“This not a place to cut corners, food is just too important…” – Michael Pollen
Here’s a great common sense interview from CBS Nightly News with Brian Williams.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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Organic food is not a fad; it’s a phenomenon that’s here to stay. The principle goal of organic agriculture is to minimize soil degradation and erosion, decrease pollution while optimizing biological productivity in harmony with the environment. There is no disputing that organically grown produce is better for the environment and tastes better than soil grown crops that use polluting, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and systemic pesticides.
First let’s look briefly at some of the requirements and challenges organic growers must meet and overcome to be certified organic, then what it means to be organically grown, and finally why hydroponically grown produce is a healthy alternative to organically grown produce and possibly better for you.
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Check out this story about a soldier turned farmer who advocates connecting veterans with farmers to create mutually beneficial partnerships.
Matthew McCue’s memories of the time he spent in Iraq as a soldier are probably not what you would think. Along with the checkpoints, daily patrols, and desert heat, Matthew remembers vegetable gardens, carts brimming with watermelons, and local farmers. It is these vivid memories of Iraqi farmers and their produce that inspired his love of agriculture.
These days he lives in California and runs his own farm with his partner, Lily Schneider, in Suisun Valley. Growing food for local farmers’ markets and providing fresh produce for a more-than 90 member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Matthew has also become an advocate for connecting other veterans with farmers to form mutually beneficial partnerships.
“Watching people stare down the barrel of a gun with a cart full of produce because they are trying to get to the market to sell it to other members of the community got me thinking about agriculture in a way I hadn’t before,” said Matthew when I spoke to him on the phone the other day.
Matthew came home from Iraq and spent the next couple of years learning to farm. After serving with the Peace Corps in Niger, where he worked with a small community of farmers, Matthew came back to the United States, started his own small-scale, organic farm, and became an active member of a growing movement to rehabilitate returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through farming.
“To go from knocking down peoples’ doors and arresting them as a soldier to growing food and helping feed communities was a powerful experience for me. It can be hard to function as a veteran after existing in the context of a war, and learning farming skills can be a good way for soldiers to learn a new kind of job.”
Matthew is on the board of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition (FVC), an organization that helps place returning Iraq and Afghan veterans at small-scale organic farms where they can learn new skills while also making the often difficult transition back into civilian life.
Read the rest of this amazing story HERE.
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by Mark Bielski, Nutiva Customer Service
What do kiwis, watermelons, and coconuts have in common? Yes, they are all excellent foods, no doubt about it. They are also three plants among a multitude in nature that are dependent on bees to pollinate them. The coconut plant in addition may now have something to give back to the bees.
Colony Collapse Disorder has been in the news for years now, and there are many theories about what is causing the demise of the precious honey bee in our world. Everything from cell phone transmissions to GMO crops and pesticides have been talked about. We do know that a lot of bees have become infested with two different types of mites in the US since 1984 and that these mites are causing havoc to the worker bees and the hives; often resulting in high bee mortality and total collapse of the hives. In 2007 some beekeepers reported losses of their hives as high as 80%.
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This major movie is ripping the curtain back from Big Food Inc. Even the new Obama USDA Sec of Ag requested a screening !
The debate of what we call food in America is growing and this film is part of that change. Many of us organic food advocates hope that new winds are blowing in DC that will shift the direction of how we grow and process food.
And the reviews are :
“MORE THAN A TERRIFIC MOVIE – IT’S AN IMPORTANT MOVIE. Essential and hard to shake.” – Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
“Smart and expertly shot, FOOD, INC. IS ESSENTIAL VIEWING.” – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
“Does for the supermarket what ‘Jaws’ did for the beach.” – Variety
See: www.foodincmovie.com for more info.
Below is an excellent interview with the film director Robert Kenner and also food author Michael Pollen
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This letter was sent recently in response to an email I received in support of Tom Vilsack (below)
-John
Drake-
My good friend Caroline McDougall forwarded me your email below re your support of Tom Vilsack for USDA AG Secretary. I have heard many good things over the years about your accomplishments in organic foods. While we do not know each other, like you I have also been promoting organic food and farming for over 25 years. I am also the founder of Nutiva- the organic hemp and coconut superfoods company. As a values-driven company, we donate 1% of sales to sustainable ag groups, such as Eco Farm and Organic Consumer Association. I find your description of OCA as a special interest group interesting. What I am about to share you may not enjoy hearing. But believe me this is what many people are feeling right now but do not speak this because it is not in their financial interest to do so, Drake, or perhaps they are not asked to comment. [click to continue…]
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