It’s Easy Being Green: Wine Goes Organic

It’s becoming easier for environmentally conscious wine lovers to enjoy their favorite libation. Just ask the Obamas: A few weeks ago at their first official White House dinner, they served organic wine to visiting state governors. But you don’t have to be the First Family to indulge in these new wines. An increasing number of merchants, bars, and restaurants offer a range of choices in planet-friendly wines that are made from organically farmed grapes and sustainable agricultural methods that emphasize water and soil conservation.

Forging a Hot Link to the Farmer Who Grows the Food

The maker of Stone-Buhr flour, a popular brand in the western United States, is encouraging its customers to reconnect with their lost agrarian past, from the comfort of their computer screens. Its Find the Farmer Web site and special labels on the packages let buyers learn about and even contact the farmers who produced the wheat that went into their bag of flour.

Organic fruit & veg may help prevent cancer

Organic fruit and vegetables may help prevent cancer and heart disease just in the same way as taking a low dose of aspirin every day, according to a recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet. The key element of this properties seem to be salicylates, which are contained in high levels in fruit and vegetables and are also the active anti-inflammatory ingredient of aspirin.

Here's where to buy your spring and Easter bouquets

Organic Bouquet offers a free vase with every bouquet. Even better, some come with free chocolates.

Categories of organic products

# Fully organic: Products are fully certified by accredited organic agency. No chemicals used since a long time.
# Organic in Conversion: The products are from farms in process of conversion to get organic certification. No chemicals used.
# Registered to organics: Certification process not yet started. Products are from farms growing product naturally without any history of chemical use.

Organic foods vs. conventional foods

Picture yourself in a grocery store with an apple in each hand; both feel the same, look alike, and provide the same nutritional value. The only differences are, one is certified organic and a bit more expensive and the other is conventionally grown and slightly less expensive. So which is the better choice?

Choosing to buy organic as a healthier alternative has been a long and heavily researched debate. Many would argue that organic is the better choice because farmers are under stricter standards of purity, however skeptics say there is no scientific research that proves organic is healthier or safer.

Tips for managing weeds in organic fruit orchards

Producing organic tree fruit profitably requires growing quality fruit while at the same time managing input costs—including controlling weeds. University of California Cooperative Extension pomology farm advisor Chuck Ingels notes that organic production often requires more labor, bulkier fertilizers and amendments, as well as increased monitoring, compared to conventional methods.

Produce and pesticides: The dirty dozen and the clean 15

Consumer group Environmental Working Group has released its annual Shopper's Guide to Pesticides.

The guide, which is based on government test data, lists the produce most likely to have pesticide residue. This list can be a big help if you're cutting back on organic produce to stretch your food dollars.

On the trail of fair trade coffee

You get up in the morning and brew or buy your coffee, feeling good because it's certified fair trade and organic; so growers are guaranteed a fair price in healthy working conditions. But there's that nagging uncertainty: What is life like for fair trade farmers, and how do we know how fair it really is?

No compromise in 0rganic standards despite recession says Soil Association

The recession is proving a tough time for organic livestock farmers, particularly those in transition from input heavy techniques to organic. The hardest hit have been livestock farmers as the price for organic animal feed, the single largest cost for farmers, has risen in price until it is now twice the price of non-organic feed.

Corporate social responsibility is vital for business survival

Over the past decade or so, the concept known as corporate social responsibility (CSR) has developed from a fringe interest associated with companies with particular links to the environment into a mainstream business activity adopted by household names the world over. With much of that world now in recession, the coming years will demonstrate whether CSR really has been embraced by corporations or whether it is – as some say – simply a marketing wheeze designed to put a positive gloss on their operations.

European Union-World organic farming.

The amount of land dedicated to organic produce is growing due to government backing and market forces, opening up opportunities particularly in developing countries, according to a new report. The latest statistics show that worldwide, 32.2m hectares were certified according to organic standards in 2007, which was 1.5m hectares more than the previous year, said the report from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).

Kenyan fresh produce exporters say tougher US import rules a boon

Local fresh produce exporters are vying for a bigger slice of the American market share this year even as the world’s only superpower drifts towards protectionism.

Industry players say the decision by the department of agriculture to re-introduce stricter traceability guidelines for fresh produce and meat entering the country comes with a silver lining that they intend exploit in a push to expand exports beyond the traditional 1 per cent level.

Scottish organic beef production rises

Production levels of Scottish finished organic beef increased in the 2008/09 period, but prime lamb remained static, a survey of organic produce has revealed.

Between July 2008 and June 2009, organic producers in Scotland will finish just over 8,000 head of organic cattle, an increase of 17%, and 100,000 prime organic lambs, a reduction of less than 1%.

It’s Organic, but Does That Mean It’s Safer?

MOST of the chicken, fruit and vegetables in Ellen Devlin-Sample’s kitchen are organic. She thinks those foods taste better than their conventional counterparts. And she hopes they are healthier for her children.

Lately, though, she is not so sure.

The national outbreak of salmonella in products with peanuts has been particularly unsettling for shoppers like her who think organic food is safer.