists Warn (Newsweek) https://bit.ly/2smsDMt

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

    • Stuffed or Starved? Evolutionary Plant Breeding Might Have the Answer (Independent Science News) https://bit.ly/2HTvD8z
    • Plants Can Hear Animals Using Their Flowers (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2Ci2tyU                                                                                                  And they react to the buzzing of pollinators by sweetening their nectar.
    • The race to re-learn hemp farming (Salon) https://bit.ly/2FqawOq                                                                             Researchers have a lot to learn about the previously-banned crop before it flourishes on American farms

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • The Costly, Complicated Process of Cleaning Up a Toxic River (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2SNi0Oj                                                                In eastern Washington, a push to clean PCBs from the Spokane River faces a dirty legacy and global pollution problem.
    • Like Fruit, Vegetables, and Almonds? Scientists Have Bad News (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2F1y7UA                                                              A new study finds that the main source of water for our fresh produce could dry up within our lifetimes.
    • Study: The Change Character of the California Sierra Nevada as a Natural Reservoir (AGU100) https://bit.ly/2AsUwqr
    • Survey Finds Almost Half Of Private wells Tested In Southwest Wisconsin Are Contaminated (Wisconsin Public Radio) https://bit.ly/2GWMRXk                                                                                     Local official say more data is needed to understand source of harmful bacteria, nitrates

     

    Food Culture & History

    • The Life-Giving Properties of One of the World’s Oldest Cheeses (Gastro Obscura) https://bit.ly/2C0JA3A                                                          In Xinjiang, the living process dairy the way 4,000 year old mummies did.
    • Why an English Museum Has a Collection of Magic Potatoes (Gastro Obscura) https://bit.ly/2scAkVj                                                       Touch of the rheumatiz? Try carrying around a purloined spud.
    • A Living Fossil From the Deep Sea Was Discovered With Trash Crammed in its Stomach (The Inertia) https://bit.ly/2Ff3Pym

     

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

    • Millions of College Students Are Going Hungry (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2TC62ak                                                                                                   A new government report highlights just how pervasive the problem is.
    • Food Pantries Help Federal Workers, Coast Guard Amid Shutdown (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2QIR8wU                Furloughed and unpaid government employees are struggling to buy necessities amid the weeks long government shutdown.
    • Chicago: Food pantry offering free groceries to furloughed government workers (Chicago Sun Times) https://bit.ly/2TLPUD0
    • Canada’s New 2019 Food Guide Cuts Out Milk And Cheese Almost Entirely (Narcity) https://bit.ly/2VIgGyf                             Canada’s national food guide indicates that dairy is cut out almost entirely.
    • Blow to low carb diet as landmark study finds high fiber cuts heart disease risk (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2HfAxlg               Review commissioned by WHO says fiber in ‘good’ carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread and oats has protective effect

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

    • Does Your Box of “Ugly” Produce Really Help the Planet? Or Hurt it? (The New Republic) https://bit.ly/2QGf5VX
    • Dumping Rejected Food Shipments into Landfills, Truckers Are Donating Them to Local Charities (Good News Network) https://bit.ly/2AFUifS
    • 300,000+ Plastic Bottles Recycled in ‘Reverse Vending Machines’ Test Run in UK (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2Tv9mnp
    • 5 everyday products contaminated with plastic (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2Awlxtb                                                                                It’s high time that corporations and governments step up to stem the tide of plastic, taking action to eliminate all but the most essential single-use plastic items.

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • How a 3.5 mile long irrigation canal used by 23 farms caused the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Ay09DV                                                                                           FDA offers its first assessment of what happened in Yuma, Arizona.
    • The biggest food recall of 2018 is one you still haven’t heard about (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2s838OX
    • E. coli outbreak tied to Santa Barbara County; Monterey, San Benito counties not ruled out (The Californian) https://bit.ly/2RjflPy

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • Alabama sheriff personally kept $1.5 million that was supposed to feed ICE detainees (The Week) https://bit.ly/2LFr3hu
    • After A Run Of Tainted Food Scandals, Women In Japan Took Control Of The System (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2VDlViz
    • Woman Catches A ‘River Monster’ And Has The Footage To Prove It (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2GU3H95

     

    Children & School Food

    • Federally funded school lunches are about to get a lot less healthy (Vox) https://bit.ly/2FrgOMK                                                                                  By relaxing rules for school lunches, the Trump administration is doing the dairy industry a big favor at the expense of children’s health.
    • What the USDA’s New Nutrition Rules Mean for the 30 Million Children Eating School Lunches (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2Rf9GKI                                                                                              We talked to school lunch expert Bettina Elias Siegel about what’s at stake.

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • The government shutdown spotlights a bigger issue: 78% of US workers live paycheck to paycheck (cnbc) https://cnb.cx/2VGeqrc

     

    Protests

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • Puerto Rico May Hold the Answer to Saving the Bees (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2F0zNOC                                                                           The island’s special breed may help solve colony collapse disorder.

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • Billions Of Male Chicks Are Slaughtered Every Year – This New Technology Could Prevent That (IFL Science) https://bit.ly/2QjA0O4
    • Someone Bought This Dead Fish For $3 Million (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2SCNWVH                                                                                          The auctioned off Bluefin tuna weights 612 pounds.
    • Florida’s Answer to Invasive Lionfish? If You Can’t beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2Az4Xc9

     

    Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • Supermarket Chains Ignored This Black Community, So Residents Opened a Co-Op (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2SFLfCQ                               The Renaissance Community Co-op is the first of its kind in the nation, opened after 20 years of failed attempts to woo chains to the neighborhood.
    • New Archive Reveals How the Food Industry Mimics Big Tobacco to Suppress Science, Shape Public Opinion (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2TMTVHC
    • McDonald’s Is Officially Banning Preservatives In Their Burgers At All Restaurants in Canada (narcity) https://bit.ly/2AHiTAS
    • Palm Oil Sourcing Should Be Disclosed to Consumers, Sustainability Study Recommends (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2AvL4CV
    • Shop Here, Not There: Science Says Reducing Inequality Is Almost That Simple (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2EYOnph                                  New research shows that shuttling even 5 percent of consumer transactions t poorer neighborhoods can reduce income inequality by up to 80 percent.
    • What Minimum-Wage Foes Got Wrong About Seattle (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2F26TxT                                                           An initial study said the increase to $15 would cost workers jobs and hours. That didn’t happen.
    • Minimum wage hikes in six cities: big impact on pay, none on jobs (UC Berkeley News) https://bit.ly/2RsujCf
    • Study: The New Wave of Local Minimum Wage Policies: Evidence from Six Cities (UC Berkeley) https://bit.ly/2CIMTQD
    • IKEA Just Released Free Plans For A Sustainable Garden That Can Feed A Neighborhood (True Activist) https://bit.ly/2F75chP

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • Hard-Pressed American Farmers Left Out In The Cold By New 11-Nation Trade Treaty (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Ak3dU8    Aussie, Canadian farmers celebrate treaty Trump nixed, while US wheat producers fear Japan market collapse.
    • Trump farm bailout money will go to Brazilian-owned meatpacking firm, USDA says (msn) https://bit.ly/2AD7YbC
    • How Trump’s Shutdown Forks Over Everyone Who Eats Food (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2M3Rr4N                                               Farmers, poor families, and inspectors are caught in the crosshairs.
    • Judge Strikes Down Iowa ‘Ag Gag’ Law That Choked Undercover Animal Abuse Reporting (Talking Points Memo) https://bit.ly/2H7anAQ
      • “Ag-gag laws” hide the cruelty of factory farms from the public. Courts are striking them down. (Vox) https://bit.ly/2D43Fry
    • Farm workers in California now eligible for overtime after 9.5 hours (KSBY6 Central Coast) https://bit.ly/2RmuNKN
    • Denver’s New Sales Tax is the Frist in the Nation to Benefit Kids’ Health (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2RjG2TN

     

    • Street vending is legal in Los Angeles after a decade of organizing (Waging Nonviolence) https://bit.ly/2Fi5AuP

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

     

    Poisons

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for December 30, 2018

     

