Let's talk about agriculture sustainability and the benefits of organic farming for a minute.  Read this collection of worldwide headlines about our food industry:

·      World Future Council: Saving our Shared Future: Best Policies to Regenerate our World http://bit.ly/Me6LY5

Securing Food and Water: Policies that ensure access to safe food and water to all to be adopted, based on the award-winning best policies of: The Belo Horizonte (Brazil) Food Security Programme, the Tucsany (Italy) Seed Protection and Cuban Urban Ag laws, the Right to Water policies of Ecuador and Boliviea, and the Water Users Associations rules of Mexico, Tunisia and China…

·      The return of heritage fruit and vegetable varieties http://bbc.in/JVnqAo

·      Farmers Use Traditional Knowledge to Deal with Climate Change (Mexico) http://bit.ly/NVjxuC

·      Food Policy Councils: An Effective Way to Change the Food System http://bit.ly/LJh6te

·      Vandana Shiva: A Global Call: Eco Warriors, Arise! http://bit.ly/L8khxP

Ahead of the Rio+20 Earth Summit, a call for a paradigm shift

o   Rio+20 Earth summit draft text http://bit.ly/NWiCtG

‘the Future We Want’ – what UN is asking world leaders to sign up for achieving sustainable development goals

·      Experts Tell Congress: Support Healthy Food System, Not Big Ag http://bit.ly/L7aea6

Ahead of 2012 Farm Bill, food and health experts send open letter to Congress blasting subsidies for ‘big agriculture’

o   America needs a farm bill that works http://lat.ms/LBMzgv

o   Celebrity Chefs join farm-bill food fight http://lat.ms/MxBbYn

o   Food Leaders: The Farm Bill Props Up The Wrong People http://bit.ly/K5qCd5

o   The Farm Bill Should Protect Hungry Kids, Not subsidies for Insurance Companies http://huff.to/LB3Y9w

·      EcoWatch: How Urban Farming Can Transform Our Cities – And Our Agricultural System http://bit.ly/LC56Zm

·      Feeding the Planet Without Destroying It http://goo.gl/qbz5R

·      GC: Henneke Farms offers natural homegrown foods http://bit.ly/LcChCZ

·      Weeding Out ‘Fake Farmers’ http://nyti.ms/NOWEc7

·      Farmers reject budget, stage protest outside Punjab Governor’s House http://goo.gl/xpsNZ

·      A Failed Food System: As Grain Piles Up, India’s Poor Still Go Hungry http://nyti.ms/LdqtAp

·      Chinese people farm fish in Vietnamese Cam Ranh Bay http://goo.gl/OROYY

·      Fixing the Broken Food System Will Improve Human and Environmental Health http://goo.gl/HDQyh

·      Electricity Generated from Chicken Waste Encourages Factory Farming and Pollutes Air http://goo.gl/VuvLx

·      Why robots may soon be delivering your pizza http://goo.gl/wb53h

·      Iowa State Sen. Joe Seng Under Fire for “Ag Gag” Bill http://goo.gl/fyCPX

Animal rights groups take aim at major proponent of bills to make it harder to spotlight animal abuse.

·      9 Ways to Fix Our Food System http://goo.gl/Q2x2Z

I know we have all seen this before, post it somewhere where they haven’t seen it…

·      Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Management Meets Farmer Jane http://bit.ly/Ksj3OW

·      France to ban Swiss pesticide as bee threat http://bit.ly/KxNp09

The French government is to ban a pesticide made by Swiss giant Syngenta used in rapeseed cultivation that has been found to shorten bees’ lifespan, Agriculture Minister Stehpane Le Foll said Friday.

·      Farmers, Ranchers and Consumers Fight USDA Animal ID Scheme http://bit.ly/LAL5TJ

They vies Agribusiness-Friendly proposal as threat to free commerce...

·      Invasive species: Lockdown on the Lakes (MN) http://bit.ly/KL7wZc

Boaters are learning to live with restrictions aimed at controlling invasive species.

·      Interactive: New York’s Roofscape Gets Climate Makeover http://bit.ly/Kzxwsl

·      The Inconvenient Truth of Big Ag’s Big Promise http://bit.ly/KX77T9

·      Are Recent Animal Disease Outbreaks Linked? http://bit.ly/KKqmRu

Both bees and bats are critical to agriculture. Bats, like bees, can help to pollinate. They are also a primary predator of agricultural and other insect pests, such as mosquitoes. Frogs additionally consume insect pests.

o   Honeybee decline linked to killer virus http://bit.ly/NOqYnh

Parasitic mites wiping out bee colonies by transmitting deadly virus directly into the bloodstream of the bees, research reveals

·      Thieves steal grease; slip away http://bit.ly/KKdx9F

Used cooking oil for biofuel stolen, this has been going on for quiet some time…

·      Harper Government Wants Tougher Food Safety Law for Canada http://bit.ly/L2S0aT

·      EU plans to increase fishing quota http://bit.ly/Mn6eUh

Cod, haddock and herring could be fished in more numbers, but conservationists say policy will damage stocks… What about sustainable fish stock management?

