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RESULTS		Results 276 – 300 of 713
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Mad Flavor in the Bay Area: Coffee fetish Blue Bottle generates more than just a caffeine buzz, but what does it mean?	Tom Philpott	31 Jan 2008	Gristmill
In 'Mad Flavor,' I describe exceptional culinary experiences from small artisan producers. Mad Flavor is currently reporting from the San Francisco Bay Area. Now these guys obsess over coffee. I say that with affection. For years, I home-roasted my own green beans. I once owned a vacuum pot, and used it lovingly until it shattered. A famous Roman espresso bar once moved me to tears of joy. But I've never dropped 20 grand on a fancy brewing contraption. Oakland ...
Topics: agriculture, food (all these topics)

Pesticide-free produce, pesticide-free kids Organic food reduces organophosphate exposure in children	Clark Williams-Derry	31 Jan 2008	Gristmill
By now, I think most people understand that organic food is supposed to be healthier for you. But I think there are still some people who feel that the health benefits are a just a bunch of marketing hype. Well, this new study suggests that it ain't just hype -- organic produce really does reduce kids' exposure to some potentially risky pesticides. From the Seattle P-I: The peer-reviewed study found that the urine and saliva of children eating a variety o ...
Topics: agriculture, food, health, organic food, toxics (all these topics)

Bittman on meat In case you'd forgotten, industrial meat is a friggin' nightmare	David Roberts	29 Jan 2008	Gristmill
It's a little weird that no one on Gristmill has yet pointed to Mark Bittman's stellar NYT piece on the environmental ravages of industrial meat. Philpott, where you at? Anyway, it's amazing. Go read it. Here's a taste (ha ha): Growing meat (it's hard to use the word "raising" when applied to animals in factory farms) uses so many resources that it's a challenge to enumerate them all. But consider: an estimated 30 percent of the earth's ice-free land i ...
Topics: agriculture, food, vegetarianism and veganism, climate, energy (all these topics)

Will peak oil force the localization of agriculture?	David Roberts	29 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Stuart Staniford says no. Sharon Astyk says yes. Jeff Vail also says yes.
Topics: agriculture, energy, food, local food, oil (all these topics)

GMOs as environmental pollution Schmeiser to play David to Monsanto's Goliath again	Kurt Michael Friese	28 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Most of you will recall the high-profile battle fought by Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser when he was sued for growing their GM seed without tithing to the corporation for the privilege. Schmeiser insisted that Monsanto's patented DNA blew onto his land, but he lost an acrimonious fight in Canada's Supreme Court anyway. Now Percy's back for more. Schmeiser has filed suit against the agribusiness giant in his Bruno, Saskatchewan, small claims court ...
Topics: agriculture, business, food, GMOs, industrial ag, litigation (all these topics)

USDA food-safety czar: Ethanol waste causes tainted beef -- and that's okay Let cows eat vaccines along with distillers grains	Tom Philpott	28 Jan 2008	Gristmill
In December, a study came out suggesting a link between distillers grains -- a waste product of the corn-ethanol process -- and a spike in cases of beef tainted with the deadly E. coli 0157 virus. You see, the government-mandated ethanol boom has dramatically pushed up corn prices. To cut costs, feedlot operators have been substituting cheap distillers grains for pricey corn. Thus in the past year or so, we've seen an explosion in use of distillers grain as livestock ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, Department of Agriculture, energy, ethanol, food (all these topics)

Eco-Farm: California dreaming Notes on California's big sustainable-farming conference.	Tom Philpott	28 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Note: This is another in a series of posts from Eco-Farm, the annual conference held by the Ecological Farming Association of California. At Eco-Farm, some 1,400-1,500 organic farmers, Big Organic marketers, and sundry sustainable-ag enthusiasts pack into a rustic, beautiful seaside conference hall an hour-and-a-half south of San Francisco to talk farming amid the dunes. Satan gave me a taco: Harvesting talent at Eco-Farm. Photo: Bonnie Powell, Ethicurean ...
Topics: agriculture, food, sustainable ag (all these topics)

Eco-Farm: Buzz kill A long-time beekeeper's take on colony collapse	Tom Philpott	27 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Note: For the next few days I'll be reporting from Eco-Farm, the annual conference held by the Ecological Farming Association of California. At Eco-Farm, some 1,400-1,500 organic farmers, Big Organic marketers, and sundry sustainable-ag enthusiasts pack into a rustic, beautiful seaside conference hall an hour-and-a-half south of San Francisco to talk farming amid the dunes. Long-time California bee keeper Randy Oliver gave an interesting session on apiary in an age o ...
Topics: agriculture, food, wildlife (all these topics)