    • Native Knowledge: What Ecologists Are Learning from Indigenous People (Yale e360) https://bit.ly/2QG1Wky                     From Alaska to Australia, scientists are turning to the knowledge of traditional people for a deeper understanding of the natural world. What they are learning is helping them discover ore about everything from melting Arctic ice, to protecting fish stocks, to controlling wildfires.
    • New Archive Reveals How the Food Industry Mimics Big Tobacco to Suppress Science, Shape Public Opinion (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2VgBlt2
    • The Food Sustainability Index is talking. Will America, and the world at large, listen? (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2rZXezr
    • Unlike a globalized food system, local food won’t destroy the environment (Salon) https://bit.ly/2T13PEU                                               Our food system is linked to an economic system that is fundamentally biased in who it benefits
    • What needs to change in the quest for food sovereignty? This book looks for answers (Scroll.in) https://bit.ly/2CALr0r
    • One Weird Trick to Fix Farms Forever (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2GnWH4j                                                                                                This article is from 2013, it is a reminder of what we can be doing on a large scale…
    • Report: Troubling Waters: How Hydroponic Agribusiness and the USDA Diluted organics by Sanctioning Soil-less Growing (The Cornucopia Institute) https://bit.ly/2EscfBd                                                A report and buyer’s guide profiling illicit produce brands grown I liquid fertilizer rather than nutrient-rich soils Hydroponic Buyer’s Guide Full Report
    • ‘Freedom Farmers’ Tells the History of Black Farmers Uniting Against Racism (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2EBP3Az
    • The Future of Mountaintop Removal Is Lavender (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2BEVLCH                                                                                    In Appalachia, the coal mining process has stripped mountains to their cores, leaving little more than dirt and rocks. But one hardy plant seems to thrive in it.
    • Attempted Suicide in Wisconsin = Marketplace Fallout in Real Terms (Cornucopia Institute) https://bit.ly/2BC84Qs
    • An invasive, elusive 20-pound rodent threatens California agriculture (Food & Environment Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2RzhSS2
    • The Gates Foundation’s Ceres2030 Plan Pushes Agenda of Agribusiness (Independent Science News) https://bit.ly/2GogDny

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • Stripes of wildflowers across farm fields could cut pesticide spraying (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QXuipR                                          The stripy fields have been planted across England as part of a trial to boost the natural predators of pests that attack cereal crops
    • Oregon hazelnut production has doubled in last decade, expected to double again by 2025 (Salem Statesman Journal) https://bit.ly/2UY5Tzm
    • Wisconsin Lost Record-Breaking Percent of Dairy Farms In 2018 (Wisconsin Public Radio) https://bit.ly/2UNCcB0
      • Former Dairy Farmer Jim Goodman: My Retirement was Mostly Voluntary (The Cornucopia Institute) https://bit.ly/2BLYVET
    • While small dairy farms shut down, this mega-dairy is shipping milk to China (Salon) https://bit.ly/2BApUmJ                                      Powdered milk production is being marketed as a boon for rural areas, but many people who live nearby disagree
    • Legal plastic content in animal feed could harm human health, experts warn (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2PXct5m                           Small bits of plastic packaging from waste food make their way into animal feed as part of the UK’s permitted recycling process

     

    Climate

    • Urban Tilth’s Doria Robinson on Richmond and Climate Adaption (Sierra) https://bit.ly/2EX64GG                                                                        The ag nonprofit is small scale, but its executive director has big ideas
    • Farmers Know Climate Change is Real. Will the Feds Help Them Adapt? (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2R2w8pi                                            While dismal farm economics – and shrinking conservation funds – make it hard to find the funds, a growing number of farmers are ready to make critical changes.
    • How the Farm Bureau’s Climate Agenda Is Failing Its Farmers (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2PLjLZS                                             That agenda has left farmers ill-prepared to cope with effects of climate change – droughts, heat and storms – while neglecting a key climate solution.
    • Why eating less meat is the best thing you can do for the planet in 2019 (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QVrgTx                                         Eating meat has a hefty impact on the environment from fueling climate change to polluting landscapes and waterways

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

    • Stuffed or Starved? Evolutionary Plant Breeding Might Have the Answer (Independent Science News) https://bit.ly/2HTvD8z

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • Kansas farms are running out of water. Can they pull off an environmental miracle in Charles Koch’s home state? (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2GBZoiK                                                                  Kansas producers say policy solutions aren’t necessary to save the Ogallala Aquifer, the state’s most economically important natural resource. That’s up for debate – but a Koch think tank may make regulation impossible anyway.
    • New Lawsuit Blames the Trump Administration for Ruining Oysters (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2zNQ8SR                                          By failing to document the effects of acidification in coastal waters

     

    Food Culture & History

    • These are the 64 races of corn in Mexico (Mad DeMx) https://bit.ly/2wqYxMS                                                                                              The greatest diversity of corn is Mexican, with 64 races in the country, of the 220 existing in Latin American.
    • Nut Milks Are Milk, Says Almost Every Culture Across the Globe (Smithsonian Magazine) https://bit.ly/2ONquT8                              Even though the dairy industry may not like it, labeling the juice from almonds and soy beans ‘milk’ follows centuries of history
    • Sorry New York, California Is Just Better Now (Eater) https://bit.ly/2RjboKa                                                                                   Synonymous with abundance and turbo-charged with chef creativity, the Golden State is setting the pace for how we eat across the country
    • A Culinary History of Panettone the Italian and South American Christmas Treat (Smithsonian Magazine) https://bit.ly/2s0IX5h
    • A History of Flavoring Food With Beaver Butt Juice (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2EPJ7F5                                                                                              No, castoreum is not a cheap substitute for strawberries; it’s luxe, artisanal sections from a beaver’ rear end.

     

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

    • Anti-immigrant rhetoric in the US has forced some families to choose between safety and food (Quartz) https://bit.ly/2Sgp5H0
    • Shutdown hits poor hardest: Food stamp office cut by 95 percent (Salon) https://bit.ly/2rWYW4x                                                             Department of Agriculture says the office that helps the neediest with food relief has been virtually shut down
    • What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutrition (Medium) https://bit.ly/2RhpxHu                                                                                       Obesity is the root cause of several diseases, yet medical schools don’t train doctors on nutrition and weight loss

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

    • Already a climate change leader, California takes on food waste (Salon) https://bit.ly/2BLLll9                                                                            The state’s programs and laws to tackle food waste and greenhouse gas emissions could be a template for the nation
    • 2019 Could Be The Year We stop Throwing Away Ridiculous Amounts Of Food (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2EK3vYj
    • As Anti-Plastic Movements Sweep The Globe Change Doesn’t Always Come Easy (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2T7KZMm      Australia could serve as a test case for the anti-plastic movement.
    • The Fight Against Food Waste Starts at Home (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2Vas85c                                                                                     Decreasing the environmental footprint of food waste can save the planet and your wallet.

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • The year vegan junk food went mainstream (Vox) https://bit.ly/2ERtGML                                                                                              It isn’t particularly health. That’s the best part.
    • What Foods Are Banned in Europe but Not Banned in the US? (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2LIDOIo                                                                          The European Union prohibits many food additives and various drugs that are widely used in American food.
    • We Got a Scientist to Explain What You Knew in Your Heart of Hearts: The Five-Second Rule Is Gross (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2R354Go                                                                                            He also lab-tested double dipping, utensil sharing, and other questionable food behaviors.

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • The New York State Attorney General is investigating these five chains for seafood fraud (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2LxYkem                                                                                    Fishmongers are inflating the value of the fraudulent product and undercutting honest competitors at the same time.
    • Report: Fish Business: Seafood Fraud and Mislabeling in New York State Supermarkets (State of New York Attorney General) https://on.ny.gov/2EpQHFw
    • It’s very likely your supermarket fish isn’t what you think it is (Quartz) https://bit.ly/2RgKmms

     

    Children & School Food

    • Team Trump says it’s making school lunches ‘great again.’ It’s making them less healthy (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2Eqt8wf
    • What School Lunches Have to Do With Fixing Wealth Inequality (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2LzmBRp
      • Making Healthy School Lunches Free for All Should Be a National Priority (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2rBByJJ                               A professor argues we should destigmatize and better shape school meals to provide much needed support to children and their families.
    • Rhode Island School District Is Sending Debt Collectors After Families Over Unpaid Lunches (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2C2d9CW                                                                                    Debt can now impact the credit scores of parents who don’t pay, according to a local news report.

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • Progressive Labor Standards (Democracy) https://bit.ly/2T9UniQ                                                                           Dangerously high levels of market concentration demand a regulatory regime that holds large employers to higher standards.
    • What labor market changes have generated inequality and wage suppression? (Economic Policy Institute) https://bit.ly/2Q0eXQB  Employer power is significant but largely constant, whereas workers’ power has been eroded by policy actions
    • Teen quits Walmart job over the store’s intercom: ‘Attention all shoppers… nobody should work here – ever’ (Chicago Tribune) https://trib.in/2Bpjirs
    • One Year After #MeToo, I Have No Regrets About Coming Forward (Eater) https://bit.ly/2RjkYN8                                                               I was terrified when I publicly accused the Spotted Pig restaurateur Ken Friedman of sexual misconduct, but it was the right decision
    • Every (NYC) Chef and Restaurant Owner Accused of Sexual Misconduct in the #MeToo Era (Grub Street) https://grb.st/2OQkokp
    • Health Care In Texas Is A Nightmare For Women Restaurant Workers (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Adt4x4                                    I worked in the restaurant and catering industry for 15 years in California and New York, I never had benefits of any kind. No medical insurance, no sick days, no vacation.
    • Chipotle’s Mandatory Arbitration Agreements Are Backfiring Spectacularly (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2T5ZWil                      The company is facing a flood of arbitration cases over alleged wage theft. A judge called the company’s efforts to black them “unseemly.”
    • Agricultural empire behind Halos and Wonderful pistachios raises minimum hourly wage to $15 (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2SmJhqs

     

    Protests

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • Pesticides threaten all 4,000 bee species in North America. Why does research focus on saving just one? (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2PWckzf                                                                                                In a new series of studies, scientists acknowledge that we don’t know nearly enough about the thousands of wild bee species agricultural producers depend on.

