July, 2010

Consumers can choose organic products to avoid synthetic food dyes

Worried about artificial colors in food products? Certified organic food never uses them.

July, 2010

Egg research findings inaccurately peg organic in media reports

If you read the Time report claiming that organic eggs are no more nutritious than conventional eggs, well, they were wrong. The study they cite didn't measure nutrition.

July, 2010

From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

California Bans Battery Cage Eggs As of 2015

Vilsack: Farm Bill Should Emphasize Beginning Farmers

July, 2010

State governor strikes deal with animal welfare groups to avoid costly campaign

Instead of "fighting an acrimonious campaign" over animal welfare reform, a Midwestern state governor on Wednesday ordered improvements to the state's animal care standards including the phasing out of extreme confinement systems for breeding pigs and veal calves and an immediate moratorium on battery cage construction.

June, 2010

Update on the Food Safety Bill

Food Safety Talks: An Interview with NSAC's Ferd Hoefner

June, 2010

Confused by the Supreme Court's GE Ruling?

U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in GE Alfalfa Case

June, 2010

Other Issues Delay Senate Food Safety

By Tom Karst

The Packer

Senate food safety legislation is getting squeezed by a tight Congressional calendar.

June, 2010

Food Safety Update

S510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, was expected to be taken up by the Senate just after Memorial Day but has been pushed back due to the Gulf oil spill.

The Wedge is following debate about this bill from many sources. Blogs from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), a farm and foods advocate in Washington, DC., provides ongoing dialog about the debate and the issues that are meaningful to those of us interested in food safety.

June, 2010

USDA Local Food Systems Report

A recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) about local food systems provides a comprehensive literature-review-based overview of the current understanding of local food systems, including: alternative definitions, estimates of market size and reach, descriptions of the characteristics of local food consumers and producers, and an examination of early evidence on the economic and health impacts of such systems.

June, 2010

Just when you think organic agriculture is making new friends, news comes to remind you that you always have to be on guard.

Bill introduced to repeal National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) has introduced a bill, HR 5326, to repeal the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. Rep. Conaway has continually introduced similar legislation since the 2008 Farm Bill. The bill will not likely receive a Committee hearing, but will serve as a "marker" bill for the 2012 Farm Bill, which enhances the issue's visibility in advance of the 2012 Farm Bill. The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has scheduled a meeting with Congressman Conaway to discuss the importance of the program to the organic industry, especially small farmers.

OTA is reaching out to other groups (Organic Farmers Research Foundation, National Organic Coalition and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition) and individual OTA members to send a joint letter to the House Agriculture Committee in opposition to the bill. OTA is committed to keeping the program in place and there are currently no cosponsors of this bill.

The Cost-Share Program is used by the Wedge to recoup some of the costs associated with our Organic Certification. It's not much, but it does help with the expense of our annual Inspection and renewal fees. The Cost-Share Program is funded through the Farm Bill and funds are distributed through State Organic Programs. Cost-Share is capped at $750 per Tax ID.