Grist | Topics | 77 Results

RESULTS		Results 26 – 50 of 77
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Mike Takes a Hike Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns resigns		20 Sep 2007	News
Posted at 9:01 AM on 20 Sep 2007 Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns is resigning, President Bush announced today. He is expected to run as a Republican for an open U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska, which is being vacated by retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel (R). source: Associated Press see also, in Grist: An interview with Chuck Hagel From the Archives I Fought the Thaw and the Thaw Won. Extent of sea ice in Arctic s ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, news, United States (all these topics)

The USDA goes all lukewarm on cellulosic ethanol In related news, the '07 corn harvest will break records	Tom Philpott	13 Sep 2007	Gristmill
For decades now, the USDA has been dumping cash into cellulosic ethanol research (most recently through a joint venture with the DOE). So the USDA's analysts should know something about the prospects for mass production of cellulosic ethanol, hailed by its boosters as a panacea that can wean us not only from oil, but also from corn as an ethanol feedstock. So what's the latest from USDA analysts on this miracle fuel? From a report released last week: Althou ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, Department of Agriculture, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

Agribusiness As Usual Huge organic dairy farm skirted organic rules, agrees to behave		30 Aug 2007	News
Posted at 12:11 PM on 30 Aug 2007 One of America's largest organic dairies has agreed to alter its operations to comply with national organic standards after the U.S. Department of Agriculture threatened to remove its certification for skirting the rules. Aurora Organic Dairy, which sells milk under the label High Meadows and also makes milk for private-label brands including Wild Oats and Wal-Mart, was accused ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, news, organic food, United States (all these topics)

The Cornucopia Institute bags another one USDA brings the enforcement hammer down on nation's largest organic dairy producer	David Roberts	30 Aug 2007	Gristmill
This, fresh from the Cornucopia Institute, is big news: Tonight at 7:20 p.m. EST, August 29, the USDA issued an emergency news release announcing that they had sent a Letter of Revocation to the Aurora Organic Dairy. In lieu of revoking Aurora's organic certification, the Agency has instead entered into a consent agreement requiring the nation's largest certified organic dairy to make substantial and wide-ranging changes to the livestock management practices a ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, organic food (all these topics)

Grass Backwards Carbon dioxide contributing to un-grassing of grassland, says new study		29 Aug 2007	Daily Grist
Grass Backwards Carbon dioxide contributing to un-grassing of grassland, says new study Thanks in part to rising levels of carbon dioxide, the world's grasslands are turning into woody shrublands, says a new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. When researchers artificially doubled CO2 levels over sections of the Colorado plains, they observed a fortyfold increase in the growth of fringed ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, habitat loss, news (all these topics)

Nothing busted but our chops How the 2007 Farm Bill can help restore market competition	Aimee Witteman	13 Jun 2007	Gristmill
Are federal authorities finally taking the idea that a few companies shouldn't be allowed to dominate the food system seriously? Well, the Federal Trade Commission recently blocked Whole Foods from gobbling up rival natural foods marketer Wild Oats. Congratulations to the FTC for busting up the natural-foods trust! But even combined, Whole Foods and Wild Oats would account for only 15 percent of natural-foods sales. Meanwhile, Smithfield Foods alone now controls ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, Congress, Department of Agriculture, Department of Justice, food, politics (all these topics)

Organic lite 'Organic' beer with conventional hops, and other USDA wishes	Tom Philpott	18 May 2007	Gristmill
It's happening again -- the USDA is scheming to water down organic standards for key products. This time, the targets are that sacred duo, beer and sausage. Beer is composed essentially of two agricultural products: barley and hops. If the USDA gets its way, makers of 'organic' beer will be able to use conventionally grown hops. And sausage is made up essentially of ground meat stuffed into casing made of animal intestines. The USDA would like manufacturers to ...
Topics: agriculture, business, Department of Agriculture, food, greenwashing, organic food (all these topics)

Monsanto tastes defeat Twice in one week!	Tom Philpott	08 May 2007	Gristmill
Monsanto has barreled its way toward dominance over the global seed market with strong-arm tactics and friends in high places. As evidence of the former, the roguish company once threatened to sue me -- then a neophyte blogger with 30 readers -- on the most trivial grounds possible. As for the latter, software monopolist Bill Gates, evidently impressed with the way Monsanto tosses around its market girth, has tapped a former Monsanto exec to help lead his foundation' ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, GMOs, industrial ag (all these topics)

