RSS Feed from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

Gagged by Big Ag

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Ted Genoways - Shawn Lyons was dead to rights - and he knew it. More than a month had passed since People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had released a video of savage mistreatment at the MowMar Farms hog confinement facility where he worked as an entry-level herdsman in the breeding room.

You Won't Believe What Pork Producers Do to Pregnant Pigs

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Tom Philpott - Despite pigs' many lovable qualities, of all the billions of beasts confined in our meat factories, the most miserable may be the 5.9 million sows that churn out the piglets that grow into chops, bacon, and ham.

Treble Ridge Farm A Model of an Organic Farm

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Sharon Kitchens - As a child, Alice Percy had a fondness for those lovable piglets scurrying about the pig pen in her backyard.

Maine leaders try and fail to dilute recycling's success

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Colin Woodard - 'Product stewardship' regulations – even those with industry and bipartisan support – meet staunch resistance from, among others, a commissioner with former ties to corporate interests.

How Gardeners Can Help Pollinators

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Every food source and habitat provided can help pollinators rebound from the challenges they face. You can provide food and habitat in your backyard - or even in your windowsill - to help pollinators thrive.

Strawberry Crop Looking Sweet

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Joy Hollowell - Strawberry farmers in Maine are keeping a close eye on the weather these next few weeks.

New farrier opens Western Maine Horseshoeing and Trimming; clinic in Wilton June 22

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Bobbie Hanstein - A farrier (horseshoer) is starting up a new business in the Farmington area with plans for a clinic to be held in Wilton on June 22.

David Suzuki Video: Words of Caution on GMOs - and Blunt Words for Monsanto

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Prominent Canadian geneticist David Suzuki outlines the lack of any conclusive research proving GMOs are safe for human consumption and makes the argument that we should be able to choose in the marketplace (labeling). And he “speaks truth to power” in his messaging to the Monsanto.

Genetic Diversity Key to Survival of Honey Bee Colonies

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

A new study from North Carolina State University, the University of Maryland and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that genetic diversity is key to survival in honey bee colonies - a colony is less likely to survive if its queen has had a limited number of mates.

New Jersey Advances Legislation to Require Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Jim Walsh - Trenton: Today, New Jersey legislators voted in favor of legislation that will require labels on genetically engineered food. We are encouraged that our State Assembly has prioritized this cause, giving consumers a choice about whether or not they want to buy foods that contain genetically engineered materials. People are demanding information so they can make an informed decision about what foods they will feed their families.

EPA Finalizes List of 109 Chemicals To Undergo Endocrine Disruptor Screening

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Patrick Ambrosio - The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a list of 109 chemicals and pesticide active ingredients for inclusion in the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, according to a notice published June 14 in the Federal Register (78 Fed. Reg. 35,922).

Efforts to reduce risks to kids run into a powerful foe

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Colin Woodard - Overseen by a former chemical industry lobbyist, Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection resists regulations on substances that may be harmful to children and fetuses.

Special Report: Syngenta's campaign to protect atrazine, discredit critics

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Clare Howard - To protect profits threatened by a lawsuit over its controversial herbicide atrazine, Syngenta Crop Protection launched an aggressive multi-million dollar campaign that included hiring a detective agency to investigate scientists on a federal advisory panel, looking into the personal life of a judge and commissioning a psychological profile of a leading scientist critical of atrazine.

Frogs feminized, but atrazine's effects on people uncertain

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Brian Bienkowski and Marla Cone - Atrazine, one of the most widely used farm pesticides in the United States, has feminized male frogs and other animals in some scientific studies. But research examining potential effects in people is relatively sparse.

Strawberry harvest looks promising as growers prepare for pick-your-own crowds

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Paul Keonig - With pick-your-own strawberry season starting soon, farmers in the area say this year's harvest looks promising. Ben Marcus of Uncas Farms and Sheepscot General Store in Whitefield, said the store already has had a lot of calls about strawberries. Marcus thinks part of the demand for the business's certified organic strawberries can be attributed to the strawberry being listed on the Environmental Working Group's annual "Dirty Dozen" list of food with the most pesticide residue.

