Healthy food at low price is difficult goal for grocer in Detroit
When Whole Foods, "the world's leader in organic and natural foods" with 360 stores, opened a store in Detroit in June 2013, top executives said they wanted to reach "all of Detroit" with lower prices and to encourage healthier diets.
Biggest increase on hog breeding inventory since late 1990s
Hog farmers "are significantly ramping up pork production," says Farm Futures, pointing to the 4 percent increase in the breeding inventory in the three months ending on Dec 1 vs the same period in 2013.
Oregon GMO recount nets 2 more “no” votes in early going
Partway through the recount of the Oregon referendum on labeling GMO foods, there was a net gain of two votes against labeling, according to data posted by the Secretary of State's office. Fifteen of the state's 36 counties reported results as of Thursday evening. Opponents had a 43,627-vote margin in those counties, up from the 43,625-vote margin from the election-night tally.
China considers law requiring GMO food labels
Chinese lawmakers are considering a proposed law to require labeling of all foods that contain genetically modified organisms, says China Daily.
More conservation benefits if land-idling formula is revised
The government could idle more environmentally fragile cropland if it alters its management of the Conservation Reserve to maximize the benefit achieved per dollar instead of aiming for the greatest benefit per acre, says a study by the think tank Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. Created in 1985, the Conservation Reserve, which pays landowners to idle fragile cropland for 10 years or longer, is the largest U.S. land set-aside program ever with an annual cost of $2 billion.
Beginning to farm but not young farmers
The average age of U.S. farmers is a frequent topic of concern because it is fairly high - 58 years in 2011, according to a new USDA report on the structure and finances of family farms.
World grain stockpile heads for 15-year high, food prices flat
Swollen by record wheat and corn harvests, the global inventory of cereal grains will be the largest in 15 years, up 8 percent this year, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Egg producers prepare for new California rule
California's new humane-treatment rule for egg-laying hens takes effect on Jan 1 and is having an impact on producers as far away as Pennsylvania, says Bloomberg.
Low market prices could mean $6-$8 billion in corn subsidies
Two agricultural economists say corn subsidies could cost $6 to $8 billion for this year's record-large corn crop, says Reuters. The estimates are based on the projected U.S. average price of $3.50 a bushel for the crop, the price guarantees of the farm bill and...
An edible fungus that grows by eating plastic
In Europe, a designer from Austria, Katharina Unger, is working with Utrecht University on "a system that cultivates edible plastic-digesting fungi," says Wired.
Northern Plains grow a lot more grain than they used to
A huge increase in grain production in the Northern Plains over the past decade is an unspoken factor in the transportation snarls reported in the region, says economist David Widmar in the blog Agricultural Economic Insights.
Plant puts out flowers earlier to cope with climate change
A wild mustard plant that grows in the Rocky Mountains "alters its physical appearance and flowering time in response to different environmental conditions, suggesting some species can quickly shape-shift to cope with climate change without having to migrate or evolve," says Dartmouth College.
Oregon GMO recount begins Tuesday, completed by Dec 12
County clerks in Oregon will begin a recount on Tuesday of the 1.5 million ballots cast on Measure 92, to require labels on foods made with genetically engineered organisms, according to a schedule posted by Secretary of State Kate Brown.
First female agriculture minister is appointed in Brazil
Katia Abreu, a former head of the largest farm lobbying group in Brazil, is the first woman to be appointed agriculture minister of the world's largest coffee, sugar and beef exporter, says Bloomberg.
Food is the fight in US-Europe free-trade talks
In the drawn-out negotiation over a trans-Atlantic trade agree, "no single issue is inflaming the debate more than food — specifically U.S. calls for Europe to open its door to long-banned American foodstuffs that are hormone-treated, chemically sanitized or genetically modified," says the Washington Post.
Congress may move on immigration early in new session
The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says lawmakers could set to work on immigration reforms early in the session of Congress that opens on Jan 6. Sen Chuck Grassley says his counterpart in the House, Rep Bob Goodlatte told him "the House will act early." Grassley reiterated his preference for the the House to move first because it stalled immigration legislation in 2013 and this year.
No specific protection for farm workers likely in Obama order
When President Barack Obama unveils an executive order affecting up to 5 million illegal immigrants, it is not expected to include agricultural workers, according to published reports.
Reforestation is a promising antidote to climate change
At least three-quarters of the forests of the world have been cut down or damaged, says the New York Times in a two-page story that says...
The Food Babe and her critics
"In an age when consumers have become increasingly suspicious of processed food, the Internet has become a powerful platform for activists who want to hold Big Food accountable," begins a story at the NPR blog The Salt about Vani Hari...
FDA, USDA need more coordination of food safety-Report
The government lacks an over-arching performance plan for food safety nor do USDA and FDA engage in broad-based collaboration of their overlapping food safety programs, said the Government Accountability Office.