Food and Farming
Avoiding a 21st-Century Dust Bowl
Mother Nature found a cruel way to demonstrate the difference between political rhetoric and reality when this summer’s record-breaking drought coincided with the writing of a new U.S. Farm Bill.
Why We Need the Food from Family Farms Act
Although my Mississippi community has fared pretty well this summer, the worst drought in a generation is jeopardizing more than half of U.S. cropland. Thousands of farmers are facing tough decisions, especially if they own livestock. Dairy farmers face a triple threat — feed costs are at record highs, heat stress is reducing milk production, and dairy cooperatives aren’t paying enough for wholesale milk, thanks in part to failed policy. Some farmers are seeking hay, grain, or silage to feed their cows; others are selling now to cut their losses.
Tomato Tampering
Food geneticists, for example. These technicians have the smarts to tinker with the inner workings of Momma Nature’s own good foods — but not the smarts to leave well enough alone.
The War on Soda Pop
New York City, ever the leader in healthy living, is about to ban the sale of super-sized sodas and other sweetened drinks by its restaurants, movie theaters, and street carts.
The Local Beer Boom
And now, for some happy talk — by which I mean a non-corporate, “little-d” democratic, and altogether pleasurable economic development that’s spreading across our country. In a word: beer.
Supersized Liberty
The Best Little Chicken Sanctuary in Texas
Some people complain that their town has gone to the dogs. Bastrop, Texas has gone to the chickens — and Bastropians are proud of it.
These Steaks May Stick to Your Ribs
If you’re one who enjoys a steak dinner now and again, let me ask this question: do you prefer it with a nice sauce, a side of garlicky spinach — or maybe some transglutaminase?
Overturning Citizens United
From the equipment, chemicals, and seeds on the farm, to farmers and food workers, to supermarkets and consumers, there’s not a part of food and agriculture that big, often multinational, corporations don’t dominate.
Focus on Food: Week of June 4-10, 2012
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