Eco-Farm: Seeds of ignorance Investigative journalist reveals serious safety concerns about GM food	Tom Philpott	25 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Note: For the next few days I'll be reporting from Eco-Farm, the annual conference held by the Ecological Farming Association of California. At Eco-Farm, some 1,400-1,500 organic farmers, Big Organic marketers, and sundry sustainable-ag enthusiasts pack into a rustic, beautiful seaside conference hall an hour-and-a-half south of San Francisco to talk farming amid the dunes. I've been writing about genetically modified food since I first took up food-politics writing ...
Topics: agriculture, food, GMOs, health, industrial ag (all these topics)

Biomass, part III The most critical assumption on cellulosic biofuels: yields	Vinod Khosla	25 Jan 2008	Gristmill
My most critical assumption with cellulosic biofuels is on land efficiency: tons of biomass per acre, and hence gallons of fuel produced per acre, and more accurately, miles driven per acre. I believe biomass yields per acre will multiply by two to four times from today's norms. The lack of genetic optimization and research on cultural practices, harvesting, storage, and transport with would-be energy crops -- miscanthus, sorghum, switchgrass, and others -- m ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, ethanol (all these topics)

Eco-Farm: Eric Schlosser on Florida pickers and fair wages Fast Food Nation author regales organic-farmer audience	Tom Philpott	25 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Note: For the next few days I'll be reporting from Eco-Farm, the annual conference held by the Ecological Farming Association of California. At Eco-Farm, some 1,400-1,500 organic farmers, Big Organic marketers, and sundry sustainable-ag enthusiasts pack into a rustic, beautiful seaside conference hall an hour-and-a-half south of San Francisco to talk farming amid the dunes.The ever-excellent investigative writer Eric Schlosser kicked off Eco-Farm with a hard-hitting key ...
Topics: agriculture, food, industrial ag, organic food (all these topics)

Cystic River Ag practices are mucking with the Mississippi River, says research		24 Jan 2008	News
Posted at 2:47 PM on 24 Jan 2008 The Mississippi River has been dramatically changed by agricultural practices, says new research in the journal Nature. In the past 50 years or so, carbon levels in the river have jumped 40 percent, while the actual amount of water flowing through the riverbed has increased 9 percent -- the equivalent of five Connecticut Rivers. "Agricultural practices are causing a greater perc ...
Topics: agriculture, Mississippi River, news, scientific research (all these topics)

Genetically engineered 'supercarrot' New superfood is higher in press-release fluff and poor journalism than your average carrot	Matthew Dillon	24 Jan 2008	Gristmill
The best way to read this post is to begin with a recent press release from Texas A&M on their new Supercarrot. Second, read Wired magazine journalist Alexis Madrigal's coverage of the story. Alexis praises the next generation of biotech crops. He writes that, 'A carrot that increases what's known as the bioavailability of calcium could have a major impact in the marketplace.' Really? You are correct, Alexis: it could have a major impact on a totally ...
Topics: agriculture, food, GMOs, health (all these topics)

Pork porn Eating extremely local pigs	Adam Browning	24 Jan 2008	Gristmill
For pork lovers squeamish about hunting, check out this fascinating account of an intrepid urban farmer who doesn't let the fact she lives in the hood in Oakland, Calif., get in the way of her commitment to eating local. Very local. Like backyard local. So ... here's the piggies on day one. And last days.� Read up from the bottom. She's a beautiful writer, and she has some insightful things to say.
Topics: agriculture, food, local food, placemaking (all these topics)

Biomass, part II Better agronomy for energy crops	Vinod Khosla	24 Jan 2008	Gristmill
I believe improved crop practices are a vital aspect in meeting our cellulosic feedstock needs. There are a few areas that offer significant potential: crop rotation, the use of polyculture plantations, perennials as energy crops, and better agronomic practices. We address all four issues here. Though none of these have been extensively studied, early studies and knowledgeable speculation point to their likely utility. Further study of th ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, food (all these topics)

Seeds of wisdom Seed-savers and greens unite to challenge Monsanto's latest cash cow	Tom Philpott	23 Jan 2008	Gristmill
For years, candy makers and other industrial food manufacturers refused to use genetically modified sugar, fearing a consumer backlash. Photo: iStockphoto As a result, Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beet -- designed to withstand heavy application of Roundup, Monsanto's herbicide -- has been dead in the water. (Sugar beets, grown in the Midwest and Northwest, account for half of U.S. sugar production; cane, grown mainly in Florida, provides the rest.) B ...
Topics: agriculture, business, food, GMOs, industrial ag (all these topics)