·      Stop Gambling On Hunger: informal clearinghouse for resources, news, and action updates from US and international campaigns to curb excessive speculation in food and energy markets. http://bit.ly/K5oAJW

·      California Overweight By City http://bit.ly/NV0xMx

·      Amber Waves: Private Industry Investing Heavily, and Globally, in Research to Improve Agricultural Productivity http://1.usa.gov/KuErmD

This article has a great infographic of Global markets for ag inputs, sales by sector…

·      Not Wasting the Waste: Creating Environmental Sustainability (India) http://bit.ly/KSyLSY

·      How to cook food on your engine http://bit.ly/LJ8QXU

 

Labor

·      UFW: Another farm worker dies in 100 degree – plus heat http://bit.ly/Mtovve (Coalinga, CA)

·      Unwelcome Guests: Work Visa Programs Cheat Global Labor, Build Global Capital http://goo.gl/Cz5mt

·      Walmart Outsourcing Depresses Wages in US Warehouses: Report http://huff.to/JM4XSi

And it took how long to figure this out? Farm labor, Colleges, Universities, and a host of other industries have been using the same tactics for a long time (20 years?)…

·      Sold Waste Management Employs Up to 5 Percent of the World’s Urban Population http://huff.to/MNRCQi

·      The food movement’s final frontier: Taking care of workers http://bit.ly/KRXepT

·      Report: The Hands That Feed Us: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers Along the Food Chain http://bit.ly/KSv3qW

o   Low wages of food industry workers documented http://bit.ly/MjKip6

·      Don’t 30 Million (US) Workers Deserve 1968 Wages? http://bit.ly/NWjXRe

·      ‘When Workers Work Sick, It’s Unhealthy for All of Us’: New Yorks Battle for Paid Sick Leave http://bit.ly/LyDSHx

The US is the only rich country in the world that fails to guarantee workers some form of paid sick leave.

·      Fracking Fatalities: Organized Labor Implores Federal Agencies to Stop the Killings http://bit.ly/LlLHjW

·      Organic food industry boosts economy with half a million jobs http://bit.ly/KbSoPy

 

Occupy, Anonymous & Protests

·      DA won’t file charges against seven of nine arrested at Occupy the Farm http://bit.ly/K2rhw2

 

Government/Regulation/Policy/Farm Bill

·      Congress Doesn’t Want You to Know Which Farm Operations You’re Subsidizing http://goo.gl/Kn3q0

·      ARS Highlights Alternatives to Antibiotics for Animal Agriculture http://bit.ly/Kx1oFc

·      US House biotech proposal would bypass courts-critic http://bit.ly/LxGphJ

*Provision would muzzle judges, says biotech critic

*Court cases on GMO crops can run for years

*USDA proposes deregulation of GMO sugar beets

·      The FDA’s Willful Evasion of Science http://bit.ly/MhBB25

Decisions about drug safety should depend on the evidence, not agency resources.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now 0 for 2. In March, a US magistrate judge ordered the agency to begin withdrawing approvals for most uses of penicillin and tetracycline antibiotics in animal feed.

·      The Absurdities of the Farm Bill http://bit.ly/JQ5jrf

For example, ‘The Secretary shall study the feasibility of including popcorn as a covered commodity by 2014’

o   Our Food System Is Forked Up: Why the Farm Bill Matters http://bit.ly/LoRsx7

o   The GOOD Fair Food Toolkit http://bit.ly/LBGwsN

o   Infographic: Making Sense of the Farm Bill http://bit.ly/Lx06rS

 

GMOs/Cloning/Nanotechnology/Poisons

·      Monsanto’s tactics to avoid the labeling issue http://goo.gl/eFRdw

·      WikiLeaks exposes corruption as France bans Monsanto’s GMO maize http://goo.gl/ZMbWY

Coming soon after France bans BMO maize, WikiLeaks cables expose details of ‘military-style trade wars’ against countries who reject Monsanto GMOs.

·      Groups ask FDA for final response to petition, seek comprehensive and transparent review of environmental risk presented by “frankenfish” http://goo.gl/zgFv0

·      Feet of sand leave farms wasteland after flooding (Iowa) http://yhoo.it/K5uJap

·      Five Million Brazilian Farmers Sue Monsanto http://bit.ly/LgAzVo

·      USDA deregulates GMO sugar beets – again http://bit.ly/KFj8fW

·      Monsanto Vs Nature: The Weed Fight Back http://bit.ly/KkqSlb

So much of Monsanto’s poison was spread in the past decade that weeds naturally developed a resistance to it.