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • World’s first no-kill eggs go on sale in Berlin (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2rNfZ8Y                                                                                     Scientists can now quickly determine a chick’s gender before it hatches, potentially ending the need to cull billions of male chicks worldwide.
    • Factory Farms No Longer Have to Report Their Air Emissions. That’s Dangerous for Their Neighbors (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2T1Ct1y                                                                                            And bad news for the climate.
    • Livestock farms no longer report their air emissions. Now the Neighbors don’t know what they’re inhaling (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2T64Rzv
    • The Real Hamburger Problem (Democracy) https://bit.ly/2GFeKmy                                                                                       Factory farming is bad for the environment, nearby humans, and yes, the animals.
    • Chickens freezing to death and boiled alive: failing in US slaughterhouses exposed (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2EnftGl         An investigation finds hundreds of shocking welfare incidents, fueling concerns about standards in a post-Brexit trade deal
    • Microplastics accumulate in bodies of shellfish within hours, new study reveals (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2s1HDPT         Understanding whether plastic particles are absorbed across biological membranes and accumulate within internal organs is critical for assessing the risk these particles pose to both organism and human health.

     

    Business, Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • How funding black businesses can help bridge the racial wealth gap (Nation of Change) https://bit.ly/2CjIu4f                                        The Runway Project is making entrepreneurship more accessible to Black communities.
    • Tech Is Killing Street Food (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2PYCbGE    The wealthy hubs of the United States and India are embracing informal gastronomy, but not the people who have traditionally provided it.
    • Restaurants to eaters: Please for the love of god, stop using Seamless (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Aezuf9
    • Kellogg Leads the Charge to Exploit Supreme Court Arbitration Victory (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2BAlzQu                                        By targeting former employees for defying agreements, the cereal giant lays down a warning: Forget about suing us.
    • Packaging producers to pay full recycling costs under waste scheme (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2EBHAlc                    Government strategy to make ‘polluter pay’, with penalties for difficult to recycle items
    • Big Business Wants You To Think It’s Fixing The Plastic Crisis. Don’t Buy It. (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2SgI3NE                    Here’s what corporations don’t want you to know.
    • Dollar Stores Are Targeting Struggling urban Neighborhoods and Small towns. One Community Is Showing How to Fight Back (Institute for Local Self-Reliance) https://bit.ly/2R4aIIg
      • Dollar General Hits a Gold Mine in Rural America (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2kDk66E                                                                            In the poorest towns, where even Wal-Mart failed, the little-box player is turning a profit.
    • Democrats Can Win Back Rural America, But First They Need To Understand What Bled It Dry (BuzzFeed) https://bit.ly/2S5r9By    At the root of rural America’s angst are small towns where economies have been taken over by a handful of predatory multinationals.
    • Report: The New Map of Economic Growth and Recovery (Economic Innovation Group) https://bit.ly/2EBIf6K                           The 2010s recovery was marked by a collapse in new business formation

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • ‘Significant First Blow to Plastic Pollution Monster’ as EU Reaches Landmark Deal on Single-Use Products (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2PL9aOV
    • How France and Germany Are Ousting Glyphosate In A Search For Healthy Soils and Pesticide-Free Crops (Independent Science News) https://bit.ly/2rQG72D
      • Germany introduces new restrictions on herbicide use, seeks “end date” for glyphosate (IEG Policy) https://bit.ly/2Bym9ye
    • Kyrgyzstan Parliament Orders 100% Organic Agriculture Within 10 Years (Sustainable Pulse) https://bit.ly/2RbE6wf               Remember, Bhutan made their declaration to transform their agricultural system to 100% organic in 2014 with the transformation to be completed by 2022
    • Bhutan could be world’s first wholly organic nation within a decade (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2AdKSYS                               Political parties in the Himalayan kingdom unite to eradicate chemical fertilizers and pesticides as part of its Gross National Happiness program.
    • Japan To Launch Commercial Whaling Again After Withdrawing from Treaty (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2GI06uN
    • Atlantic Seismic Survey permits Granted After Surge in Lobbying (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2PTpQUw
      • Marine Mammals incidental to Specified Activities: Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in Atlantic Ocean (Federal Register) https://bit.ly/2QKIW3m
    • House Democrats try to block Trump’s USDA from relocating its independent research agency (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2CteaEb
    • Bailing out a Chinese owned, US located hog corporation subsidiary (Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy) https://bit.ly/2rVfR7i
    • Factory farms slip environmental review for USDA loans (Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy) https://bit.ly/2rolDOw
    • USDA’s claim food in the US ‘among safest in world’ based on latest pesticide tests (Food Safety News) https://bit.ly/2R75AU1
    • FEMA sells more than 34,000 unused meals in Puerto Rico instead of giving them to people in need (Daily Kos) https://bit.ly/2Sf9Lud
    • FDA names first source in ongoing investigation of romaine lettuce outbreak (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2EACXse         A Santa Maria, California farm – run by a county supervisor – is the first to be identified as a source of E coli contamination.
    • Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, on the current romaine lettuce E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak investigation (US FDA) https://bit.ly/2zyJ6Bb
    • NY governor vetoes bill allowing paid bereavement leave (WGRZ) https://on.wgrz.com/2RmWUbX                                                The bill’s memo notes that employers provide an average of four days of bereavement leave for the death of a souse or child.
    • Tennessee becomes the fourth state to restrict the use of Monsanto herbicide (dicamba) (Newstarget) https://bit.ly/2EPlSep
    • Georgia cut food stamps for thousands with new system tracking recipients (Atlanta Journal – Constitution) https://on-ajc.com/2AgOjOz
    • Update: Trump Just Found Yet Another Way to Kick Poor Families Off Food Stamps (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2QMR58x                                                                                       Foiled by the farm bill, the administration is using executive power to tighten work requirements.
    • Trump signs farm bill, directs USDA to expand work requirements on food stamps (ABC News) https://abcn.ws/2Cqhro0
    • ‘Mass Starvation Plan’: Trump USDA to Push Work Requirements for Food Stamps That Congress Left Off Farm Bill (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2T2yqSF
    • Food stamp cut will hit Trump’s single white male base hardest (Quartz) https://bit.ly/2LwaggM
    • Hemp Is Officially Going Legal Nationwide (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2BxScOV                                                                                      Trump signed a new farm bill into law that will legalize hemp, a non-intoxicating form of cannabis, in all 50 states.
    • President Trump signs the Farm Bill making dog and cat meat illegal in the United States (wrdw12) https://bit.ly/2rQThgi
    • Rural broadband is about to get $600 million funding – but there’s a catch (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2BBBZIh
    • The 2018 farm bill breaks new ground for conservation and resilience (Environmental Defense Fund) https://bit.ly/2Rc2I8o

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

    • Here’s a first look at the label that must appear on all GMO foods by 2022 (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2V6syJP
      • Even major food companies hate the new US rules for GMO food labeling (Quartz) https://bit.ly/2EFZYJv
      • Final GMO labeling rule does not require labeling of highly refined ingredients from GM crops, if o modified genetic material is detectable (Food Navigator) https://bit.ly/2EIuZNX
    • Ex-Cabinet secretary ‘regrets’ ever introducing GM cotton in India (The Economic Times) https://bit.ly/2EJRPF3

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

    • Gene-edited farm animals are coming. Will we eat them? (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2GsEdj4                                          Cutting edge lab techniques could improve animal breeding, but society may not be ready                                                                                             And there are unintended consequences…
    • Big Tongues and Extra Vertebrae: The Unintended Consequences of Animal Gene Editing (The Wall Street Journal) https://on.wsj.com/2SSK5U5
    • A simple guide to CRISPR, one of the biggest science stories of the decade (Vox) https://bit.ly/2LN2lLA                                                          It could revolutionize everything from medicine to agriculture.