Wanted: One good environmentalist USDA Seeks to fill enviro slot on Organic Board	Stephanie Paige Ogburn	17 Apr 2007	Gristmill
The United States Department of Agriculture seeks to fill an 'environmentalist' slot on the National Organic Standards Board, an opening announced in an April 16th press release. Why should you care? The NOSB makes recommendations to the USDA on what is allowable under USDA Organic Standards. Cloned animals? Recombinant DNA? Sewage sludge? The Board influenced all the decisions to keep these substances out, and will make important future recommendations as wel ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, environmental movement, green jobs, politics (all these topics)

Java justice Implications of the last organic latte	Stephanie Paige Ogburn	12 Apr 2007	Gristmill
Fair Trade producers in Mexico depend heavily on organic certification to reap price premiums for both labels, and will be hurt on more than one front by the recently released USDA rule requiring them to change certification practices, researchers say. In a recent article in Salon, later followed by a post on Gristmill, Samuel Fromartz detailed the consequences of a USDA ruling that would force a radical change in the way grower groups in the global South ce ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, organic food (all these topics)

Grinding to a Halt Changes in USDA policy could hit organic coffee hard		09 Apr 2007	Daily Grist
Grinding to a Halt Changes in USDA policy could hit organic coffee hard Hold onto your latte: News is seeping out about a change at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that could affect the cost and availability of organic products from developing countries, including bananas, spices, sugar, and coffee. Normally, a farm must undergo an annual inspection to get certified. But for years, co ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, food and agriculture, news, organic food (all these topics)

The last organic latte Organic coffee deep-sixed	Samuel Fromartz	05 Apr 2007	Gristmill
Due a recent decision over at the USDA's National Organic Program, organic coffee, in the U.S. at least, may be a thing of the past. I wrote about this decision on Salon and did not shout it out to Gristies right away (mea culpa), but I am now. The USDA decision, which affects the way small farmer cooperatives in the Third World are certified, will also dry up supplies of organic cocoa and curtail bananas. So eat your organic Dagoba bars now while they're still ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, organic food (all these topics)

Was It the Cowlick? U.S. federal judge bans sales, planting of genetically modified alfalfa		13 Mar 2007	Daily Grist
Was It the Cowlick? U.S. federal judge bans sales, planting of genetically modified alfalfa A first-of-its-kind ruling in the U.S. will stop Monsanto's genetically modified alfalfa in its tracks -- for now. Citing the USDA's failure to conduct an environmental impact statement before approving the crop in 2005 and its "cavalier" response to concerns that the franken-falfa could contami ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, food and agriculture, GMOs, news (all these topics)

Carry On My Wayward Gene Kansas could see first commercial crop of human-gene-containing rice		02 Mar 2007	Daily Grist
Carry On My Wayward Gene Kansas could see first commercial crop of human-gene-containing rice A California company is one step closer to growing rice that contains human genes on a commercial scale. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given a preliminary OK to a plan to sow 450 Kansas acres with the stuff this spring, with 2,750 more acres to come. Ventria Bioscience's three Frankenr ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, food and agriculture, GMOs, Kansas, news (all these topics)

The Senate slaps sustainable ag And what you can do about it	Tom Philpott	21 Feb 2007	Gristmill
Ask small-scale, sustainable-minded farmers where they go for tips, and invariably they'll mention ATTRA, an information clearinghouse funded by the USDA. Just this morning, I went to attra.org to get information on how to make organic potting-soil mix for starting seeds. Like many farmers, I've printed out copies of ATTRA's indispensable guides to cover crops and soil management and keep them in a prominent place in the farm office. As a new farmer, I can't imag ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, Congress, Department of Agriculture, politics, US Senate (all these topics)

The Short-Term Solution That Stuck Where farm subsidies came from, and why they're still here	Tom Philpott	30 Jan 2007	Victual Reality
Note: This is the second of a three-column series on the 2007 farm bill. The first article is available here; the third here. Fencerow to fencerow. Photo: iStockphoto Last week, I argued that it makes sense for society to support farming. Everybody needs to eat, and most would prefer to do so without devastating the environment or exploiting labor. Well, no one can accuse ...
Topics: ag policy, ag subsidies, agriculture, Big Ag, Department of Agriculture, industrial ag, Victual Reality (all these topics)

Situation Normal, All Ducked Up Feds won't make livestock-identification plan mandatory		13 Dec 2006	Daily Grist
Situation Normal, All Ducked Up Feds won't make livestock-identification plan mandatory Surprising exactly no one, a federal plan to track all U.S. livestock with ID tags remains controversial with farmers. Surprising some, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has given up on making it mandatory. Intended to trace disease and to combat -- wait for it -- agroterrorism, the National Animal Identification S ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, food and agriculture, news (all these topics)

