For $63 billion dollars, German life sciences and pharmaceutical company Bayer has purchased agribusiness company Monsanto. The merger will be finalized this week, and Monsanto will no longer be a company name. Monsanto’s products including glyphosate-containing RoundUp, will retain their brand names and become a part of the Bayer portfolio. This comes as no surprise...
Scott and Allison Morgan met in Florida in 2004 at the Paddy Wagon Bar and Grill. Scott, an organic farmer, was exchanging his just picked arugula for a meal. Allie, a Philadelphia native, was in Florida studying Acupuncture. They remember talking for hours about their respective interests in growing organic food and alternative medicine. Fourteen...
On May 3rd the USDA released its proposed regulations for the mandatory disclosure of foods produced using GMO or GE methods. These rules establish more detail on how disclosures will be implemented following the 2016 federal law requiring disclosure. The rules are the final step to securing GE food labeling in the United States at...
A recent article published in The Guardian discusses the toxicity of popular weed-killing products such as Monsanto’s Roundup.US government researchers have uncovered evidence that these formulated products are more toxic to human cells than their active ingredient. Government scientists are taking the first ever tests on herbicide formulations as a part of the US National...
This 3-day immersive annual gathering held at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA is packed with amazing education programming for adults and children, an array of fun spirited activities and the opportunity to be nourished by the collective wisdom and knowledge of decades of farming, gardening and activism that makes up the work of our 7...
Its not often that a young farmer reads these words, “60 Acres available for long-term affordable lease opportunities. As the owners of the land, we wish to transition it to organic production and create a community of farmers who can support each other and produce high-quality, organic food for the area,” wrote Steve Gambino owner...
Today the American Farmland Trust released the most comprehensive assessment of the state of American farmland. “Farms Under Threat: The State of America’s Farmland” studies the loss of farmland from 1992-2012. During this time, almost 31 million acres of farmland was lost due to development and expanding urban areas; 11 million of which was the...
The USDA announced today that it will re-establish the charter for the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) and seek to fill 25 upcoming vacant positions. The FVIAC charter was established in 2001 to examine issues facing the produce industry and had expired in January. Eligible nominees for FVIAC include anyone actively working in...
New Jersey Audubon is now accepting applications for funding projects under the Healthy Land and Waters program. This program aims to protect the local watershed thorough conservation projects on agricultural lands in southern NJ. Over $200,000 in competitive funding is available to large landowners and agricultural producers. Conservation practices such as cover cropping, and no-till...
In 1876, Abraham Browning of Camden referenced New Jersey as the “Garden State” in a speech at the Centenial Exhibition in Philadelphia and the moniker has stuck ever since. New Jersey is home to over 9,000 farms covering 720,000 acres and brings in more than $1.1 billion in sales annually. The Garden State ranks in...