     

    Poisons

    • How France and Germany Are Ousting Glyphosate In a Search For Healthy Soils and Pesticide-Free Crops (Independent Science News) https://bit.ly/2rQG72D

     

    Education & Training

    • ‘Adulting Day’: High schoolers learn how to cook, change tires, pay bills (KRON4) https://bit.ly/2EpJdlT

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update, December 16, 2018

     

    • Feeding the Whole City: Atlanta, Georgia (Politico) https://politi.co/2rw9Pd8                                                                                  The young food workers of this bustling New South metropolis use food to achieve social equity.
    • In Milwaukee’s poorest zip code, fruits and vegetables become powerful weapons for saving young boys (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) https://bit.ly/2UNnaLJ
    • ‘Our Food Systems Are Failing Us’: 100+ Academies Call for Overhaul of Food Production (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2QCxjvC
    • More trouble for embattled farmers in the Midwest (Star Tribune) http://strib.mn/2QaR8KL                                                        Family operations are hurt by glut of some crops as well as trump’s tariffs.
    • 127 countries are now working to ban single-use plastic (Fast Company) https://bit.ly/2zLUcmu                                                    Countries are making good progress on regulating plastic bags and bottles – but need to do some serious work to address the more invisible plastic particles in cleaning products and cosmetics.
    • French Food Actually Sucks Now, Says Head of French Tourism Council (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2rqUgni                                          French ambassador and tourism council head Philippe Faure says food in the provinces is “lamentable” and “not good.” How the mighty have fallen.                                                                                                                                      I would agree, last time I was in France I found the food in restaurant, cafés and bistros in the Loire Valley were awful, good food could be found in expensive places, and the old style shops had good food…
    • How Atlanta Is Turning Ex-Cons Into Urban Farmers (Politico) https://politi.co/2SwzttP                                                                                      An ambitious activist is using the local food movement to help break the cycle of incarceration.
    • Should Vegans Have the Same Protections as Religious People? A ‘Landmark’ Case Will Decide (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2E9Owpf  In the UK, it is unlawful for an employer to fire and employee based on their religion or belief. By the same toke, is it ok for an employer to fire an employee if they are ethical vegans?

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • Indiana group is suing USDA over the way it gives money farms with thousands of animals (IndyStar) https://bit.ly/2CazFty

     

    Land and Soil

     

    Climate

    • The Meat Heavy Menu At The UN’s Climate Conference Show Shocking Hypocrisy (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2PxqZkb

     

    • Ravenous for Meat, China Faces a Climate Quandary (undark) https://bit.ly/2mWHn1X                                                                                      On the whole, the country consumes 28 percent of the world’s meat – twice as much as the United States. An that figure is only set to increase.
    • As the Glaciers Melt, These Farmers Have A Plan To Save Their Vulnerable Land (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2QrtObM  Herders in one of the most biodiverse place on earth are reviving ancient traditions to cope with climate change.
    • Soil and Seaweed: Farming Our Way to a Climate Solution (Scientific American) https://bit.ly/2DUvnaZ                                          We can sequester carbon and improve our nutrition through regenerative farming of land and sea
    • Climate change is making soils saltier, forcing many farmers to find new livelihoods (The Conversation) https://bit.ly/2rjQlIw
    • Not So Sweet: Climate Change Means Slow-Growing Sugar Maples, Study Finds (NPR) https://n.pr/2QGEti7
    • Americans have planted so much corn that it’s changing the weather (grist) https://bit.ly/2Upo9lb
      • Research: Twentieth Century Regional Climate Change During the Summer in the Central United States Attributed to Agricultural Intensification (AGU100) https://bit.ly/2Elwn8S

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • It’s Official: Injection of Fracking Wastewater Caused Kansas’ Biggest Earthquake (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2RqaZCm
    • This town is like thousands that are vulnerable to contaminated water, with no fix in sight (CNN) https://cnn.it/2UeOlyP
    • Journalism Project Shines Light On Why So Many Lack Water Service In Central Appalachia (Daily Yonder) https://bit.ly/2PAJTqA
      • Stirring the Waters: Investigating why many in Appalachia lack reliable, clean water (Lexington Herald Leader) https://bit.ly/2UJJKVE
    • A New Lawsuit Blames the Trump Administration for Ruining Oysters (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2zNQ8SR                                              By failing to document the effects of acidification in coastal waters

     

    • Even corals deep down on the ocean floor can’t escape humanity’s impact (Salon) https://bit.ly/2QnIglm                        Climate change, industrial fishing, offshore drilling and deep sea mining are all threats to the ocean floor.

     

    Food Culture & History

    • The explosive dominance of soy over a century went unnoticed by most Americans – except for those growing it. (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2SCLttG
    • Battling the Scourge of ‘Embalmed Milk’ (undark) https://bit.ly/2CdUPqH                                                                                          How an obscure Indiana public health official pioneered the campaign against tainted dairy products at the turn of the 20th century.

     

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

    • There’s a Hunger Crisis in north Carolina (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2QUNrbK
      • Report: Many North Carolinians continue to struggle to afford enough food, especially in households with children (NC Policy Watch) https://bit.ly/2CcVk48
    • Living Homeless in California: The University of Hunger (Capital & Main) https://bit.ly/2PCkblh                                                                            A January study found that 11 percent of students on the California State University’s 23-campuses reported being homeless during the past year. At Humboldt State nearly a fifth said they’d been homeless at one point during 2017.

     

    • Kentucky congressman questions food stamps: ‘If healthcare is a right, is food as well?’ (Market Watch) https://on.mktw.net/2Stcksc
    • The world’s most nutritious foods (BBC) https://bbc.in/2GtsIUu  After analyzing more than 1,000 raw foods, researchers ranked the ingredients that provide the best balance of your daily nutritional requirements – and they found a few surprises.

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • The United States has an Epidemic of Processed Food – and it’s Killing Us (Medium) https://bit.ly/2S288zO
    • The US Appetite for Sugar Has Skyrocketed (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2RCsP5i                                                                              Americans are eating too much of the sweet stuff, and a staggering portion of it is coming from drinks like soda.
    • What Do Americans Think About Food Additives and GMOs? (Scientific American) https://bit.ly/2Qg4C81                                    About half think they’re unhealthy; the other half aren’t especially concerned
    • 12 Million Pounds Of Beef Now Under Recall Over Salmonella Risk (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2BQPoxM                                Nearly 250 people in 26 states have contracted salmonella poisoning, the USDA says.

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • Restaurant Owner Says Photos of Opossums Running Around the Kitchen Are No Bid Deal (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2Pp0Xzy  My noodle & Bar’s owner acknowledged that there had been an opossum in his restaurant, but said that it was “like three months ago.”
    • Why Are Arsonists Targeting Montreal Pizzerias? (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2QD127w                                                                                  Three recent Molotov cocktail attacks have local restaurant owners shaken.

     

    Training & Education

     

    Children & School Food

    • Shelby County bus driver goes the extra mile after weather cancels breakfast (abc3340) https://bit.ly/2Em18d5
    • Preschoolers Served Pine-Sol Instead Of Apple Juice In Snack Mix-Up (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Ub8SEn
    • Waste not, want not (grist) https://bit.ly/2SiMirA                      Schools waste $5 million a day in uneaten food. Here’s how Oakland is reinventing the cafeteria
    • Town hires debt collector to get families to pay for school lunches (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2EiKv1Z                                              School officials in Carnston, Rhode Island are getting aggressive in seeking payment from parents in arrears for their kids’ meals.

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • Michigan Is the Latest Example of the Restaurant Lobby Subverting Democracy (Talk Poverty) https://bit.ly/2GaYU2L

    Minimum wage increases are popular, but lawmakers keep overturning them.

     

    • Marriott Hotel Strike Ends With San Francisco Workers Winning Better Pay (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2rkP0kN          Thousands of workers reached an agreement with the nation’s largest hotel chain after a multi-city, non week strike for better pay and protections.
    • Amazon workers in New York just announced their plan to unionize (Vox) https://bit.ly/2Eh6NkO                                                        “We are not robots, we are human beings.”

     

    Pollinators & Insects

    • Butterfly sanctuary expected to be plowed over for Trump’s border wall (CBS News) https://cbsn.ws/2BXVhcq
      • Most Diverse Butterfly Center in the US to be Bulldozed for Trump’s Border Wall (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2S3yd1r

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • Waterkeeper Alliance and EWG Hurricane Florence Flooded Poultry Operations Housing 1.8 Million Birds, Investigation Finds (Environmental Working Group) https://bit.ly/2Pg6acM
    • Scary Map Shows Where Animal Poop Is Turning into Deadly Ammonia Pollution (Live Science) https://bit.ly/2B0sUIH
    • Without drastic changes, Idaho’s wild steelhead are on a path to extinction (Idaho Statesman) https://bit.ly/2QE0nCZ

     

    Business, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • The Trouble With Tuna: ‘A Lot of Millennials Don’t Even Own Can Openers’ (The Wall Street Journal) https://on.wsj.com/2FWkXdB  StarKist, Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea deal with Slumping market amid competition from fresher options.
    • Tuan Fish Is Struggling Because ‘Millennials Don’t Even Own Can Openers’ (Food & Wine) https://bit.ly/2PkSVYJ
    • PR company accused of using ‘tobacco lobbyist tactics’ to promote weedkiller linked to cancer (Independent) https://ind.pn/2QIclLT                                                                              Roundup maker Monsanto reportedly funded campaign to defend chemical
    • See How Well the GOP Tax Scam Is Creating Jobs? Walmart Announces Plans for 360 Robot Janitors (Common Dreams) https://bit.ly/2QyMGVL                                                                                      The company still faces calls to raise its minimum hourly pay, but machines don’t ask for a living wage
    • Dollar stores are feeding more Americans than Whole Foods, and it’s leading some communities into crisis (Business Insider) https://read.bi/2A29pQr
      • Dollar Tree is one of the only chains that Amazon can’t beat – and it runs the most appalling store we’ve ever seen (Business Insider) https://read.bi/2M1PgOA
    • The Hard Truths of Trying to ‘Save’ the Rural Economy (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2zYmVVq
      • Report: 2018 Distressed Communities Index: From Great Recession to Great Reshuffling (Economic Innovation Group) https://bit.ly/2ElMbJz
      • Report: Countering the geography of discontent: Strategies for left-behind places (Brookings Institute) https://brook.gs/2RSdfC4
      • Saving the heartland: Place-based policies in 21st Century America (Brookings Institute) https://brook.gs/2Gl3AmN

