NEWS | POLICY

• Why don't moms buy organic? Survey weighs in
  INDUSTRY NEWS, July 8, 2010 - Forty-nine percent of moms don't buy organic deli meat because of price, while 26 percent can't find organic deli products where they shop, according to a new survey released by Bridgewater, N.J.-based natural and organic deli meat processor Applegate Farms. Forty-five percent of moms would buy more organic deli meats for their kids if they better understood the benefits, the survey found, while 36 percent of moms were not sure about the meaning of terms like organic and natural, or thought that they mean the same thing. The survey was conducted online last month by Impulse Research with a random sample of 1,052 women ages 25 to 45 who purchase deli meat for their children between the ages of 5 and 12. In a news release about the survey, Applegate offered a range of benefits of eating organic food, including the fact that such products contain no artificial ingredients and are produced without antibiotics and synthetic hormones. The release also stated that in terms of price, a sandwich made with Applegate Farms Organic Black Forest Ham costs just 14 cents more (based on a 2-ounce serving) than a premium conventional brand.



All Eyes On California Strawberries: 40,000 People Join Scientists To Oppose Methyl Iodide
CIVILEATS, June 22, 2010 - California's little-known Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) entered the spotlight this month as scientists, farm workers, and activists rallied against the department's proposal to approve methyl iodide for use in the state's $2.1 billion strawberry industry...more.

• Roundup-resistant weeds pose environmental threat
  AP, June 21, 2010 - Roundup is unreliable in killing at least 10 weed species in at least 22 states...more.


• New MOSES Fact Sheet on Organic Tree Fruit Certification
  Whether you are transitioning a currently bearing orchard, planting a new one or renovating an old orchard, there are similar issues you will need to address in order to grow and market organic tree fruit...more.


• Wisconsin tops all states in Value Added grants again!
  For the third year in a row, Wisconsin grant seekers received more funding from the USDA's Value Added Producer Grants program than any other state in the nation! 14 Wisconsin producers or producer groups received grants, totaling more than $2.46 million (out of a nationwide funding pool of $22.5 million), to help farmers retain more profit from their hard work.


• Leopold Conservation Award seeks nominees in Wisconsin
  A new partnership between Sand County Foundation and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is accepting applications for the $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award, which honors Wisconsin farmers who demonstrate responsible stewardship and management of natural resources...more.


• "Rebuilding America's Economy with Family Farm-Centered Food Systems"
  Recently released Farm Aid report highlights success stories from the field and discusses conquering the challenges of strengthening local and regional markets that support family farmers by thinking creatively about policies, funding resources, cross-sector collaboration and community mobilization strategies.


• USDA Economic Research Service appeals to Organic Farmers, Companies, Seedspeople, Researchers, and Agency Types for help with GMO research
  Cathy Greene, of the USDA Economic Research Service, is working on an urgent issue related to coexistence among organic and conventional producers - particularly with regard to GMOs. Greene needs current information about how successfully organic producers are/aren't coexisting with the conventional (GMO-using) world. This is tough info to find, particularly since GMO drift is not a decertification-worthy event and there are no prescribed tolerances as there are with, say, spray drift. Can you help?
  
  1. If you're a producer, have you yourself experienced losses or can you recommend individuals or companies who have lost money or market because of GMO contamination and would be willing to tell their story?
  
  2. If you are a company or organization, do you have any data about money damages related to rejected loads, losing buyers, etc. because of GMO contamination? (food/feed crops or seed production) or do you know anybody collecting or planning to collect information like this?
  
  Contact Greene directly at 202-694-5541 or CGREENE@ers.usda.gov.


• Supreme Court rules in Monsanto Case - Victory for CFS and Farmers!
  WASHINGTON DC, June 21, 2010 - A decision just came out of the Supreme Court - in the case of Monsanto v Geertson Farms. The case involved defending the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and farmers against Monsanto's appeal of the successful GMO alfalfa ban. The court ruled that the ban on GMO alfalfa stands, and it is still illegal to plant or sell GMO alfalfa. This is a huge victory!
  
  The court ruled that because of CFS's earlier Federal Court victory - which ruled that USDA violated NEPA and other environmental laws when it approved Roundup Ready alfalfa - an injunction was unnecessary since under this previous ruling the crop became a regulated item and illegal to plant.
  
  CFS is victorious in this case in numerous other ways. Most importantly, the Court did not rule on several arguments presented by Monsanto - as a result the Court did not make any ruling that would be hurtful to NEPA or any other environmental laws. In addition, the Court opinion supported CFS's argument that gene flow is a sufficient environmental and economic threat - in other words, GMO contamination can still be considered harm under NEPA, both from an environmental and economic perspective. → Read full CFS press release

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