Woe Dirt Erosion is as big a problem as climate change, say experts		22 Jan 2008	News
Posted at 4:29 PM on 22 Jan 2008 Planet Earth loses some 1 percent of its topsoil to erosion every year -- and that's an environmental threat on par with global warming, say experts. "Globally, it's pretty clear we're running out of dirt," says geologist David Montgomery, who identifies agriculture as the main culprit for "soil mining." In the U.S., cropland is estimated to be eroding at least 10 times faste ...
Topics: agriculture, news (all these topics)

Land and liberty How food sovereignty benefits people and planet	Erik Hoffner	22 Jan 2008	Gristmill
One of the most prominent voices fighting corporate control of food and water, Food and Water Watch, recently teamed up with international development and human rights organization Grassroots International to issue an important paper, 'Towards a Green Food System' (PDF), about how the food sovereignty movement (the right of peoples to define their own food, agriculture, livestock, and fisheries systems independent of market forces) emerging from Asia to Africa is good ...
Topics: agriculture, food (all these topics)

Biomass, part I Where will biofuels and biomass feedstocks come from?	Vinod Khosla	22 Jan 2008	Gristmill
When it comes to biofuels we have choices. We can do it poorly, using short-run approaches with no potential to scale, poor trajectory, and adverse environmental impact. Or we can do it right, with sustainable, long-term solutions that can meet both our biofuel needs and our environmental needs. We do need strong regulation to ensure against land-use abuses. I have suggested that each cellulosic facility be individually certified with a LEEDS-like 'CLAW' ratin ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

War is peace; sickness is life Livestock registration, pitched by feds as voluntary, is creeping toward mandatory	Kurt Michael Friese	22 Jan 2008	Gristmill
You have read, in this space among many others, of the sinister nature of genetic modification and the patenting of seeds. I have ranted endlessly about the dangers of the food system being in the hands of just a few corporate land barons. No reason to stop now. For about five years now the USDA and many large corporate interests have been pushing a program called the National Animal Identification System. NAIS is touted as an effective tool in battling the s ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, Department of Agriculture, politics (all these topics)

Countdown to the 2008 Farm Bill: Part V Direct and value-added marketing in the farm bill	Aimee Witteman	20 Jan 2008	Gristmill
This is the last installment of a five-part series of farm bill fact sheets from the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. For additional information about the status of sustainable agriculture priorities in the House and Senate versions of the farm bill, please check out SAC's farm bill progress chart. Farm Bill "conference" negotiations are underway at the staff level. Please call your Senators and Representative today and tell them what you want to see in th ...
Topics: ag policy, agriculture, food, politics (all these topics)

Slow Food working to help Kenya It's not always just Monsanto screwing with the food system	Kurt Michael Friese	18 Jan 2008	Gristmill
Creating a food system that is "good, clean, and fair" involves more than the buy-local mantra and the anti-Monsanto-ADM-WalMart rhetoric I and so many others constantly chanting. Sometimes even more evil and insidious obstacles lie in our way. Witness what's taking place in Kenya: The political crisis in Kenya is now turning into a food crisis. Some of the areas hit the hardest by violence -- among them the Rift Valley, Coast Province, Nyanza ...
Topics: agriculture, food, Kenya (all these topics)

Plowing up the Amazon Scientist says biofuel boom endangers world's largest rainforest	Tom Philpott	18 Jan 2008	Gristmill
A fifth of the Amazon rainforest -- the world's biggest carbon sponge -- has disappeared since the 1970s. The Brazilian government has succeeded in recent years in slowing the deforestation rate, but its efforts have recently been faltering. Bungle in the jungle. Photo: iStockphoto In the last four months, 2300 square miles of rainforest got leveled, Reuters reports. In the year before that, the forest surrendered 3700 square miles. If the current rate hold ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, Brazil, deforestation, energy, rainforests (all these topics)

Say Cheese Pennsylvania will allow hormone labels on dairy products		18 Jan 2008	News
Posted at 10:26 AM on 18 Jan 2008 A decision by Pennsylvania agriculture officials that dairy products sold in the state could not be labeled as synthetic-hormone-free sparked a consumer outcry and a review by Governor Ed Rendell. Yesterday, officials more or less reversed that ban: dairies will be allowed to advertise that their cows aren't shot up with synthetic hormones, which increase milk production. However, dairies toutin ...
Topics: agriculture, food, news, Pennsylvania (all these topics)

Dominant Traits Monsanto's latest court triumph cloaks massive market power	Tom Philpott	17 Jan 2008	Victual Reality
How does your garden grow? Photo: iStockphoto At first glance, it was an open-and-shut case. In 1998, Mississippi farmer Homan McFarling bought soybean seeds with genetic traits owned by Monsanto, then as now the world's dominant provider of genetically modified seeds -- and also the biggest herbicide maker. Like all farmers who buy GM seeds, McFarling signed a contract obliging him not to ...
Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, business, food, Victual Reality (all these topics)

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