·      Feds to farmers: Grow GMO beets or face sugar shortage http://bit.ly/MiRfL7

·      GMO Infographic http://bit.ly/K3mpqf

·      Canada: Export market threatened by GMO apple http://bit.ly/MsEycM

·      5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion http://bit.ly/KtYQYQ

·      Council rejects EFSA nominee http://bit.ly/MsGdz6

European Food Safety Authority drops approval of Monsanto lobbyiest’s nomination for board…

·      EU investigates India ‘GM contaminated’ rice exports http://bit.ly/MsESrU

o   India denies GMO contamination in basmati http://bit.ly/MsEU38

·      Toxin from GM crops found in human blood: Study http://bit.ly/nSjPT9

 

Healthy/Humane/Safe Food & Water?

·      Study: Grains: An In-depth Study http://bit.ly/Lt76aK

Recent report on Bread - the first in a series - by The Organic Center documenting the nutritional differences between conventional, "natural," and organically farmed grains and grain-based products. "In short there is a difference. Organic breads on average contain 49% Whole Food ingredients versus 24% in 'natural' bread and only 12% in conventional bread. Preservative/Additive ingredients made up 27% of our conventional bread ingredients versus only 10% and 7% in 'natural' and organic bread respectively."

- Jim Gerritsen, Wood Prairie Farm, Board President OSGATA

·      Guide to Fighting Fast Food in Your Own Back Yard http://bit.ly/M2FNiG

·      Fukushima Radiation Now Detected in the US Food Supply http://goo.gl/WNZI9

·      Garden Visitor Can Be Deadly If Eaten http://goo.gl/TlJPA

·      ‘Translutaminase’ and Other Fun New Foods http://bit.ly/L9LNqz

o   Is “Meat Glue” As Gross As It Sounds http://bit.ly/IBwbup

o   What’s Really in Your Expensive Steak? You’d Be Surprised http://bit.ly/MFSB52

Do you prefer it with a nice Bernaise sauce, a side or garlicky spinach – or maybe some transglutaminase? Yes, “meat glue” – it’s what’s for dinner!

·      Health Dangers in Your Hose: Are You Watering Your Garden With Endocrine Disruptors and Toxic Chemicals?

Your garden hose may contain high levels of lead, flame retardents, heavy metals, and endocrine-disrupting phthalates and BPA.

·      Peanut Butter ‘n’ Hexabromocyclododecane? Flame Retardants Found in Food http://bit.ly/KlO6HK

·      Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables: They’re Essential to a Healthy Diet  http://bit.ly/Msbkup

The push for conventional agriculture…

·      Assessing Consumer Concerns About the Meat Industry http://n.pr/Mh8Suc

·      USDA Forces Meat Industry to Clean up Its Act http://bit.ly/NjUYtx

·      AVMA, AHI Plan Antibiotic Panel on Capitol Hill http://bit.ly/NmyM1S

The panel is scheduled for Wednesday June 20 at the Capitol Visitors Center. Registration is from 11:45 to 12:05 and the discussion will be from 12:05 to 2 pm. Chick-fil-A will be served for lunch.  (no joke, Chick-fil-A http://on.11alive.com/LoKJU7)

·      Agriculture gag laws are violating press freedom in the US http://bit.ly/M7MVuN

Measures to penalize investigative reporters who expose conditions in industrial agriculture are a threat to democracy

o   More on Ag-gag laws http://bit.ly/KkjZ1h

·      Fracking in North Carolina could carry extra risks http://bit.ly/KpHc1C

·      Water Sales to Fracking Industry Stopped in Southern Ohio http://bit.ly/LB7VL6

·      Eminent Scientist Addresses Impact of Carrageenan in Food http://bit.ly/K5ABPx

 

Events

·      SPUR San Francisco: Rethinking School Lunch in Oakland http://bit.ly/NBCz9c

Tuesday, June 12, 2012; 12:30pm

SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105

·      SPUR San Francisco, Film: Edible City http://bit.ly/Km4MCw

Tuesday, June 19, 2012; 6pm

SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105

·      37^th United Association for Labor Education Summer Union Trainings for Women http://bit.ly/NpmO59

Northeast: University Mass Amherst, July 28 – August 2, 2012

South: West Virginia University in Charleston, WV, August 7 – 11, 2012

Midwest: University of Iowa Labor Center, Iowa City, IA, July 25 – 29, 2012

West: UC Berkeley Labor Center at Sonoma State University, CA, July 23 – 27, 2012

Four schools, each in different regions of the US, will be hosting five-day residential programs where women involved with the US labor movement can improve their leadership skills, broaden their knowledge, and meet others who are doing similar things in the labor world…

·      SPUR San Francisco, The Evolution of Urban Ag http://bit.ly/L9NZhR

Tuesday, June 19, 2012; 6pm

SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105

·      SPUR San Francisco, Think Outside the Plot (working sessions on SF Bay Area Food System) http://bit.ly/KFzx5H

Thursday, August 9, 2012, 10am – 4:15pm

SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105

Be sure to shop at your local farmers market to support agriculture sustainability.