Piscean Match Fishing industry, USDA square off over definition of organic fish		28 Nov 2006	Daily Grist
Piscean Match Fishing industry, USDA square off over definition of organic fish What makes a fish organic? That query has the U.S. Agriculture Department swimming in circles as it fleshes out a new organic rule. Is wild-caught fish the purest, or is closely monitored farm-raised fish the better option? If the latter, does it matter if the fish eats organic plant-based feed or -- cue creepy music -- other fish? ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, marine life, news (all these topics)

The Case of the Mislabeled Case Wal-Mart accused of incorrectly labeling organic products		16 Nov 2006	Daily Grist
The Case of the Mislabeled Case Wal-Mart accused of incorrectly labeling organic products Ah, Wal-Mart -- always reliable for some good old-fashioned eco-drama. This week, the Cornucopia Institute, an activist group representing small farmers, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that accuses Wal-Mart of incorrectly labeling or otherwise misrepresenting various products ...
Topics: Department of Agriculture, food and agriculture, news, Wal-Mart (all these topics)

Roughage Riders Senators threaten to impose industrial-strength rules on small vegetable farms	Tom Philpott	11 Oct 2006	Victual Reality
Salad greens thrive in the fall; they love brisk, cool nights and mild, sunny afternoons. Meet your greens. Photo: iStockphoto Here in western North Carolina, members of my farm's CSA (community-supported agriculture) program are enjoying salad mixes that include spicy arugula, mizuna, and purple Osaka leaves, along with bitter endive, earthy shinginku -- and yes, even spina ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, Congress, Department of Agriculture, food, local food, regulation, Victual Reality (all these topics)

USDA on 'grass-fed' cows: confine 'em and let 'em eat corn stalks A brazen move from an agency shot through with industry players.	Tom Philpott	06 Sep 2006	Gristmill
Cows that feed solely on pasture perform a valuable service: they transform what's inedible to us -- grass -- into a rich source of protein and other nutrients. And when such cows are raised in moderate numbers, they can actually improve the health and biodiversity of grasslands. Moreover, cows evolved to eat grass, so the pasture model is clearly the most animal-friendly way to create beef. To me, the grass-fed concept exemplifies responsible agrarianism: it's energy ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, organic food (all these topics)

Sucker Lunch It's time to get serious about reforming school lunches	Tom Philpott	06 Sep 2006	Victual Reality
Playground bullies aren't the only ones shaking down kids for their milk money. Despite lots of recent fuss about the poor quality of school-cafeteria fare -- and mounting evidence of widespread diet-related maladies among kids -- corporate interests are still lining up for their cut of the cash the federal government and families spend on feeding kids at school. Did you want fries with that? Pho ...
Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, Department of Agriculture, education, health, Victual Reality (all these topics)

Cold Comfort Farm Could small farms provide fresh food year-round, even in northern climes?	Tom Philpott	30 Aug 2006	Victual Reality
Is the sustainable-agriculture movement essentially Luddite? It's a common charge -- and a fair enough question. The Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, perhaps industrial agriculture's greatest living apologist, deplores at every opportunity the organic movement's supposedly technophobic ways. Addressing a graduating class a few years ago at Texas A&M -- that factory for fu ...
Topics: ag subsidies, agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, local food, sustainable ag, Victual Reality (all these topics)

How now organic cow? USDA will soon decide how much pasture time organic dairy cows should get	Lisa Hymas	11 Jul 2006	Gristmill
With demand for organic milk soaring, the stakes are high in the debate over what exactly 'organic milk' is -- and that debate will soon be settled, at least from a legal standpoint, by the USDA's National Organic Program. As Samuel Fromartz writes in The Rocky Mountain News, the NOP is now considering a proposed regulation that would require all organic dairy farms to meet a certain standard for letting their cows out into pasture. Current USDA regulations only require t ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, food, organic food (all these topics)

They Put the 'Dies' In 'Subsidies' Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' traced back to farm subsidies		17 Apr 2006	Daily Grist
They Put the "Dies" In "Subsidies" Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" traced back to farm subsidies You know that massive "dead zone" that shows up every year in the Gulf of Mexico? The oxygen-starved, life-free patch of water about the size of, oh, Connecticut? That's your tax dollars at work. The zone ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Working Group, Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Midwest, news, toxics (all these topics)

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