·      To Find Fields to Farm in New York City, Just Look Up http://nyti.ms/PRH4B9

·      Wake Up Call to Grocery Stores: Young People Shop Around http://n.pr/LPLB0V and here is the report Trouble in Isle 5 http://bit.ly/MlsHQz

Fewer people are shopping in grocery stores… It’s about time.

·      Hunger in California: Study Shows Nearly Four Million Residents Can’t Afford Food http://bit.ly/NaNFEJ

·      Raj Patel Film: Generation Food Project http://bit.ly/Pw4JG5

Steve James and Raj Patel will tell stories of people fixing a broken food system today so that everyone can eat tomorrow.

·      Indian Food Policy: A Plentiful Harvest while Millions Starve http://bit.ly/L7T8GK

·      Detroit as a Food Dessert – Another Urban Myth http://bit.ly/RGS5T4

The widespread belief that the city is a food dessert is, like many myths about Detroit, simply not true.

·      The Paraguayan Coup: Agribusiness, Landowners and Media Elite, and the US Lead to Destabilization http://bit.ly/MTbQY4

·      California Foi Gras Ban Turns Into a New Fight http://bit.ly/N9HAHD

·      10 Awful Ingredients You Eat Every Day From Global Brands http://bit.ly/I5AjYz

·      Food and Extreme Weather: It’s the Soil, Stupid http://bit.ly/OoXXg9

o   US Has Warmest Year-to-Date Ad Drought Expands http://bit.ly/PBN93h

Extreme weather turns the tide of opinion against climate change skeptics

o   Record US Drought Causes Shortages, Price Hikes http://bit.ly/LJ6D65

o   US declares drought-stricken states largest natural disaster ever http://yhoo.it/SchX9N

·      Columbus Ohio freight train ablaze after crash http://goo.gl/Gw48O

A freight train carrying agricultural chemicals (ethanol) lies ablaze after derailing…

·      Detroit: A Tale of Two… Farms? http://goo.gl/4pWmm

·      Enbridge failed to fix cracks in leaking Michigan pipeline http://goo.gl/a84IM

Enbridge like ‘Keystone Kops’ in poor handling of pipe rupture, NTSB head says

·      Grandmother Demands Navy Stop Deadly Assault on Thousands of Whales and Dolphins http://bit.ly/LIBbor

·      What is at stake with the loss of seed biodiversity? http://bit.ly/LPWVu5

Labor

·      Destroying Communities, Abusing Workers: What’s (Still) The Matter With Wal-Mart http://bit.ly/N7lDJ6

The company that has shaped the modern economy turned 50this week, but is a growing wave of protest enough to start forcing Wal-Mart to change?

·      The Hill: Economic research supports raising the minimum wage http://bit.ly/RX8IKn

·      Co-ops growing faster than rest of UK economy http://bit.ly/LMhhnS

·      Good Food and Good Jobs For All: Challenges and Opportunities to Advance Racial and Economic Equity in the Food System http://arc.org/foodjustice

·      When Safety Becomes Voluntary: Workplace Self-Policing Program Under Scrutiny http://bit.ly/NL9FTi

For years, the federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has granted many companies a pass on government oversite with the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Touting big-name members like Coca Cola and ExxonMobil…

Economics

·      Has ‘Organic’ Been Oversized? http://nyti.ms/PAE2RQ

In a word, yes…

·      Hungry For Profit http://bit.ly/KNsnHJ

·      Economist: Pork industry may face ‘financial disaster’ http://bit.ly/RXlF6U

Occupy, Anonymous & Protests

·       Development Project Approved for Gill Tract (Occupy the Farm, Albany, CA) http://bit.ly/LIWeHt

Government/Regulation/Policy/Farm Bill

·      USDA is now seeking public comment on application for approval of GE Apple that won’t turn brown, you can comment here http://1.usa.gov/MmdPVN, comment period closes 9/11/12

·      California GMO Labeling Law now Prop. 37 http://goo.gl/AOlvN and  http://goo.gl/tJ804

·      It’s All About the Farm Bill

o   Three Steps to Protecting Food Stamps from a Cruel Congress http://bit.ly/LbS1WM

GMOs/Cloning/Nanotechnology/Poisons

·      Monsanto Launches Massive Campaign to Stop GMO Labeling http://bit.ly/LJxavx

·      Monsanto May Lose Billions in Brazil Over “Monsanto Tax” http://bit.ly/MbTb5l

The biotech industry may outdo us in funding ability, but we as consumers still outnumber them.

·      Brazil Set to Unleash Genetically Modified Mosquitoes http://bit.ly/PMVxOX

Oxitec continues “dangerously misguided” plan to combat dengue fever

·      Bt Toxicity Confirmed: Flawed Studies Exposed http://goo.gl/uhWep

Researchers confirm Bt toxicity to non-target beneficial insects and show how experiments claiming to refute their results were designed not to find the effect.