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • Trump administration finalizes rollback of school lunch regulations championed by Michelle Obama (Yahoo! News) https://yhoo.it/2QGRs3z
    • Justice Department urges Supreme Court against hearing cage-free egg lawsuit (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2E0ES8z  … Should the Supreme Court take the DOJ’s lead, it would effectively validate and uphold California’s first-of-its-kind legislation, which bans the sale of eggs laid by hens in confinement…
    • EPA’s New Water Rule Will Gut The Clean Water Act (The Intercept) https://bit.ly/2UqHMsQ
      • EPA’s Own Data Refutes Justification For Clean Water Act Rollback (The Intercept) https://bit.ly/2S04IgR
      • Government Agencies Make Waves With New Definition for Waters of the United States (WOTUS) (Growing Produce) https://bit.ly/2S0LBU8
      • The EPA’s new Dirty Water Rule risks millions of people’s drinking water supply (NRDC) https://on.nrdc.org/2RYbnIz
      • Trump administration poised to strip protections from up to two-thirds of California streams and millions of acres nationwide (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2S3UYCy
    • Clean Up 14-Year Oil Spill or Face $40K Daily Fine, Feds Tell Taylor Entergy (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2PTdkci
    • Buried in Wisconsin Republican’s lame-duck legislation: Drug-testing requirement for food stamp applicants (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2Eo5npi
    • Outgoing Michigan GOP Governor Signs Bills Gutting Minimum Wage Hike, Paid Sick Leave (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Gk0ZK1
    • Missouri voters said no to ‘right to work.’ Republican lawmakers want it anyway. (St. Louis Dispatch) https://bit.ly/2zNnBNj
    • “Natural” chicken can’t be given antibiotics, or confined indoors, says California judge (New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2QUuPsF                                                                                      That might sound obvious. But in the absence of strong regulations, a raft of lawsuits are trying to change the fact that “all-natural” can mean, well, almost anything.
    • The Art of the Farm-Bill Deal (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2LfTlPC  The $867 billion legislation doesn’t include stringent new work requirements for food-stamp recipients long sought by conservatives.
    • A Boost for Farmers Who Aren’t Old and White (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2A0xebA                                                                                          The farm bill on Trump’s desk funds programs that help make farming more accessible
    • The Farm Bill Ignores the Real Troubles of US Agriculture (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2UJM7aZ                                                                                  True farming reform means adjusting the system to support small and midsize producers and cultivating a more sustainable system of agriculture.
    • The Farm Bill’s Winners And Losers (Forbes) https://bit.ly/2QFL5xu
    • How Paul Ryan is selling his food stamp loss (Politico) https://politi.co/2BiBWku                                                                                  The compromise farm bill is stripped of every controversial proposal the House GOP wanted on food stamps.
    • Farm Bill Receives Mixed Response From Rural Advocates (Daily Yonder) https://bit.ly/2rBXsMU                                                                      The farm bill passed – and in today’s Congress, that’s news. But advocates say the bill could have done much more to improve the position of small farms versus corporate interest. And in a light but direct rebuke of the Trump administration, Congress will require the Department of Agriculture to reinstate the position of Undersecretary of Rural Development.

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

    • Big Tongues, and Extra Vertebrae: The Unintended Consequences of Animal gene Editing (The Wall Street Journal) https://on.wsj.com/2SSK5U5                                                          Unintended consequences have included enlarged rabbit Tongues and extra pig vertebrae, as bioethicists warn of hubris

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

     

    Poisons

    • A Killing Season (The New Republic) https://bit.ly/2PEjB6E    Monsanto’s new herbicide was supposed to save US farmers from financial ruin. Instead, it upended the agriculture industry, pitting neighbor against neighbor in a struggle for survival.

     

    Education & Training

    • How Atlanta Is Turning Ex-Cons into Urban Farmers (Politico) https://politi.co/2SwzttP                                                                                      An ambitious young activist is using the local food movement to help break the cycle of incarceration.
    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update for December 2, 2018

     

    • Unlike a Globalized Food System, Local Food Won’t Destroy the Environment (Turthout) https://bit.ly/2PdX7sT
    • José Andrés is nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, congressman confirms (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2reQoFT                                                                      Sometimes the greatest act of peace is to feed another human being.
    • Doria Robinson on how urban agriculture can heal a community’s imagination (Rob Hopkins) https://bit.ly/2P5tYjQ
    • This Veteran Learned the Value of American Wool in the Army. Now He’s Raising His Own Sheep. (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2S8d71r
    • The Gates Foundation’s Ceres2030 Plan Pushes Agenda of Agribusiness (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2SeRwER                                  The new Gates Foundation endeavor aims to infiltrate scientific literature in order to push the agenda of agribusiness.
    • There’s a New Hazelnut Spread in Town and It Wants to Take On Nutella (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2BtO8Ad                                            The Barilla Group is set to launch the palm oil-free Crema Pan di Stelle in January of next year.
    • Dominique Crenn Becomes First Woman In the United States To Earn 3 Michelin Stars (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2BKKORD    The stars, award to Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, mark a milestone for female chefs in America.
    • San Francisco Chef Becomes First Woman in US to Receive 3 Michelin Stars (NBC Bay Area) https://bit.ly/2Q7Rm5q

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • New CDC Data Shows That Farmers Don’t Have America’s Highest Suicide Rate (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2r5WDeW          But the problem hasn’t gone away.
    • ‘Farming While Black’: A Guide To Finding Power And Dignity Through Food (NPR) https://n.pr/2PB3Ke1
    • The Cow-Milking Robots Keeping Small Farmers in Business (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2P4RnGc                                                            Around the country, dairy farms are struggling to stay open, embracing technology may be one way to make them more efficient.
    • Wisconsin dairy farmers barely hanging on as crisis deepens with no end in sight (Journal Sentinel) https://bit.ly/2r5DSs9
    • Illinois Farmers Put Rare Pig Back On Dinner Table To Save It From Extinction (NPR) https://n.pr/2PBU95P
    • Strict Amazon protections made Brazilian farmers more productive, new research shows (The Conversation) https://bit.ly/2PimRtm
    • Are artisanal foodie brands ruining a California national park? (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2yVNutN                                                    Herds of cows provide meat and airy for influential purveyors, but environmentalists’ say they despoil the landscape                                            I grew up not far from these farms on what is now the Point Reyes National Seashore, and watched the transition to the National Seashore.

     

    Land and Soil

    • For a New Generation of Farmers, Accessing Land is the First Step Toward Tackling Consolidation (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2S9DTqy
    • Eliot Coleman: Organic is a System of Agriculture That Acknowledges the Pre-Eminence of Soil Life (The Cornucopia Institute) https://bit.ly/2SctESd

     

    Climate

    • Global food system is broken, say world’s science academies (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QrU8BT                                                          Radical overhaul in farming and consumption, with less meat eating, needed to avoid hunger and climate catastrophe
    • If We Want To Transform the Food System, We Must First Transform Ourselves (Eva Perroni) https://bit.ly/2AIMSIb
    • Study suggest meat and dairy industry on track to surpass oil companies as biggest greenhouse gas emitters (PHYS.org) https://bit.ly/2QxZ9Jk
    • Palm Oil Was Supposed to Help Save the Planet. Instead it Unleashed a Catastrophe. (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2Tt2SGx                  A decade ago, the US mandated the use of vegetable oil in biofuels, leading to industrial-scale deforestation – and a huge spike in carbon emissions.
    • Oregon and California crabbers sue fossil fuel companies (Oregon Live) https://bit.ly/2E7xQzN
      • West Coast crab fishers file ‘industry against industry’ climate change lawsuit (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2OQyKla            The suit opens up a new frontier in climate change litigation.

