Back in the day, if a pesticide cloud strayed onto a neighboring farm due to high wind or an inept crop duster, it was likely welcomed, a free service that the farmer would have had to pay for anyway. In some places today, that might still be the case. Unless, of course, you are an organic lettuce
Virginia Farmer’s Property Rights Dispute With Green Group Hits Another Snag
Virginia farmer Martha Boneta thought her long-running dispute with a local green group was coming to an end. But now, that light at the end of the tunnel has gone dark again. Efforts to reach a settlement with a local green group, the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), are on hold. The PEC currently
2015 – Year of the Small California Farmers Market Farmer
Protecting our small farmers with a 2-tier food regulatory system
You weren’t invited to participate in the major rewrite of regulations impacting small farmers. Small farmers weren’t invited or consulted either. These bills created a stealth competitive barrier for small farmers in farmers markets, and a
Rule by Bureaucratic Fiat in Vermont
With the passage of the Administrative Procedures Act in the states and at the federal level, government agencies have been given powers traditionally reserved to the legislative and judicial branches. The result has been less representative government and situations where the bureaucracy rules by administrative fiat with little or no input from
Right to Farm Protection in Michigan Threatened
A major development in the American system of government has been the rise in power of the executive branch and the corresponding weakening of the “separation of powers” doctrine. In this article, Wendy Banka, President of the of the Michigan Small Farms Council, reports on the
Living with GMOs: A Letter from America
See digital billboard message
An open letter to the citizens, politicians, and regulators of the UK and Europe about the hazards of genetically modified crops—the warning comes at a critical time as the European Parliament will vote in January whether member states can decide for themselves to grow GM crops or not. If this legislation is passed, the UK
Tell Congress to Vote NO on TPP and Fast Track Authority for Trade Deals
ACT NOW! Sign the FAX Petition and send your own comments to your U.S. legislators.
Help stop the latest push for “Fast Track” legislation. This type of legislation would enable corporate power grabs–like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement–to be rushed through Congress without the normal procedures for amendments and debate.
FSMA: The Threat to Raw Milk
Even though the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t carried out or threatened an enforcement action against raw milk producers for several years, FDA remains the most anti-raw milk government agency in the country. In 2010 Congress, greatly expanded FDA’s power with the passage of the
Wisconsin Supreme Court Raw Milk Cases for Food Freedom
WILL WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT UPHOLD FOOD FREEDOM?
By Gayle Loiselle
Three Wisconsin farms now have petitions for review before the state’s Supreme Court—all challenging the legality and constitutionality of contracts between farmers, private citizens and private food groups to acquire or provide fresh unpasteurized
Oyster Dependent Businesses & Sustainable Food Advocates Appeal
Preliminary Injunction for Drakes Bay Oyster Company Denied
Update 10/6/14: Settlement with NPS – New Chapter for DBOC
SAN FRANCISCO—(September 23, 2014)—Businesses in West Marin and San Francisco that directly depend on the continued operation of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company (“DBOC”) along with sustainable food advocates filed a notice of appeal to