Putting Government Waste on Auto-Pilot

Putting Government Waste on Auto-Pilot

Remember when the House rejected a trillion-dollar version of the Farm Bill nearly a month ago? I predicted the subsidy apologists would be back. Unfortunately, I was right. They struck with a stealth attack at about 8 p.m. one week after July Fourth. House Republican...
A Big Season for Falling Stars

A Big Season for Falling Stars

Reversals of fortune can be breathtaking. One minute, people are riding high, surfing the wave of life. The next, they tip over like capsized canoes. Take Paula Deen. This Typhoid Mary of the obesity epidemic made untold fortunes in becoming the unchallenged champion...
Canning Ain’t Rocket Science

Canning Ain’t Rocket Science

When I arrived to help my friends Tom and Terri with their garden, they eagerly showed me a 10-pound zucchini. “I just wanted to see how big it would get,” Tom said, explaining why he didn’t pick it when it was smaller. “Do you want it?”...
Michigan’s Snappy Innovation

Michigan’s Snappy Innovation

The Farm Bill’s recent defeat in the House of Representatives opens up a second chance to get food policy right — including the food aid we give struggling individuals and families. A Michigan and Ohio program could provide some inspiration. The legislation...
The 2013 Corporate Chutzpah Award

The 2013 Corporate Chutzpah Award

What’s simply delicious, even if it’s genetically engineered? Irony. For years, advocates of growing crops with genes from other species spliced into their DNA have claimed that this newfangled farming increases crop yields, reduces pesticide use, and...