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • Is a New Toxic Danger Threatening California? (Capital and Main) https://bit.ly/2Tuxho8                                                                                        PFAS compounds are found in clothing, carpeting, furniture, food packaging, non-stick cooking products and fire-fighting foams. They’ve been lined in humans to cancers and hormonal disruptions, as well ad developmental, reproductive, and immune system problems.
    • History and Use of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Interstate Technology Regulatory Council) https://bit.ly/2DQjCSN
    • Page 8 has a list of consumer products containing PFAS, it is everywhere, that said the fact that is also found in food packaging, medical products, and personal care products is unbelievable.
    • Too soon for Hudson River (PCB) dredging to be deemed complete, Dutchess (County) Exec Molinaro says (Daily Freeman) https://bit.ly/2r5Wnws

    Food Culture & History

    • Why Most of America Is Terrible at Making Biscuits (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2DSf4w8                                                                                  There’s a scientific reason that no one outside the South can nail the iconic baked good.
    • The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday (Time) https://bit.ly/2zn8IRy

     

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

    • Hidden Hunger: A Bay Area Paradox (San Francisco Chronicle) https://bit.ly/2BD2DBQ                                                                                  While the Bay Area booms, more than 870,000 people remain food insecure. That’s more than the entire population of San Francisco. How did this happen?
    • Overview: How families slip through https://bit.ly/2ArDk3R    On in 10 Bay Area residents earns too little to cover the cost of living; of those, 62 percent earn too much to qualify for food stamps
    • The Mother: Two meals a day https://bit.ly/2E3R8pr                       A San Francisco family tries to get by on two meals a day, and a higher paying job might make the problem even worse
    • The Pastor: Tending the hungry https://bit.ly/2RjOZsL                     In San Jose, a pastor feeds an immigrant community that avoids food banks
    • The retired teacher: Dire straits in Marin https://bit.ly/2E4IQxM                                                                                        A former Mill Valley teacher who never thought she’d need the food bank faces a hardscrabble retirement
    • The Seniors: In Facebook’s shadow https://bit.ly/2TW4I3c        Low-income seniors in East Palo Alto support each other through meals and laughter
    • The Doctor: The quest to provide healthy solutions https://bit.ly/2FLVWBv                                                                                  Meet the UC San Francisco professor who is fighting food insecurity and drawing attention to the links between poor health and a poor diet
    • In Trump’s America, Immigrants Are Afraid to Apply for Food Stamps (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2DJR5OU                                        A new study shows SNAP participation rates dropped 10 percent this year – after a decade of steady increase.

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

    • Enormous amounts of food are wasted during manufacturing – here’s where it occurs (The Conversation) https://bit.ly/2oNeRke
    • One in six points of milk thrown away each year, study shows (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QmoqWQ                                            Analysis suggests 116 million tonnes of dairy products are wasted globally, with almost half lost before they ever reach a store

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • It’s still not safe to eat romaine lettuce (Vox) https://bit.ly/2P3yLCk                                                                                            But investigators are getting closer to the source of the outbreak. Keep holding off on those Caesar salads.
    • Avoid all romaine lettuce, CDC warns amid E. coli outbreak (Dallas News) https://bit.ly/2DR3Yat                                                          Here we go again, this is the second outbreak in 2018
    • What To Know About The Romaine E. coli Outbreak Ahead of Thanksgiving (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2R0ZpgY
    • In Throes of Turkey Salmonella Outbreak, Don’t Invite Illness to Your Table (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2P21wzm

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • The Great Virginia Grape Heist (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2Ua4t4C                                                                                          And other tales of agricultural banditry
    • Jell-O Is Jumping in o the Internet’s Weird Slime Obsession with Its Edible Ooze (Munchies) https://bit.ly/2FF20Mg                  Personally not that interested in eating muck that’s been kneaded with craon particles and carpet fibers, but maybe you are!
    • Pet Peacock Runs Away from Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2Bu9n4U                                     A Vermont couple is trying to recapture Pea, who has been on the run for around 6 weeks.

     

    Children & School Food

    • A Local Foundation Seeks to Revolutionize School Lunch Programs Across the County (303 Magazine) https://bit.ly/2PZb4An

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • US retail workers face long hours, poor pay and ‘anxiety through the roof’ on Black Friday (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2BsuQeG
    • There’s a (UK) Christmas crisis going on: no one wants to kill your dinner (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2TJYgvO                                    People don’t want to work in abattoirs (slaughterhouse) any more.
    • Population Growth Doesn’t Equal Wage Growth in These Cities (Pew Charitable Trusts) https://bit.ly/2PRHP2l
    • Workers Battle Trump Appointees on the National Labor Relations Board (The Progressive) https://bit.ly/2QM0FUX  Rather than encouraging collective bargaining and protecting workers’ freedom of association, the new leadership is making racial changes to Board policies, paving the way for corporate interests to dismantle unions.
    • The Gender Wage Gap Is Even Worse Than You Thought (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2TTAfCR
      • Report: Still a Man’s Labor Market: The Slowly Narrowing Gender Pay Gap (Institute For Women’s Policy Research) https://bit.ly/2P9oiFw
    • America’s wealthiest family owns Walmart. They can afford to pay workers $15 an hour. (USA Today) https://bit.ly/2Aokf2O
    • One Restaurant’s Simple, Remarkably Effective Way to Shield Servers from Sexual Harassment (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2KAWdX3                                                                                        “No one starts by reaching their hand down someone’s shirt.”
    • Many California Farmworkers Forced to Stay Behind During the Wildfires (NPR) https://n.pr/2DLTett
      • California’s farmworkers are still working despite deadly wildfires (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2DYO9Pk                      Some of the state’s most vulnerable communities are bearing the brunt of climate change.
    • During California wildfires, farmworkers say they felt pressure to keep working or lose their jobs (The Wall Street Journal) https://wapo.st/2Dz5Zam
    • Months After Hurricane Florence, Undocumented Farmworkers Still Struggle to Recover (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2S2tj4g
    • One of America’s Poorest Cities Has A Radical Plan To Remake Itself (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2TMPmhn                                  “We’re creating pathways into the economy for people who’ve been shut out,” says Cleveland’s evergreen Cooperative.

     

    Pollinators

    • Mexico’s Endangered Stingless Bees Mysteriously Find A Sweeter Home In Cuba (NPR) https://n.pr/2RVIaO5                              A combination of hurricanes, pesticides and logging is leading to the decline of these unique bees, called Melipona beecheii…. The native peoples of the Yucatan practiced bee husbandry for thousands of years…
    • Cuba’s organic revolution (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2FHjJ5S                                                                                      The collapse of the Soviet Union forced Cuba to become self reliant in its agricultural production…
    • Scientist unveils blueprint to save bees and enrich farmers (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QgjToN                                                              Urgent planting of wildflowers will attract pollinators and boost farmers’ food crop, expert to tell UN. It is not just bees that are disappearing, but all of our insects.
    • The Insect Apocalypse Is Here (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2rcwNGe                                                                            What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?

     

    Animals, Fish & Seafood

    • In a rate wildlife success story, the wild turkey population is exploding in California (Salon) https://bit.ly/2R6smrS                      They are everywhere, I first had them come into my front garden back in Oakland, CA 2007
    • Why the biggest Thanksgiving lie may be the turkey on your table (AlterNet) https://bit.ly/2znjvee
      • Moneyball for Turkeys (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2DVEUiO      After decades of making turkeys bigger, breeders are hoping new technologies can make them better.
    • Tossing a Bird That Does Not Fly Out of Plane (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2zheRi4                                                                                                  A Thanksgiving story about the limits of human empathy
    • ‘We’ve bred them to their limit’: death rates surge for female pigs in the US (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2DHdqyc                            With sows producing 23 piglets a year on average, intensive farming is called into question over rise in animals suffering prolapse
    • Abuse of animals rife on farms across Europe, auditors warn (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2QLLGdT                                                              Europe-side investigation says intensive farming systems increase the risks of poor animal welfare
    • Activists condemn ‘disgusting attacks’ on pigs as two men convicted of cruelty (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2DIJ78p        Prosecution based on secret footage obtained by rights charity Animal Equality at Fir Tree farm in Lincolnshire
    • ‘Desperate need’ for better farm antibiotic use data (BBC) https://bbc.in/2PZY0e6                                                                                    Sheep and cattle farmers in Wales have been urged to record what antibiotics they are using on their animals.
    • The return of the giant cutthroat trout (Al Jazeera) https://bit.ly/2zrJHV8                                                                                        Anglers and conservationists celebrate as Nevada’s state fish returns to ancients spawning ground

     

    Business, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • Tesco and WWF bid to ‘halve environmental impact’ of UK groceries (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2RROuGe                            UK’s largest retailer falls short of removing palm oil from own brand foods in sustainability drive
    • New Archive Reveals How the Food Industry Mimics Big Tobacco to Suppress Science, Shape Public Opinion (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2Au5hrW
    • Marion Nestle: Superfoods Are a Marketing Ploy (The Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2yyywcU                                                                            Blueberries and macadamia nuts aren’t that good for you.
    • The Organic Food Industry Forges Its Own Path to Expand Growth (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2qZm3uv                                          Should organic farmers and processors pool their money to create their own “checkoff” program used for industry-wide research and marketing match like other food industries do?
    • Bison bars were supposed to restore Native communities and grass-based ranches. Then came Epic Provisions (The New Food Economy) https://bit.ly/2BGiKyB
    • A New Economic Model for the South: Ditch Corporate Welfare and Fund Agricultural Co-ops (In These Times) https://bit.ly/2FxhtxJ
      • Report: Agricultural Cooperatives: Opportunities and Challenges for African American Women in the South (Institute for Policy Studies) https://bit.ly/2KuI65q
    • America’s monopoly problem, in one chart (Vox) https://bit.ly/2SgToNm                                                                                      From cell phone providers to beer to cat food, consumers have a lot fewer choices when it comes to buying – even if they don’t know it.
    • Report: American’s Concentration Crisis (Open Markets Institute) https://bit.ly/2ShvykF
    • More and more companies have monopoly power over workers’ wages. That’s killing the economy (Vox) https://bit.ly/2qdVWzp    The trend can explain slow growth, “missing” workers, and stagnant salaries.
    • The Supreme Court just quietly gutted antitrust law (Vox) https://bit.ly/2wppcXE                                                                                              A decision in favor of American Express will make it easier for big tech to pressure workers, suppliers, and customers.
    • Farm bankruptcies have doubled under Trump – and the worst is yet to come (AlterNet) https://bit.ly/2Sje3Ap                                          We all knew this was coming.

