Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

Sustainability: aspiring to use only fruits of labor on the farm Kennebec Journal - 11/6/2009. By Denis Thoet – I love words. I love our language. I especially love the word "sustainable." Environmentalists use the word often. Even Monsanto, their nemesis, uses the word to describe itself in National Public Television ads. Very funny. How do you define it? Our Oxford American Dictionary is not that helpful: "Sustain: Support, bear the weight of for a long time; maintain ... continuously." Sort of like a perpetual motion machine, which remains in the realm of the unattainable. Genetically modified corn growers not following rules designed to maintain pest resistance Ethicurean - 11/5/2009. As many as 25% of the American farmers growing genetically engineered corn are no longer complying with federal rules intended to maintain the resistance of the crops to damage from insects, according to a Center for Science in the Public Interest report released Thursday based on EPA records. For swine flu, forget about origins and start thinking about practices Grist - 11/5/2009. By Tom Philpott – Asking when and where this novel H1N1 strain mutated into present form is a bit like trying to identify the first mutant wolf pup that grew into a proper dog. In this context, origin is impossible to identify—and probably not that interesting. The real question is, which of our practices are creating ideal conditions for the mutation of new swine-flu strains not recognized by human immune systems? As dairy farmers continue to fail, risk grows for our quality of life Kennebec Journal - 11/4/2009. By George Smith – In 1991, I wrote my first column lamenting the loss of Maine's dairy farms. Six hundred farmers were still in the dairy business at that time. In 2002, I wrote a sorrowful plea to save the 412 dairy farmers still clinging tenuously to their way of life. Today, I bid farewell to the open fields, black and white cows and hearty farmers we've lost in the last six years, as well as those who will keep farming until all of their resources are gone. A bid to sustain Maine shrimp Bangor Daily News - 11/3/2009. By Abigail Curtis – Port Clyde: Sizzling shrimp scampi, seafood chowder and the Spanish delicacy gambas al ajillo are just some of the many dishes to make with wild-caught Maine shrimp. Maine shrimp is migrating a little closer to consumers, and its purchase promises a fairer wage to fishermen thanks to subscriptions offered through the Midcoast Fishermen’s Cooperative’s Port Clyde Fresh Catch Community Supported Fisheries. Focus new economy on relationships Kennebec Journal - 11/2/2009. Letter to the Editor by Amber Lambke – OK folks, here it is: "It's time to bring money back to earth. It's time to invest as if food, farms and fertility mattered." At least that was the take-home message at a recent gathering of farmers, food producers and investors in Farmington with guest moderator, Woody Tasch, also the author of the new book, "Slow Money." Dollars target organic bread wheat in Maine Bangor Daily News - 11/2/2009. By Sharon Kiley Mack – The University of Maine’s sustainable agriculture program, headed by Ellen Mallory, will share $1.3 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grant money with the University of Vermont for research into local organic bread wheat production. Current  Archive     Page: 1 2 3 4 5