This is sounding a lot like the tobacco industry…

·      EU: Is the GM debate based on emotion, not evidence? http://goo.gl/njlal

·      Romania and the building pressure from biotech industry… http://goo.gl/3xrPf and http://goo.gl/2Ke25

·      Beware of the Genetic Tomato Tamperers http://bit.ly/M2HfX3

Healthy/Humane/Safe Food & Water?

·      5 Surprising Ingredients that Can be in Organic Food http://bit.ly/N69kOY

·      California: School lunches missing the mark for nutrition standards http://bit.ly/Pp9a6M

·      Poll: Americans Don’t Want Antibiotics in Their Meat http://bit.ly/L8VfJX

o   What’s in Your Beef? A Lot of Antibiotics, Says Food Industry Survey http://onforb.es/Ntm3cc

§  Congress Woman Louise Slaugher (D, NY) “What’s in My Beef?” Survey Results http://1.usa.gov/M3F1Dn

·      Fracking…

o   First –Ever Fracking Wastewater Test in Ohio Reveals Stew of Hazardous Toxins http://bit.ly/OLysJR

I’m shocked, are you?

o   Tree Sitters Halt Fracking Operations in PA State Forest http://bit.ly/L9GPyl

o   Rest In Fracking Peace http://bit.ly/RP1yI2

The latest ill-advised move by fracking companies: drilling under cemeteries in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Gosh, how could anyone object?

o   Use of government aid for junk food questioned http://bit.ly/MVBPM9

·      Dead Zone Pollution Is Growing Despite Decades of Work, So Who’s the Culprit? http://bit.ly/M6Ph0Z

One of our most widespread environment problems, this pollution continues to pour into the rivers, and ultimately the Gulf, at a growing pace.

·      Fast Food Workers Of Reddit Tell You What Not To Eat http://huff.to/NcgmPR

·      Rhode Island Bans Gestation Crates for Pigs and Calves http://huff.to/Noms00

·      How Your Chicken Dinner Is Creating a Drug-Resistant Superbug http://bit.ly/MjfWd3

Events

·      32^nd Annual Seed Savers Exchange Conference and Campout, July 20 – 22, 2012, near Decorah, Iowa http://bit.ly/eNe67G

·      USDA ANNOUNCES 2.O VERSION OF THE KNOW YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FOOD COMPASS

On July 17, USDA is proudly unveiling the 2.0 version of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass (http://1.usa.gov/zui2a7), a digital resource detailing USDA’s involvement in local and regional food.  The Compass highlights USDA’s wide-ranging investments in local food development; showcases inspiring local food success stories from around the country; and features an interactive map. The 2.0 Version of the map has over 15,000 data points, including USDA-funded local food projects in all 50 states, farmers markets, food hubs, wholesale markets, meat processing facilities, and other critical information about local food’s imprint from coast to coast. 

In honor of the 2.0 Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass, you are invited to participate in an exciting launch event.  On Tuesday, July 17 at 3 pm ET, the USDA and the White House will host a Google+ Hangout with USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, White House Director of Office of Public Engagement Jon Carson and six women leaders – producers, small business owners, and others – to explore local foods through the voices of women.  This virtual event can be viewed on http://www.whitehouse.gov/live (http://1.usa.gov/UT2FE) or on the White House Google+ Home page (http://bit.ly/wh3F3J) live at 3pm ET.  Watch the event and participate by sending twitter questions via #KYF2 or #WHHangout or on the White House Google+ page. 

On Tuesday, July 24 at 1:30 ET, you’re invited to join USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan for a follow-up Twitter chat about local and regional food.   You can ask her questions directly using #KYF2 or #ASKUSDA.

Here’s what you can do with the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass:

·      CELEBRATE achievements in local food systems by exploring the many stories on the Compass map.

·      SHARE the Compass with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, local leaders, and others.  Download the data and use it to create your own tools or connect with others on the map. 

·      DISCOVER inspirational stories, ideas and impacts in your own community or across the country.

·      PARTICIPATE in a national conversation by posting about local food and the Compass on Facebook, Google+, using #KYF2 on Twitter or emailing USDA at knowyourfarmer@usda.gov.

Other

·      California: Earlier this year, Governor Brown established the “Let’s Get Healthy California” Task Force, which is charged with developing  10-year strategic plan to improve the health of Californians, control health care costs, advance health equity, and promote personal responsibility.

Members of the Task Force and an expert advisory committee were appointed by Secretary Diana Dooley and will be meeting via webinar over the next few month to develop priorities and recommendations in the following areas:

o   Prevention and Population Health

o   Delivery System Quality Improvement

o   Coverage and Access

o   Affordability and Cost

California Residents have an opportunity to provide input – please get involved. As you will see from the meeting schedule below, this is a six-month process, with a final report due in December 2012. To get e-mail notices and more information please visit: http://1.usa.gov/RXgF2d

            Calendar of Webinar Meetings: http://1.usa.gov/O0h0MW