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food & farm news archive

On tiny plots, a new generation of farmers emerges
ROCHESTER, Wash. — Joseph Gabiou walks the fields of Wobbly Cart Farm with a practiced eye. He kicks dirt into place to keep the wind from blowing the protective covering off a row of organic broccoli. The seedlings are vulnerable to the flea beetles that came in the spring, just as longtime farmers in this valley told him they would.

USDA ERS Releases Organic Study: Emerging Issues in the U.S. Organic Production
This report examines recent economic research on the adoption of organic farming systems, organic
production costs and returns, and market conditions to gain a better understanding of the organic supply squeeze and other emerging issues in this rapidly changing industry. Visit the Economic Research Service to read the study.

Pork producers fight against swine flu
The swine flu outbreak has taken a big bite out of the pork industry. Will the pork industry be able to reshape its image to bounce back?

A Germ of an Idea for Wheat
This month the Pittsboro-based Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, backed by $139,000 from the state Tobacco Trust and a New Mexico tobacco maker, started a two-year undertaking to create a wheat market and build a small flour mill. If they succeed, North Carolina's farmers will have a new cash crop and local bakeries will be less dependent on Midwestern wheat supplies.

Bon Appetit Magazine Names Durham-Chapel Hill as "America's Foodiest Small Town"
Imagine a place where foodies not only have a favorite chef, but also a favorite farmer; a place where the distance between the organic farm and the award-winning restaurant is mere miles; a place where a sustainable future is foreseeable. It's all a reality in Durham-Chapel Hill.

USDA Cuts Pesticide Testing Program
The Bush administration halted the 18-year-old Agricultural Chemical Usage Program that tests the safety levels of pesticides in fruits, vegetables and field crops, citing that the $8 million-a-year program is too expensive. September 27, 2008

Drought Relief Program Information
The North Carolina General Assembly has authorized the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission to fund a $6 million grant program to assist farmers in recovering from the drought.

Our New Farm Bill
In the overall picture of global agriculture, the new farm bill doesn't differ much from the last bill, but there are small victories for sustainable agriculture.