by Leah Douglas | May 12, 2018 “Don’t raise more than what can be consumed.” With a trade war looming, commodity prices falling, and the dairy industry in full-blown crisis, a growing number of American farmers are embracing a controversial set of farm policies that would manage the country’s commodity production and stabilize crop prices….
by Ken Roseboro | 05.11.18 After seeing parents fall ill from cancer or die, many farmers are switching to organics to protect themselves and their children. Some farmers transition to organic production to earn premium prices. Others switch to make their farms more sustainable. But for some farmers, transitioning to organic is a necessary way…
by Danielle Beurteaux | April 2018 The idea began with a bin of discarded avocado pits. Where others would see waste, Drexel University Food Lab graduate students Sheetal Bahirat and Christa Kwaw-Yankson recognized an opportunity. After some experimenting, they made an avocado-pit tea by blanching, grating, and then dehydrating the pit. The tea has a…
by Olivia Solon | May 11, 2018 An extreme, all animal-based diet is gaining followers in search of heightened productivity, mental clarity, and a boosted libido. But experts express doubts For the past 18 months, Shawn Baker has eaten about 4lb of steak every day. “I’ve got two rib-eye steaks waiting for me when I…
by Dominique Patton | May 10, 2018 YAJI MOUNTAIN, China (Reuters) – On Yaji Mountain in southern China, they are checking in the sows a thousand head per floor in high-rise “hog hotels”. Privately owned agricultural company Guangxi Yangxiang Co Ltd is running two seven-floor sow breeding operations, and is putting up four more, including…
by Organic Consumers Association | May 9, 2018 Robert Reich wants you to know about the biggest economic problem you’ve heard almost nothing about—the Monopolization of America—and how it affects what you pay for food and other consumer products. In his latest video on Facebook, released Sunday and already seen by more than 500,000 viewers,…
by Karen Caffarini | May 9, 2018 As area farmers Keith Gustafson and Dan Sutton plant their corn and soybean fields this spring, they know work they did last fall will help increase this year’s yield, control erosion and improve water quality, among other benefits. Gustafson, who lives just south of Valparaiso in Porter County,…
by TIM RINNE With our grocery carts bulging and our meal portions super-sized, we don’t think about this much — but what if we were to run out of food? What if our grocery stores and restaurants — that rarely stock more than three days’ worth of inventory — couldn’t refill the shelves or serve…
by Ash Bruxvoort | Commentary, Rural Environment and Agriculture Project | 05.07.18 ‘I grew up on the urban-rural divide. I live it every day. And I’ve come to see how we collectively suffer when we see it as a debate, rather than an opportunity for growth and understanding.’ To most people, my dad is a…
by Sara Brown | May 8, 2018 The federal judge presiding over the hog odor nuisance lawsuit against Murphy-Brown LLC, a division of Smithfield Foods, Inc., has reduced the damage sentence from more than $50 million to $3.25 million. Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt granted a motion made by attorneys for Murphy-Brown to…