Monday, December 29, 2008

Organic produce presents challenges for farmers

ON a farm in Songjiang District, not a single machine sound can be heard instead you can hear buffalo, goats and chickens.

The chickens hang around among figs and goats chewing vegetable leaves in the sheepfold. It could be a traditional farm, except that the orderly lined vinyl houses tell a different story. This is a modern organic farm in suburban Shanghai.

Organic produce has become widely embraced as an increasing number of people care more about the quality, rather than the quantity, of food they eat. The organic trend has already swept Europe and it is now making inroads in China.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Mexico’s organic program continues to flourish

So far, organic production continues to thrive in West Mexico, with more growers getting into the category or expanding existing organic acreage every year.

No one knows whether that growth will continue in light of the gloomy economic picture, but most Nogales distributors remain optimistic.

10 ways to help your earth dog go green

1. Eat Healthy-Let your dog chow down on food made with organic, all natural, human grade ingredients free of animal by-products, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial preservatives & ingredients or genetically engineered ingredients. Anything that you would normally not eat yourself. Treats such as Polka Dog Bakery and more use all natural, organic, human grade ingredients that is even good enough for you to eat.

Let us bend the rules, say organic farmers

Organic farmers have asked the Government for permission to take a “holiday” from strict organic standards in an attempt to survive the recession.

The drastic move by organisations including the Soil Association follows a dip in sales of organic produce and fears for the future of Britain's 5,000 organic farmers.

Feed costs forcing organic producers to reconsider

ORGANIC farmers in Wales and the UK have asked the Government for permission to take a “holiday” from strict organic standards in a desperate bid to survive the recession.

The radical move by organisations including the Soil Association, which is headed by Patrick Holden, who farms near Lampeter, follows a dip in sales of organic produce and fears for the future of hundreds of Wales’ organic farmers.

Organic farms unknowingly used a synthetic fertilizer

For up to seven years, California Liquid Fertilizer sold what seemed to be an organic farmer's dream, brewed from fish and chicken feathers.

The company's fertilizer was effective, inexpensive and approved by organic regulators. By 2006, it held as much as a third of the market in California.

But a state investigation caught the Salinas-area company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic fertilizer banned from organic farms.

Some end of year specials

Wine Enthusiast: free shipping on select Eurocave cellars, till January 5
Sur La Table, big winter sale and clearance till February 2

Monday, December 1, 2008

Groups Clash Over Organic Standards for Fish, Milk

A USDA panel has approved the first ever standards for organic fish, but environmentalists and consumer activists are not happy with the results.

The problem with fish is that many of them, such as salmon, eat other fish. Even if they’re organically raised in every other way but eat wild fish, there’s no guarantee that the fish they eat are free of mercury and PCBs.

Organics experts differ on economic crisis

The economic crisis may be affecting most Americans, but experts in the organics sector are mixed about its potential effect.

Some say the crisis hasn’t had an impact yet, while others say it has and they are bracing for what they expect to be a sharp downturn in revenue on the horizon.

Organic beverages go mainstream

Consumer demand for organic alcohol undoubtedly is fueling the "drink green" trend.

What started as a practice for some breweries is now becoming a way of life for many. Organic beverages are going mainstream, finding their way onto store shelves and liquor menus across the country.

(Note from Debbie: Those of you in the UK can find a variety of organic spirits at drinkon.com.