Hunger vs Obesity In America

November 17, 2009 Farm/Garden Politics

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the media traditionally looks at hunger in America for their heart tugging stories even though it is a year round problem…
Forty-nine million people, one in six, or almost 16 percent of the American population went hungry in 2008. Now contrast that with the obesity epidemic sweeping across America at the [...]

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The Fair Food Project

November 17, 2009 Farm/Garden Politics

From The Fair Food Project,
“Fair Food: Field to Table” is a multimedia presentation promoting a more socially just food system in the U.S. It was created by California Institute for Rural Studies and Rick Nahmias Photography.
Through the stories and voices of farmworkers, growers, businesses and fair food advocates, viewers of the documentary learn about the [...]

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International Blueberry Group Proposed

November 17, 2009 Farming & Agriculture

To grow blueberries for commercial sale in Oregon, a grower must be a member of the Oregon Blueberry Commission, a subset of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. For small growers, this mandatory fee can be a financial hardship. There are also other associations and groups blueberry growers can voluntarily join to help market their crop. [...]

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Idaho Scientists Focus On Wild Plants For Gardens

November 17, 2009 Plant Breeding

John Miller, a writer for the Associated Press reports from Aberdeen, Idaho,
University of Idaho scientist Stephen Love says forays into the state’s backcountry have taught him the most inhospitable territory is often home to remarkable beauty.
The sandy soil of Owyhee County, in Idaho’s remote southwest, fills with brilliant penstemon each spring. Up in Seven Devils [...]

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Solar-Heated Water Warms Greenhouse

November 17, 2009 Farming & Agriculture

Eric Mortenson of The Oregonian newspaper reports,
It was a combination of things that drew Grace Dinsdale back to the family farm 28 years ago, where she transformed a struggling dairy into a profitable plant nursery. One was the simple joy of growing things. Another was a complex sense of stewardship.
Both are at play in the [...]

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Weed Management Strategies For Transitioning To Organic Farming

November 17, 2009 Farming & Agriculture

Transitioning to organic farming from conventional methods may seem a very large challenge to the farmer who has relied on chemical herbicides in the past.
A study published in Weed Science showed planting rye and timothy as cover crops in the first year of transition affected the seedling densities of three common annual weeds: lambsquarters, velvetleaf [...]

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Northeast Farmers Say It Was A Season To Forget

November 16, 2009 Farming & Agriculture

Jan Ellen Spiegel reports in The New York Times,
On a raw, unseasonably cold mid-October day, Shelly Oechsler pointed to a few half-filled bins of squash behind her farm stand, where produce from Botticello Farms, which her family has owned for more than 30 years, is sold.
“Normally at this time of the year what you would [...]

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Sustainable Packaging For Produce Debate

November 16, 2009 What's Growing

Why produce needs any packaging at all is not covered in this story but Bob Luder reports in ThePacker.com,
A debate simmers between proponents of two kinds of sustainable packaging material.
In one corner: Users of compostable materials, those that can be heated after use and converted to a form of fertilizer to be put back into [...]

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You’re As Old As You Eat

November 15, 2009 Organics

Anastasia Stephens writes in The Daily Mail online,
Keeping in peak condition in old age can be boosted by nutrition, which scientists are proving is a powerful weapon in fighting off diseases. As new research shows that olive oil could play a vital role in protecting against dementia, we look at the key foods that have [...]

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Midwest Farmers Call It The “Harvest From Hell”

November 15, 2009 What's Growing

Reuters News reporter Julie Ingwersen writes,
Brothers Steve and Ron Pierce spent most of an hour in a chilly northern Illinois field last week clearing a clog of soybean chaff from the guts of their combine, using a mix of tools and their bare hands.
“The beans get tough when they pick up moisture,” Steve Pierce said.
The [...]

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