Washington State U starts sperm bank for honeybees

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Nicholas K. Geranios - There's a lot of buzz atWashington State University over work to develop the first sperm bank for honeybees.

Hidden benefits of community gardens

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Christina Sari - I recently spent an entire Saturday afternoon at one of my local community gardens, one of a dozen or more scattered throughout the city proper and one of literally a hundred or more spread throughout nearby suburbs. I was surprised to learn the other benefits of community gardening that weren’t so apparent upon first glance.

Water Wars: Who Controls The Flow?

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Rivers don't follow political boundaries — they flow through states and over international borders. And there are endless demands for water: for agriculture, drinking, plumbing, manufacturing, to name just a few. And then there's the ecosystem that depends on water getting downstream. So what are our legal rights when it comes to water? And who decides?

Britain's new 'peasants' down on the farm

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Claire Provost and John Vidal - The English peasantry may have officially died out in the Middle Ages, but a new breed of small-scale farmers who live off a few acres and celebrate life on the land have been accepted to join the world's biggest peasant organisation.

Sources describe a department under duress

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Colin Woodward - Every change of administration brings a change in priorities, and in early 2011 staffers within the Department of Environmental Protection fully expected Gov. Paul LePage to direct them to reduce regulatory burdens on business. What actually happened shocked nearly everyone, including workers who had seen partisan transitions dating back to the Longley, Brennan and McKernan administrations of the 1970s and 1980s.

Employees relocated as Organic Valley rebuilds

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Allison Geyer - A month after the fire that destroyed a portion of the nation’s largest organic cooperative headquarters in La Farge, Organic Valley employees are scattered throughout southwestern Wisconsin.

The lobbyist in the henhouse: Whose interests is Maine’s DEP commissioner serving?

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Colin Woodard - For two years, public servant Patricia Aho has overseen Maine's environmental protection. But whom does she really serve? A seven-month investigation by the Telegram points to her former corporate clients. Part 1 of a 3-day series.

Supreme Court: No patenting genes

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:00 GMT

By Jesse J. Holland, AP - The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously threw out attempts to patent human genes, siding with advocates who say the multibillion-dollar biotechnology industry should not have exclusive control over genetic information found inside the human body.

The sweet science of the Maine strawberry

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Emily Burnham - Maine strawberries are a temperamental thing. Too much rain and cool weather, and they’ll be soggy and tasteless. Too many days of dry, hot sun, and they’ll shrivel up before they can be picked.

Why Safer Food Workers Mean Safer Food

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Michelle Chen - Americans these days are nervous about what they eat, and they should be, what with outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, meat pumped with veterinary drugs and genetically modified organisms creeping into our groceries. And in May, when the iconic brand of Smithfield Foods was bought by a Chinese multinational, there seemed to be still more cause for alarm.

A Modern Farmer in Congress

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

By Tom Wolf - By the time Chellie Pingree was elected to represent Maine’s 1st district in the United States House of Representatives in 2008, she had already amassed more than thirty years of farming experience in the state.

A specific reply to Monsanto

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:00:00 GMT

By Judy Carmen - Judy Carman, lead researcher in a GE feeding study, responds to Monsanto’s criticisms of the study. Carman et al found that pigs fed genetically engineered corn and soy for 22.7 weeks had uteri that were 25% heavier than non-GE fed pigs and a higher rate of severe stomach inflammation than GE-fed pigs.

Look who’s squealing now: GMO lovers freak over new study of sick pigs

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:00:00 GMT

By Tom Laskawy - OK, everyone have a seat and take a few deep breaths. Go to your calming place. Ready? Good. Because I’m about to talk about a new study that suggests that eating genetically modified crops might not be the best thing for us.

A specific reply to Mark Lynas

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Judy Carman, lead researcher in a GE feeding study, responds to a pro-GE (formerly anti-GE) activist.

Reply to Andrew Kniss’ blog on statistics

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Carman replies to criticism by a non-statistician of statistics used in her study.