What's New at Agriculture Observatory
June 17, 2009
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Documents
News
Document
Voices From Africa: African Farmers & Environmentalists Speak Out Against a New Green Revolution in Africa
Anuradha Mittal with Melissa Moore | March 2, 2009
A new report from the Oakland Institute on threat of a new Green Revolution in Africa. Read more...
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by Low-Income Americans: Would a Price Reduction Make a Difference?
Diansheng Dong and Biing-Hwan Lin | Jan. 1, 2009
Diets of low-income households fall short of Government recommendations in the quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed. Some proposals suggest that a price subsidy for those products would encourage low-income Americans to consume more of them. Read more...
Summary of a Time to Act
Jan. 1, 1998
A 1998 study was intended to set in motion a course of action for USDA in developing policies and programs to better meet the needs of small farmers and ranchers. Read more...
News
When ‘Local’ Makes It Big
New York Times | May 13, 2009
WHEN Jessica Prentice, a food writer in the San Francisco Bay area, invented the term “locavore,” she didn’t have Lay’s potato chips in mind. Read more...
House Bill Seeks to Improve Renewable Fuels Standard
Domesticfuel.com | May 18, 2009
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Discrimination must end, USDA official says
Atlanta Journal Constituion | May 19, 2009
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Dairy imports to be assessed checkoff fees
May 19, 2009
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Dems say Obama backtracking on land preservation
The Hill | May 19, 2009
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House Ag panel members look for ways to be heard on climate plan
New York Times/ClimateWire | May 21, 2009
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NFU president remains bullish on ag, likes ‘cap and trade’ to cut greenhouse gases
Abilene Reflector-Chronicle | May 21, 2009
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Farm Foreclosure Prevention Bill Signed into Law
May 21, 2009
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Dairy farmers press Congress for emergency action to stem economic collapse
May 21, 2009
Farmers call for emergency floor price, access to credit and new dairy pricing system Read more...
IATP: the global watchdog in our backyard
Foodservice News | May 21, 2009
Started in a basement in the early 1980s, the IATP has grown to become a leading force in agriculture and trade issues. Read more...
House chair says he has votes to torpedo Pelosi-backed bill
The Hill | May 21, 2009
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) said on Thursday that he has the votes to take down Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) climate change bill. Read more...
The Ugly Truth Behind Organic Food
AlterNet | May 14, 2009
Is it time for a strawberry to make a political statement, again? I'm standing on a farm south of San Francisco that is unremarkable in that it, like all of the other farms in the area, is a golden canvas of brilliant yellow flowers with the occasional patchwork of verdant greens, early signs of this year's season sprouting up. Read more...
Do Lay's Potato Chips count as `local food`?
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel | May 13, 2009
It was only a matter of time before corporate food giants branded the "local foods" movement as a marketing tool. Remember when organic foods came from small farms? Read more...
Don’t Overlook Biomass Stimulus in Farm Bill
Biomass Magazine | May 22, 2009
All of the attention focused on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act may have caused many folks to overlook other energy/fuel-centric federal “stimulus” programs. As of this writing, Title IX of the Farm Bill offers a number of good programs currently waiting in the shadows of the ARRA. Read more...
Farm groups divided over climate change legislation
May 22, 2009
>From denial to recommended revisions, agriculture is all across the board Read more...
PRAIRIE VOICES: About those 'rich' farmers
Grand Forks Herald | May 23, 2009
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Getting Ethanol Right
New York Times | May 24, 2009
Representative Collin Peterson is furious that the Environmental Protection Agency is doing its job. The Minnesota Democrat says the agency is trying to kill off the biofuels industry — to the dismay of the corn farmers and ethanol producers he represents. Read more...
ACRE decisions depend on crop base, yield histories
Southwest Farm Press | May 28, 2009
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Cash-strapped dairy farmers pin hopes to legislative action
Iowa Independent | May 27, 2009
Four years ago when Andy and Erin Nagel started their dairy farm in Allerton, they thought they were embarking on the life they always wanted. Read more...
Organic Dairies Watch the Good Times Turn Bad
May 29, 2009
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FAQ: 2009 Farm Program Web cast set for June 15
May 30, 2009
Mark your calendar for special event aimed at explaining the new rules and options for the farm bill. Read more...
Cargill, Bunge Win Most Export Aid Since 1992 as Credit Slows
Bloomberg | May 27, 2009
May 27 (Bloomberg) -- Cargill Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Bunge Ltd. are benefiting from the most government support for farm exports since 1992 as the U.S. steps up loan guarantees for foreign buyers unable to get credit. Read more...
Big Food Latches Onto `Local`
Reuters | May 29, 2009
The first time it occurred to me that I might one day want to cover the food business as a journalist was sometime in the late '90s at a "health food" store in Northern California. I was looking at the snack chips, and there was one package bragging: "Contains Gingko Biloba. Read more...
In Trial Run, Chipotle Heads to the Farm
The Washington Post | June 1, 2009
For Chains, Buying Locally Still Means a Long Journey Read more...
Farm safety net broader, but commodity payments cut
June 2, 2009
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Farm program calculation tools now online for Plainview-area farmers
June 3, 2009
Note: The USDA calcualting tool is available to all farmers. See link below. Read more...
Coalition urges congress to support USDA conservation programs
June 4, 2009
Sportsmen ask to maintain mandatory funding for fish and wildlife habitat incentives. Read more...
Agriculture Committee Publishes Climate Change Input from Stakeholder Groups
June 4, 2009
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Packer Contracts Under Review
June 8, 2009
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'Food, Inc.': Documentary on your dinner
San Francisco Chronicle | June 11, 2009
In case you are among the Northern Californians who have avoided thinking about where your dinner comes from, "Food, Inc.," a documentary by Robert Kenner that opens on Friday in San Francisco, will send you to the refrigerator to inspect the information on your food labels. Read more...
More students on free lunch programs
USA TODAY | June 11, 2009
WASHINGTON — Nearly 20 million children now receive free or reduced-price lunches in the nation's schools, an all-time high, federal data show, and many school districts are struggling to cover their share of the meals' rising costs. Read more...
No. 2 federal ag official is tops with California farmers
Sacramento Bee | June 11, 2009
On her first trip as the nation's No. 2 agriculture official, Kathleen Merrigan made clear that the Obama administration's commitment to nutrition isn't going to stop with the White House's new vegetable garden. Read more...
Major FDA food safety reform bill on the move in House committee
Feedstuffs | June 11, 2009
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Pressed by Phila., USDA to continue free school lunch
Philadelphia Inquirer | June 11, 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided not to discontinue a Philadelphia school breakfast and lunch program that provides free meals to poor students, members of the city's congressional delegation announced yesterday. Read more...
House Agriculture’s Peterson Seeks Changes in Climate Measure
Bloomberg.com | June 11, 2009
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'Tough' Negotiator Peterson Rocks Climate Debate
New York Times/Greenwire | June 17, 2009
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