     

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • South Korea closes dog slaughterhouse amid activist pressure (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Q1wmgR                                                Animal rights groups hope closure of complex will lead to ban on dog meat consumption
    • French Government Starts Phase-Out of Glyphosate With Online Farmer Platform and Herbicide Tax (Sustainable Pulse) https://bit.ly/2QsAmq6
    • Hemp Is Finally About To Go Fully Legit In The US (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2AGClwT                                                                                  For almost 50 years, hemp has been considered a schedule I substance alongside more potent strains of marijuana. Congress is finally set to change that.
    • The First-Ever National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Was Just Unveiled – And It’s a Game Changer (In These Times) https://bit.ly/2Q83R12
    • GIPSA is Dead; the Fight for Producer Protections Continues (Organization for Competitive Markets) https://bit.ly/2E5zP7D      In a move designed to take a thorn out of the side of the world’s largest meatpackers, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue put the final nail in the coffin of the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)…
    • A New EPA Rule Would Allow Factory Farms to Avoid Reporting Air Pollution (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2DBZ806
      • Trump’s EPA concludes communities don’t have the right to know about potentially toxic emissions (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2P2NamR                                                                        Industry supporters describe potentially toxic emissions as “normal odors” from animal waste.
    • Trump farm bailout checks coming to Wisconsin vary from thousands to a few dollars (Journal Sentinel) https://bit.ly/2DS5Ija
      • Dozens of Iowa farmers get lass than $25 from Trump tariff assistance, data show (Des Moines Register) https://bit.ly/2QlNU6t
      • A $12 Billion Program to Help Farmers Stung by Trump’s Trade War Has Aided Few (NYT) https://nyti.ms/2AnlfUL
      • Lost jobs, shrinking growth, and rotting crops – here are the ways Trump’s trade war is hurting America (Business Insider) https://read.bi/2KIj4Qv
    • US trade deal would flood Britain with ‘cheap, inhumanely produced’ bacon (The Guardian) https://bit.ly/2Kudm4s            Trade deal would open door to meat containing banned growth promoters, from pigs kept in conditions banned in UK, industry leaders warn
    • City Not for Sale: Baltimore Voters Push Back on Privatization (Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2AHckxE                                           Measure to keep water works public passing by wide margin
    • Huge (Sacramento – San Joaquin River) Delta water deal backed by Dianne Feinstein, Jerry Brown, Kevin McCarthy (Sacramento Bee) https://bit.ly/2SllxTt                                                                                    The politics of water in California have been debated and fought over since before California became a state in 1850.                  Understanding that the California Central Valley consisted of approximately 5 million acres of permanent, seasonal and tidal wetlands, these wetlands have now been reduced by 90%. These wetlands were primarily fed by the Delta and (US Fish & Service) https://bit.ly/2PeiyKD                                                                            Additionally, approximately 1/3 of the San Francisco Bay and estuary has been filled in between 1850 and 1980, when the City of Berkeley was stopped from filling in a large portion of their shoreline. The SF Bay is currently 550 square miles. (Save the Bay) https://bit.ly/2RnSn5P

    What does this have to do with the Delta? The Delta is what feeds the remaining wetlands of the northern Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay. (Save the Bay) https://bit.ly/2fCxkZy

    All of this before we even talk about saving the salmon (at least 3 species), Delta Smelt (at least 3 species,) sturgeon, and 48 other species, some of which are non-native, like Stripped Bass. (UC Davis) https://bit.ly/2Qt7Moo

    • California Governor Jerry Brown Signs Bill to End Use of Drift Gillnets (PEW Charitable Trusts) https://bit.ly/2Pgr1hi            Congress should take similar action to protect marine life
    • (MI) Senate Republicans vote to scale back Michigan minimum wage, paid sick leave laws (The Detroit News) https://bit.ly/2r9FIs1
      • Background: Michigan GOP lawmakers adopt minimum wage, sick leave plans with aim to amend (The Detroit News) https://bit.ly/2BEOrbq                                                                          Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature on Wednesday approved citizen-initiated legislation raising the state’s minimum wage to $12 per hour and requiring paid sick leave, a move designed to make the proposals easier to change.
    • Mind The Junk Food: London To Ban Ads For Unhealthy Eats On Public Transportation (NPR) https://n.pr/2DNFDSb
    • After years of debate, LA legalizes sidewalk vending: ‘This means freedom’ (LA Times) https://lat.ms/2E3M9oJ

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

    • Tanzania orders destruction of Monsanto/Gates’ GM trials due to illegal use for pro-GM propaganda (African Centre For Biodiversity) https://bit.ly/2PPkONn

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

     

    GrowCalgary Blog Posts

    Jenny’s Food & Ag Update November 20, 2018

     

    • Alexandria Oasio-Cortez Learned Her Most Important Lessons from Restaurants (Bon Appétit) https://bit.ly/2AWnxvn
    • ‘Farming saved my life.’ Veteran turns to the land for PTSD therapy and a new beginning. (The News and Observer) https://bit.ly/2zVYE1a
    • Taquero Drives Out To Wildfire Evacuation Camp, Feeds Hundreds Left Homeless By Blaze (Latin Live) https://bit.ly/2TnWnEQ
    • How A Ragtag Group Of Oregon Locals Took On The Biggest Chemical Companies In The World – And Won (The Intercept) https://bit.ly/2OelaM4
    • Catch me if you can: How the paiche plague in Bolivia’s Amazon is making its way onto menus (Independent) https://ind.pn/2RVwHhw
    • China Plows Ahead With Modern Farming as American Tariffs Drive Up crop Costs (Wall Street Journal) https://on.wsj.com/2qUnqdW                                                                         The trade fight gives Beijing fresh incentive to beef up a sector dominated by small farms with low crop yields

     

    Farmers, Farming, Ranching, Herding, Fishing & Production

    • What’s Behind the Crippling Dairy Crisis? Family Farmers Speak Out. (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2Ddcfog                                                          In the Northeast, the dairy crisis is shuttering generations-old diaries. Can the crisis become a rallying political issue?
    • What’s the Big Problem With Paper Pots? (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2FvHyx8                                                                                           An efficient Japanese potting system has come under minor fire in the past year. What’s the deal?

     

    Land and Soil

    • Rare microbes lead scientists to discover new branch on the tree of life (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) https://bit.ly/2Pzzj7Q                                                                Hemimastigotes are more different from all other living things than animals are from fungi

     

    Climate

    • Natural Climate Solutions Could Cancel Out a Fifth of US Emissions, Study Finds (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2qQhfHY                                                                                      Low-tech, time-tested forest, farm and land management techniques are effective, cheap and carry benefits well beyond tackling climate change.
    • Crab Fishers Sue Fossil Fuel Industry Over Climate Change Damage (Inside Climate News) https://bit.ly/2PBnuy3                   The lawsuit by the largest West Coast commercial fishing association seeks to hold 30 companies accountable for harming shellfish and livelihoods as the ocean warms.

     

    Plants, Seeds & Cultivars

    • The Last Tree Standing (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2DMYI7L  For thousands of years, breadfruit grew in the Pacific Islands, where it was a staple in locals’ diets. It’s time to give it another look.

     

    Food Culture & History

    • Decolonizing Cuisine with Mak-‘amham (KCET) https://bit.ly/2KblG93                                                                                              … two Ohlone chefs are revitalizing Ohlone language, food practices and adapting them for a modernist palate.
    • Young Women are Reviving Indigenous Food Traditions Online (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2PkBJXS                                                                     A new generation of Native Americans is celebrating its food culture and promoting food health – with the help of social media and YouTube-friendly videos.
    • Black Migrants: Photographs of California’s Forgotten agricultural Past (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2BcxDIS
    • A Bronze Age tomb in Israel reveals the earliest known use of vanilla (Science News) https://bit.ly/2Q7ODYW                               Jugs that date to about 3,600 years ago hold traces of the aromatic substance

     

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

    • This misinterpreted Bible verse is behind Republican efforts to deny food to poor people (Raw Story) https://bit.ly/2A2LKP8
    • This Community is Addressing Food Insecurity, One Grocery Store at a Time (Civil Eats) https://bit.ly/2SKEDmX
    • How Nutritious Is That Fish? To Find Out, Ask Its Relatives (EcoWatch) https://bit.ly/2Pw1wfR                                                            Eels and anchovies don’t look or act much alike. One is sinuous and shy, the other is a bright flash of silver in a school of thousands…

     

    Gleaning, Foraging, Reuse, Recycling, Composting & Waste

    • France’s war on waste makes it the world’s most sustainable country (World Economic Forum) https://bit.ly/2ydEcc2
    • The Biggest Source of Plastic Trash You’ve Never Heard of (ensia) https://bit.ly/2PGxKoU                                                                                    From acres of sheeting to miles of twine, farms use billions of pounds of plastic each year. What can we do to reduce the impact?
    • The Problems With Bioplastics (Eastbay Express) https://bit.ly/2Qb1VUN                                                                               People mistakenly try to recycle them, thereby contaminating the waste stream. Plus, they’re not really compostable.

