Agriculture
Breakthrough in Colony Collapse Disorder
For some time the bee population has been declining. This is likely due to many causes. However, in the past few years the decline of honeybees started becoming precipitous with entire colonies merely disappearing rapidly. Most people don't realize how alarming this is. But when you consider that a third of our food supply is dependent on insect pollination, and the vast majority of that pollination is thanks to honeybees, it means about one third of our food supply is at risk. Add to this the fact that fisheries are also collapsing (I recently heard that 90% are in decline, though outright collapse is occurring in some 50% of them) and you have some serious food shortages looming.
This is not exaggeration. This is based on current scientific data.
One of the most worrisome aspect of Colony Collapse Disorder was that no one could find a cause for it. It was frustrating not even knowing what the primary threat to our food supply was.
But now scientists ins Spain have found at least one cause and have been able to treat it. From Ars Technica:
more this way»
Sarah Palin's turkey
I cannot get enough of Sarah Palin's cluelessness. I swear, it's just magic to me how she is lost in the happy-go-luckiness of her ignorance. Especially since she had just previously pardoned a frigging turkey at the same poultry farm.
As commenter teoleftfeet said over at Metafilter, "There's something very very surreal about government leaders sparing the life of a being and then ignoring the slaughter of others. Very very surreal."
Ignorance is indeed bliss.
Yet what's really over the top and had me literally rolling on the floor with tears streaming down my face was that the guy in the background comes back to do the unspeakable behind her all over again.
That's what we call chutzpah.
Seeds of worry
After 14 years of the North American Free Trade Agreement’s devastating effects on the majority of Mexican farmers, Mexico’s food system now faces another serious threat. Illegally planted and unknowingly imported since the late nineties, genetically modified (GM) corn has contaminated farms all over Mexico, threatening the livelihoods of small farmers, endangering consumer health, and putting at risk the incredible genetic diversity of native Mexican corn.
Monsanto's Harvest Of Hell
Rinehart was incredulous, listening to the words as puzzled customers and employees looked on. Like many others in rural America, Rinehart knew of Monsanto’s fierce reputation for enforcing its patents and suing anyone who allegedly violated them. But Rinehart wasn’t a farmer. He wasn’t a seed dealer. He hadn’t planted any seeds or sold any seeds. He owned a small—a really small—country store in a town of 350 people. He was angry that somebody could just barge into the store and embarrass him in front of everyone. “It made me and my business look bad,†he says. Rinehart says he told the intruder, “You got the wrong guy.â€
When the stranger persisted, Rinehart showed him the door. On the way out the man kept making threats. Rinehart says he can’t remember the exact words, but they were to the effect of: “Monsanto is big. You can’t win. We will get you. You will pay.â€
Iowa Farmers Union Lobby Day & Press Conference
Iowa Farmers Union Lobby Day & Press Conference
When: Mon, Mar 17, 22:00 – Tue, Mar 18, 04:00
Where: North Rotunda area of the State Capitol in Des Moines.
Iowa Farmers Union members & supporters will talk with legislators & their staff about top legislative priorities for 2008 including local control, market access, & local ownership of renewable energy projects. For more information contact Leigh Adcock at 515-232-4082 email: leigh_adcock_at_prairienet.net
Sustainable Mini-Farming Workshop, Willits, California
Sustainable Mini-Farming Workshop, Willits, California.
February 29-March 2
The weekend workshop will consist of lectures, discussion, and demonstration on soil preparation, sustainable soil fertility, fertilization, compost, compost crops, efficient resource use, crops for full nutrition, and crops for income. Contact: Margo Royer-Miller, Ecology Action, margoroyer-miller@growbiointensive.org, (707) 459-0150.
On This Day
