Agriculture | Grist

All they can eat

Big Ag not content with concessions in House climate bill 5
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago
The American Farm Bureau Federation, not content with the major concessions for agriculture that its congressional allies secured during the House climate debate, is now lobbying the Senate for a better deal.
The kitchen garden strategy

Plotting Michelle Obama’s next food move 2
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago
No one can deny that Michelle Obama wants to pique our appetites for food-system reform. But will she take on Big Ag?
Gates swinging in new direction?

Worldwatch gets $1.3 million Gates grant to look at sustainable ag in Africa 3
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago
In a move that may be a response to criticisms of its ag program, the Gates Foundation recently announced it was awarding a $1.3 million, two-year grant to Worldwatch to look at low-cost, low-tech techniques for improving ag productivity in Africa.
Waxman, Peterson announce agreement on cap-and-trade bill paving way for final vote this week 0
Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Peterson’s Waxman-Markey amendment: the nitty gritty and what it means 6
Posted 5 months ago
This morning the House Agriculture Committee released the 49-page Peterson amendment to the Waxman-Markey climate bill.
The Negotiators

The Non-Concession concession? 1
Posted 5 months ago
Henry Waxman and Ed Markey seem to have mastered the art of the non-concession concession: striking deals with potential opponents in ways that meet their needs while minimizing (though not entirely eliminating) the negative impacts.
Don't panic ... offsets for organic?

The bad and maybe not-so-bad of the Waxman-Peterson deal 6
Posted 5 months ago
Language of the Waxman-Peterson compromise has been released--and in some ways it's worse than I originally thought, and in some ways potentially better.
Our Oil Obsessed Civilization

The oil intensity of food 0
Posted 5 months ago
Today we are an oil-based civilization, one that is totally dependent on a resource whose production will soon be falling. This prospect of peaking oil production has direct consequences for world food security, as modern agriculture depends heavily on the use of fossil fuels.
If you liked it then you shoulda counted the swing votes

House swing votes stay mum on climate bill 1
Posted 5 months ago
Of the 31 lawmakers who form the statistical center of the House on the issue of climate change, only eight have given clear indication that they will vote for the Waxman-Markey energy bill.
News of a compromise foretold

How bad is the Peterson-Waxman deal on climate legislation? 7
Posted 5 months ago
Surprising no one--but disappointing many--House energy chief Henry Waxman has caved in to the demands of the the agribusiness industry over the climate bill. How bad is it?
Big Ag Wins!

Peterson gets his way with climate and energy bill 1
Posted 5 months ago
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Tuesday surrendered to agriculture interests on a key provision in the massive climate and energy bill he introduced with Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
Annals of Sausage Making

Collin Peterson is not killing the planet 0
Posted 5 months ago
Not yet, anyway. I agree with Tom Philpott that Peterson's meddling in the Waxman/Markey climate bill is far more than a distraction. Weakening the bill out of spite is pretty much the extreme opposite of statesmanship. And I decried Peterson's clearly implied climate denial just the other day. But I'm a bit leery of going quite as far as Philpott did today.
The issue is not growth or no growth, but a better world

Growing a better world 5
Posted 5 months ago
Questioning growth has been the obsessive focus of many for decades. Questioners make important points. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been, at best, a very rough proxy for wellbeing, often not even that. For this and other reasons many liberals, progressives, and leftists consider a "steady state economy" part of building a good society. For all that critics of growth get right, they focus in the end on the wrong thing, on growth rather than waste.
NYC's Newest Farm

Three-acre organic farm appears in the middle of New York Harbor 2
Posted 5 months ago
The sustainable garden with the most exclusive real estate in Washington is no doubt the one at the White House. The sustainable farm with the most exclusive view in New York City is the one that opened on Governors Island last week.
We don't want to know about your crap

Factory farms get the ultimate handout 5
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
An amendment in the 2010 Interior and Environment spending bill will prevent the EPA from requiring factory farms to report their GHG emissions -- a move that represents a blatant handout to large factory farms.
Home stretch!

Dems ‘very close’ to a climate deal, White House to intensify push for bill, floor vote 1
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
We are coming into the home stretch on the climate bill, and the key players are (finally) starting to step up their efforts.
Farm Crisis 2009

Stand up for rural America while you still can 4
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
For the past six months, dairy farmers across the country have suffered a historic drop in milk prices while operating costs remain high. This is impacting mainly conventional and small to mid-size family dairy farmers -- the worst crisis most dairy farmers have faced in their entire careers. Without immediate action from Congress and the Obama administration, this current crisis could be the launching point for the final liquidation of the independent family farmer.
Climate ... it's everywhere

What the U.S. climate report says about your state 1
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
Here's a rundown of what the Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States report says will happen in other regions of this great (for now!) American land.
Short Answer: Yes

Quiz: Should I see the critically acclaimed documentary ‘Food, Inc.’? 5
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
Food, Inc. is a riveting documentary. Fast-paced and chock full of detail, the film does not shy from shocking, rarely-seen footage. But should YOU, dear reader, go see it? Take our quiz to find out.
Running dry

Time to save our nation’s dairy farmers 51
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
Suicides, farm sales, milk dumping--that all might sound like scenes from the Great Depression. But right now, U.S. dairy farmers are in a severe crisis.