Food and Farming
Campaigning at Dairy Farms
Low milk prices having been hammering the nation’s dairy farmers, including those in New York’s 24th congressional district, where Republican Candidate Richard Hanna is challenging Democrat Michael Arcuri.
Cornering the Seed Market
It’s Economics 101, and the National Family Farm Coalition points out what happens with the consolidation of the seed industry.
Too Fat to Fight
Pizza and freedom fries have become national security threats. As Marian Wright Edelman recently put it in an OtherWords op-ed: “It’s time to fight childhood obesity.” The U.S. military gets it. A military officers group called “Mission: Readiness” wants to make school lunches healthier, after its new study reported more than a quarter of Americans ages 17-24 are ineligible to enlist because they weigh too much. The group appeared on Capitol Hill to tell Congress about this problem.
Monopolies Are Killing Our Farms
After two decades standing idly by while agribusiness companies and seed behemoth Monsanto swallowed their competitors, a new Department of Justice anti-trust team is vowing to bust up companies that have gotten so big they’re thwarting competition. And a new sheriff is taking the issue to the people.
Retire Ronald
For decades, fast food advertising icon Ronald McDonald has caught the attention of our kids. The brightly dressed mascot successfully fought for fast food market share, and Corporate Accountability International released a report detailing why this clown has got to go.
Obama and Obesity
Don’t Mess with Georgia’s Brown Thrasher
Most people hear the word “chicken” and immediately think: “Dinner!” Some commercial interests in Georgia, however, think: “Money!” So, they’ve launched a campaign to put the common fryer on the top roost of the bird kingdom by having it declared Most people hear the word “chicken” and immediately think: “Dinner!” Some commercial interests in Georgia, however, think: “Money!” So, they’ve launched a campaign to put the common fryer on the top roost of the bird kingdom by having it declared the state bird of Georgia. //
It’s Time to Fight Childhood Obesity
When First Lady Michelle Obama decided to launch the “Let’s Move” campaign to fight childhood obesity, she brought much-needed attention to a crisis millions of children face. It’s a special concern for children of color, because new research shows black and Latino kids are disproportionally at risk.
Dairy Farmers are Getting a Sour Deal
My husband and I farm in central New York State, milking 60 cows with another 40 head of young stock. We’re third-generation farmers and our farm has been in the same family for nearly 100 years. We have farmed it for 43 years, and 2009 was the worst year of our lives.
We are What We Eat
That morsel at the end of your fork isn’t just food. It’s the product of fossil fuels, industrialized agriculture and chemical herbicides.