     

    Healthy Food & Food Safety

    • India is awash in palm oil, and health takes a hit (Food & Environmental Reporting Network) https://bit.ly/2B0pIyl        From traditional snacks to fast food, the cheap oil is everywhere. Rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease – already high – are rising.
    • Watch The Iceland Christmas Ad Which Will Never Be Shown After Authorities Banned It (LBC UK) https://bit.ly/2Pq8KlD
    • Food Stamps For Soda: Time To End Billion-Dollar Subsidy For Sugary Drinks? (NPR) https://n.pr/2OEDTg3

     

    Food Fraud, Scandals, Weird & Funny

    • Australian Police Arrest 50 Year Old Woman After Needles Found In Strawberries (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2PPzzz6   Police have said that the accused worked as a supervisor at a strawberry farm in Queensland.

     

    Children & School Food

    • France’s Crisis Epidemic of Limbless Babies (Daily Beast) https://thebea.st/2QJWOru                                                                    Doctors are confounded on why kids from two rural French towns were born without parts of their arms and hands between 2012 and 2013.
    • What School Lunches Have to Do With Fixing Wealth Inequality (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2QE3TKg                                                        Dismantling a capitalist food system could begin with schools, which nationwide spend about $3 billion on food contracts.

     

    Labor, Unions & Coops

    • Your Halloween Candy’s Hidden Ingredient: Child Slave Labor (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2DdIjYS                                          Chocolate makers say they’re tackling the problem, but progress is scant.
    • Arkansas and Missouri Approve Minimum Wage Increases (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2SX5vA7
      • The Fairness Project https://bit.ly/2RJ3QwB                              Also: Massachusetts Passed $15 minimum wage            Michigan passed Paid Sick Leave                                                            San Antonio, TX passed Paid Sick Leave
    • Dozens of Farmers Continue to Harvest Despite Proximity of (California) Fires (NBC Los Angeles) https://bit.ly/2Q0xkZH
    • New Department of Labor Numbers Show Farmers Are Increasingly Turning to this Controversial Visa Program (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2zChOJm                                                             Positions certified for the H-2A visa are up 21 percent over last year.

     

    Pollinators

    • Hemp fields offer a late-season pollen source for stressed bees (Science News) https://bit.ly/2A8iuGA                                                   Low-THC cannabis attracts a wide range of bee species collecting for larvae

     

    Animals

    • Meet Winston: America’s First Certified Therapeutic Rooster (Modern Farmer) https://bit.ly/2FtHRsg                                               From the moment he dons his red bandana, he’s ready to comfort people in pain. Just how good is Winston? Good Enough to have earned a testimonial letter from the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic.
    • Three month after jury awarded millions in hog-waste lawsuit, trial begins in another case (The News and Observer) https://bit.ly/2PuDS3m
      • Odor, flies and noise. Hog farming goes on trial again with high-stakes federal lawsuit. (The News and Observer) https://bit.ly/2PWwe1a                                                                                    A high-stakes, month-long trail against the world’s largest pork producer () began in Raleigh…
    • As cruel industrial pig farming persists in the EU, one million citizens demand change (Euractiv) https://bit.ly/2zQygH8

     

    Business, Social Enterprise & Our Economy

    • From field to city: Are direct deliveries a viable business model for farmers? (Euractiv) https://bit.ly/2QDD3C3
    • The Beverage Industry Has Figured Out a Legal End Run Around Soda Taxes (Mother Jones) https://bit.ly/2qAaz0B                                 It worked in the state o Washington on Tuesday.
    • Chocolate giant Cadbury ‘still pushing orangutans towards extinction by wrecking habitat for palm oil’ (Independent) https://ind.pn/2zRhAOI
      • These everyday household products all contain unsustainable palm oil (Hastings & St. Leonards Observer) https://bit.ly/2qRJmq6
    • Why Co-ops and Community Farms Can’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap (Yes!) https://bit.ly/2DeV31w                              Circulating local dollars can’t create wealth when there’s not enough to begin with.
    • Trump’s tax cuts will help the Walton family more than Walmart workers (Market Watch) https://on.mktw.net/2PtdHdq                     A study suggests there’s a world of difference between the tax benefits enjoy by these workers and their employers
    • Walton Wealth: An Analysis of the Last 16 Years of Corporate Dividend Tax Breaks for the Riches Family in the US (Making Change At Walmart, UFCW) https://bit.ly/2PqrjGl
    • 1,100 economists warn that Trump is repeating one of the biggest mistakes of the Great Depression (Business Insider) https://read.bi/2Kgk79W

     

    Water & Our Oceans

    • Fifty Towns in Connecticut Have Now Banned Fracking Waste (Food and Water Watch) https://bit.ly/2JZORvM                           More wins for an inspiring grassroots movement to protect community health
    • US shale firms offer $100 million to aid Texas, New Mexico (Reuters) https://reut.rs/2Dvviub                                                               And what of the environmental damage?
    • Hormone-Disrupting Weed Killer Taints Tap Water for Millions in Corn Belt (Environmental Working Group) https://bit.ly/2KhRVn0
      • A Valuable Reputation (The New Yorker) https://bit.ly/2QWq7aj                                                                              After Tyrone Hayes said that a chemical was harmful, its marker pursued him.
    • Breathing Toxins For My Birthday (Food and Water Watch) https://bit.ly/2DABgKZ                                                                                       Red tide has been impacting the Western coast of Florida or months in horrifying ways

     

     

     

     

    Government, Regulation, Policy & Farm Bill

    • Trump has only distributed a fraction of promised bailout funds for farmers hurt by tariffs (Think Progress) https://bit.ly/2Bk8bBm                                                                                      Less than $900 million of $12 billion bailout program has actually been given to US producers.
    • Chinese – owned pork producer to get money from (US tariff) bailout program spurred by China’s tariffs (The Washington Post) https://wapo.st/2AVhCGT
    • Scientists warned this weed killer (Dicamba) would destroy crops. EPA approved it anyway (Reveal News) https://bit.ly/2Q1Vq6q
    • EPA Plans to Allow Unlimited Dumping of Fracking Wastewater in the Gulf of Mexico (Truthout) https://bit.ly/2QQCd4j
    • USDA won’t name turkey plants, despite 164 illnesses and 1 death (Food Safety News) https://bit.ly/2DCV00J                                 It appears that the USDA has finally released the source organizations…
    • Almost 46 tons of raw ground turkey recalled for link to Salmonella Reading outbreak (Food Safety News) https://bit.ly/2DJBX4H
    • Report: EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of Unregulated Pollutants in Land Applied Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment (EPA) https://bit.ly/2QdwMA4
      • EPA Watchdog Questions Safety of Sewage Used as Fertilizer (Bloomberg) https://bit.ly/2zjko7Q                                                     This issue is still not settled after the San Francisco Organic Biosolids fiasco in 2010?
    • USDA sued for not requiring verification for ‘humane’ labeling (Food Safety News) https://bit.ly/2DoKMjn
    • California is banning the sale of eggs from caged hens (World economic Forum) https://bit.ly/2qCmqLl
      • California Votes To Ban Cages For Hens, Give Farm Animals More Room (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2PIaia0   Proposition 12 may change the way farms nationwide treat their chickens, pigs and calves.
    • California pesticide regulators recommend new chlorpyrifos restrictions (The Californian) https://bit.ly/2Dxpv76
    • Republicans Are Making A Deal On Food Stamps And Farm Subsidies (Huffington Post) https://bit.ly/2DJ4QhB                      With Democrats taking over the House, Republicans are eager to pass the farm bill.

     

    GMOs, CRISPR, Cloning & Synthetic Biology

    • Genetically Engineered American Chestnut Tree Called ‘Trojan Horse’ at Opening Door to Commercialize GE Trees (Stop GE Trees) https://bit.ly/2KbPWAw
    • Is The Pentagon Modifying Viruses To Save Crops – Or To Wage Biological Warfare? (NPR) https://n.pr/2zC2610

     

    Food Science, Technology & Nanotechnology

     

    Poisons

    • Industry studies show evidence of bias and misleading conclusions on widely used insecticide: Scientists (Environmental Health News) https://bit.ly/2zlfSWl                                                          Data just doesn’t add up behind industry conclusions on chlorpyfrifos – a controversial insecticide linked to brain impacts for children.