Last week, the organic movement got some very positive news from a Minnesota Courtroom.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that chemicals that drift onto a neighboring organic farm is a form of trespassing. Why is this ruling so important?

Let me explain the whole story….

Background

Oluf and Debra Johnson are organic farmers in Minnesota. In the past, a neighboring farm, Paynesville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company, sprayed chemicals on their own property on windy days that ended up on the farm of the Johnsons. Read more »

Many governments around the world, including England, Europe, Japan and Australia, understand the risks of genetically-modified food (GMOs) and require that the package labels of this food contain the words “Made with Genetically-Engineered Ingredients.”

In the U.S., however, it is a very different story.

Politicians have been completely beholden to Big Ag, who have convinced them that GMOs are just like any other plant and that they are safe. Therefore, the labeling of GMOs is not necessary.

Yet, this is absurd. Food that has been genetically-altered, via the insertion of viruses or bacteria into the seeds, is categorically not the same as organically-grown food.

A recent poll by msnbc.com said that 96% of Americans want GMOs to be labeled, and organic leaders obviously feel the same way. Read more »

Photo courtesy of Steve O'Sullivan

A week ago I posted a trailer and review of the organic food movie Farmageddon, and last night I participated in a discussion of the movie at Jimmy’s No. 43 in New York City’s East Village.

Also on the panel with me (from left to right) were Kristin Canty, the filmmaker of Farmageddon, Angela Davis of Just Food and the Weston A. Price Foundation – Brooklyn chapter, and Sarma Melngailis, Owner of Pure Food and Wine Restaurant.

MAIN POINTS OF DISCUSSION

There were three main points that were discussed. Read more »

For those who didn’t see the recent announcement, which shouldn’t be a surprise because our government conveniently released it on the Friday before the July 4th weekend, the USDA said that genetically-engineered grass did not have to go through the normal regulatory approval, like most GE-crops do, and could be grown without any oversight whatsoever.

Yes, genetically-engineered bluegrass developed by Scotts will be coming soon to a lawn near you.

The first thing that popped into my mind, and I am sure that of many others as well, was “Why in the world do we need genetically-engineered grass? Could someone please explain this to me?” Read more »

Last night, I went to go see the documentary Farmageddon, a movie that I had been hearing about for the last few months.

Farmageddon highlights the USDA’s brutal crackdown on farmers selling raw milk and how the agency’s heavy-handed, corrupt and politically-motivated ways have destroyed the lives of small, organic farmers trying to do the right thing.

The objective of the movie is not to promote raw milk, however. The objective of the movie is to get people to wake up and to start demanding change. Read more »

The other day I got an email from The Center for Food Safety (CFS), and it contained some very disturbing news for organic consumers.

The USDA is set to approve drought-resistant genetically-modified corn (MON 87460). Aside from the fact that it is genetically-modified, which I am adamantly against, the USDA is completely ignoring the environmental and socio-economic impacts of this corn.

According to the CFS, the USDA’s proposal:

* Fails to adequately consider and protect organic consumers Read more »

Schuyler Grant, one of the founders of the Wanderlust Yoga Festival, talks to me about the importance of organic food at her events.

This past weekend I went to the Wanderlust Yoga Festival in Stratton, VT and had no trouble eating organic food the entire time. Before I went, however, it was a real concern of mine whether organic would be widely available.

Fortunately, Schuyler Grant has made organic food a real priority at Wanderlust.