Tag: usda
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U.S. Farmers Increase Planting of GMO Corn Banned From China Markets
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) and Bunge Ltd., two of the world’s largest grain traders, are intent on increasing corn exports to China, however, U.S. farmers have plans of their own. [caption id="attachment_328114" align="alignnone" width="500"] The wide-scale planting of GMOs that aren’t approved by key importing countries will chip away at the competitiveness of U.S. grain and…
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Organic Standards Lowered for Livestock in Drought-Ridden California
Due to California’s historic drought, a variance was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in February that enables applicable organic livestock farmers in the Golden State to temporarily disregard the feeding standards that allow them to stamp their product as organic. [caption id="attachment_327875" align="alignnone" width="500"] Organic producers are only allowed to substitute their livestock’s grass diet…
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U.S. Agencies Plan to Eliminate True Organic Egg Production
Already the focus of controversy and threatened lawsuits, the USDA has been widely criticized for allowing giant “organic” factory farms, confining as many as 100,000 birds to a building, to skirt the requirements …
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Fights Over Food Stamps and Commodity Insurance Stall Farm Bill
Following the Fourth of July holiday, Congress will pick up where they left off and will—for better or for worse—decide the fate of U.S. agriculture for the next five years.
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How Did Hepatitis Get into Organic Berries?
The latest example of how even health-conscious eaters are not immune from foodborne illness outbreaks came last week with a recall of organic frozen berries contaminated with Hepatitis A. The products were sold under the brand name of Townsend Farms …