Jan 4, 2021Member-onlyTwo lessons COVID taught us about the food supplyAs COVID spread across the world in early 2020 it disrupted a highly integrated and interdependent food system, producing shortages, creating fear, and eroding confidence. Since the initial shock of the virus we’ve learned two important lessons. The first is a reminder that during times of crisis food scarcity isn’t…Covid 198 min readCovid 198 min read
Mar 21, 2019Food4Thought — Are GMO’s safe?Short answers to complex questions from you about food & farming Question: Are GMO’s safe? (sent by Mike B.) Answer: Yes*, but…… Although over sixty countries globally require GMO’s to be labeled, the United States does not. According to the USDA, FDA, EPA and nearly all available research*, GMO’s (Genetically…GMO3 min readGMO3 min read
Mar 2, 2019Member-onlyFood4Thought — Organic Doesn’t Spray?Short answers to complex questions from you about food & farming. Question: I buy organic for my family because someone told me they don’t spray. Is that true? (sent by Mindy L) Answer: That’s incorrect. Organic regulations limit what a farmer can spray, but they don’t prohibit the application (spraying)…Food3 min readFood3 min read
Feb 13, 2019Food4Thought — Dairy?Short answers to complex questions from you about food & farming. Question: I’ve been hearing that I should give up dairy a lot lately. Why ? (sent by Conor D.) Answer: The argument most opponents of Dairy make typically falls into two categories: 1. Keeping animals (all livestock-based farming) is…Health4 min readHealth4 min read
Jan 8, 2019The Why of BeefWhy is beef both loved and reviled? Why does it conjure images of green grass and open ranges for some, while others see feedlots and manure lagoons? To understand the why we need to remember two simple things. First that farming is an occupation, and secondly that at nearly $70B…Food8 min readFood8 min read
Sep 20, 2018Drowning in MilkGot milk? Plenty, and dairy farmers are drowning in it. Current conditions are killing thousands of small dairies across the country. They struggle to stay afloat, but eventually succumb to the market pressures created by increasingly larger and larger dairies. There’s a new normal in size, and it’s forcing smaller…Agriculture6 min readAgriculture6 min read
Aug 4, 2018Member-onlyFarm DogThere are few higher compliments than to say she was a farm dog. Most words have been weakened in our hyperbolic society, diminishing our expressive arsenal in times of raw experience, stripping us of reserves needed to differentiate the extraordinary. Little is hallowed, but surprisingly those two words still hit…Dogs3 min readDogs3 min read
Jun 15, 2018Why The Farm Bill Should Matter To YouThe Farm Bill may seem distant and irrelevant to you, but most likely the last thing you ate was affected by it, as were the meals of the one out of every eight Americans who receive some form of Federal food assistance. You’re probably not a farmer, only about 1%…Agriculture5 min readAgriculture5 min read
May 14, 2018Recall RouletteA recent headline read “Nearly 207 million eggs from a farm in North Carolina are being recalled.” If you saw this headline your response was most likely “Wow, that sounds like a lot of eggs.” Then maybe you’d check the eggs in your fridge to see if they were the…Food5 min readFood5 min read
Apr 9, 2018Trade Wars & Sunshine“Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side, Keep on the sunny side of life It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way, If we keep on the sunny side of life…” In 1928 The Carter Family recorded a version of the song Keep…Agriculture3 min readAgriculture3 min read
