Organic milk contains significantly higher concentrations of heart-healthy fatty acids compared to milk from cows on conventionally managed dairy farms, a study led by a Washington State University (WSU) researcher has found. Organic milk contains significantly higher concentrations of heart-healthy fatty acids compared to milk from cows on conventionally managed dairy farms. While all types of […]
There are plenty of reasons to boycott factory farms, including your health, animal welfare and the environment. It can be challenging to avoid foods produced from animals raised on factory farms, given how dominant factory farming has become. But it’s possible. Here are some suggestions from the Organic Consumers Association: Photo credit: Shutterstock 1. Buy direct […]
It’s easy to take the food that appears before us for granted particularly during the holidays. However, there is one really important creature responsible for much of our favorite Thanksgiving fare: bees. Bee pollination is a $20 billion to $30 billion per year contributor to U.S. agriculture and vital to the majority of fruit and […]
A new report names major U.S. and European banks that are financing land grabs in Indonesia for palm oil production—which is harming the rainforest and the lives of the people who live there—and the investors who are profiting from the business. Palm oil producers in Indonesia are clearing tropical rainforests to plant their oil palm trees, obliterating the […]
Philadelphia, home of the Philly cheesesteak, recently joined the growing number of communities urging residents to refrain from eating meat once a week. The city council unanimously passed a resolution saying the city “recognizes the benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables and urges residents to participate in Meatless Mondays to improve their […]
Factory farms, where large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost, affect all of us. Huge meat companies have steadily driven down the prices farmers receive for the livestock they raise, forcing farmers to get big or get out. Small farms have been replaced by factory farms that […]
A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certification program for livestock producers would permit them to market their products with a special label saying the meat contains no drugs called beta agonists—which some estimates say are fed to up to nearly 80 percent of U.S.-raised livestock. Beta agonists are feed additives used to increase muscle mass and […]
By Piper Hoffman “Adam,” a poor 19-year-old Indonesian, found a job driving trucks for a palm oil plantation that paid $6 a day. The foreman picked him up for a three-week, two-thousand mile journey to the worksite in Borneo. Along the way the terms of employment changed: Adam wouldn’t be paid for two years, and […]
Who would think that one of the world’s largest cities, New York City, would be a major hub for urban agriculture? Well, it is. Food Tank has compiled a list of 10 urban farming projects providing New Yorkers fresh, local produce. 1. Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, 44 Eagle St., New York, NY A 6,000-square-foot organic vegetable […]