We’re so happy to see this article, and to hear from NJ landowners who are seeking organic land care, avoiding “fields of poison”. To quote Margaret Renkl, the author, “Nature has been trying to make this point for a while now.” Please click the hyperlink after the word “Source” below to read the full article...
Here is another example of the consequences of working against nature instead of with it in agriculture… In this case it is the overuse of fungicides, as opposed the more-often discussed topic of antibiotic abuse. Most of the agricultural discussion is toward the end of the article (published 4/6/19) after the heading “The role of...
The Agricultural Justice (AJP) and NOFA—one of AJP’s four founding members—are collaborating to support our organic farming community’s efforts in addressing our shared social justice values while striving for dignified living careers for farmers, our families, & the workers on our farms. We are following up on the NOFA Domestic Fair Trade Committee’s 2013 survey...
January 7, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dave Chapman, 802-299-7737 Dr. Linley Dixon, 970-317-0309 Thetford, VT Real Organic Project open for public comment Erosion of USDA organic standards demands new certification process for farmers The Real Organic Project (ROP) is calling for public input on its crop and livestock standards. The standards were created to...
Dear NOFA-NJ Readers: On November 27, 2018, Environmental Health News published “Chemicals on our food: When ‘safe’ may not really be safe”, by our 2019 Winter Conference keynote speaker, Carey Gillam. This article pulls together, in one place, links to other resources and information about the dangers of pesticides in our food system. Through her investigative...
Dear NOFA-NJ readers, after seeing a new documentary discussing geoengineering yesterday, I was reminded of this excellent article by Charles Eisenstein which appeared in The Guardian on March 9, 2015. We will be discussing this article (link below) at an upcoming book club, along with Eisenstein’s book, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is...
Why is New Jersey called the Garden State? According to a few sources, including the NJ state government itself, most people attribute the origin of the nickname to Abraham Browning of Camden, who used the phrase in a speech at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition in 1876. Other people suspect that Ben Franklin may have come...
Earlier today, November 27, 2018, the New York Times Magazine released a feature titled “The Insect Apocalypse Is Here – What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?” (link provided below). Key threads running through this superb article include the crucial role of insects to all life on Earth, the role of...
NOFA-NJ Comment: The following article, published November 25, 2018 by National Geographic, offers a hopeful, reasoned view of why conventional farmers are shifting to organic practices. The personal stories shared by farmers, along with utterly spectacular photography by George Steinmetz, make this a must read. Of particular importance are descriptions of the challenges faced by...
