There’s a buzz around regenerative organic agriculture, says Elizabeth Whitlow, executive director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). Farmers, scientists, big food companies, and even the U.S. government are paying keen attention to soil—its health, its availability, and its huge potential to repair a “broken” agricultural system and help alleviate the dire impacts of global warming.
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Some argue that a carbon credit scheme is an essential form of climate financing for developing countries, others argue that it could easily fall prey to green-washing.
Agreements over a global carbon credit scheme have been slow to develop.
Last week, United States climate envoy John Kerry was heckled when he unveiled a new carbon credit scheme at a packed COP27 event.
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Amos Miller, an Amish farmer and owner of Miller's Organic Farm just 150 miles from Washington, D.C., has been under the USDA's microscope since at least 2015
It was the National Organic Program from the USDA that first launched an investigation in 2015, seeking all the food club’s purchase records and a list of members who pay a premium to get food from an independent farmer who doesn't process meat and dairy at a USDA facility
Miller has helped organize private food clubs where individuals can purchase produce, dairy and meat from traditional farmers; the DOJ seems intent on stamping them out
While Miller produces and sells organic meat, dairy and eggs, “experts” are pushing fake junk food for billions in profits, including the current “sustainable, plant-based” consumables that resemble convenience store food more than whole food
CAFO meat, dairy and eggs are also not the answer to a healthy society and environment. There is a better solution and Amos Miller is using it — regenerative farming has a lower carbon footprint than either CAFOs or plant-based products, protects human health and improves the environment
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Once again, organic standards are being twisted and threatened.
Send your comments to the USDA here. Read on for more info!
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed a new rule for the standards around raising organic chickens. On the surface, it seems to be heading in the right direction; new provisions for living conditions, clarifications on existing requirements, and differentiations between avian and mammalian living conditions.
Under the surface, we find some very rotten rules.
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Instead of enforcing the spirit and letter of the law, subsequent administrations in the White House and at the USDA have spent years delaying, with the excuse that new rulemaking “was needed.” After a decade of foot dragging, a draft rule is available for public comment — and it makes things worse!
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Rotating chickens on pasture prevents nitrate contamination of soil and groundwater, provides a varied diet for the birds including grass and insects, and makes for more nutritious meat and eggs. If the Organic standards required vegetated cover for poultry production, this would open markets for operations that rotate their chickens on pasture AND feed organic grain, a rare combination.
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IFOAM Organics Europe has urged the need for a holistic and multi-dimensional approach to carbon farming, focusing not only on the amount of carbon stored in soils, but also on biodiversity protection and the systemic transition of farming systems towards agroecology.
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In a move that the Syngenta boss says is “in no way linked to Syngenta’s business objectives,” CEO Erik Fyrwald recently called for an abandonment of organic farming to focus on increased yields to avert rising global food insecurity. The solution, in his view, is for rich countries to improve yields to better feed the world.
“The indirect consequence is that people are starving in Africa because we are eating more and more organic products,” Fyrwald said.
Kilian Baumann, a Bernese organic farmer and president of the Swiss Small Farmers’ Association, said Fyrwald’s thinking is “grotesque”—motivated by “fighting for sales” as farmers use fewer pesticides.
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With programs for schools, elders, and diabetics across 10 counties, Choctaw Fresh Produce is making sure its tribal members have access to fresh, healthy food.
Read moreAmish Farmer Faces $250K Fine, Jail Time And Losing His Sustainable Farm For Processing His Own Meat
Amos Miller’s private food club members say they don’t want their grass-fed meat treated with the chemical preservatives required by all USDA-approved processing plants
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